HvM positions Cablecom as provider of the info and entertainment worldAfter the launches and relaunches of various products, the long-awaited umbrella brand campaign for Switzerland's largest cable network operator, Cablecom, is finally following. The delay was due less to the will of Zurich-based in-house agency Honegger von Matt (HvM) than to Cablecom's internal complex new constellation. Months of changes had to pass through Helvetia's networks. First came the CHF 5.8 billion takeover of Cablecom shares from Swisscom by the American-British cable TV company NTL Inc., then the change of legal form from AGs to GmbHs, until the final decision was made recently: The well-known Cablecom brand is to remain and serve as the foundation for the future corporate strategy. The brand claim created and humorously implemented by HvM is therefore thoroughly visionary: "The whole world comes home to the consumer. Faith Popcorn's cocooning vision sends its regards. page 10

The PR and event agency Marengo is released from the advertising agency Bonaparte into independence. Alex Beeler becomes the owner, retroactive to November 1, and at the same time leaves Bonaparte as Managing Director Consulting. In addition, Harry Sulzer takes over the shares of his partner Rolf Sperisen and becomes the sole owner of Bonaparte. Sperisen remains Chairman of the Board of Marengo. "Bonaparte has developed in the direction of brand consulting," explains Sulzer, "we want to concentrate on that in the future." After the separation, however, the companies intend to continue working together and serving joint customers.
Alex Beeler plans to continue working on product PR and marketing events. "My passion lies in the integrated below-the-line area," says the newly minted agency owner. For the coming year, Beeler anticipates striking growth in the event sector. He is also planning an offshoot in northern Italy. Beeler sees an interesting, booming market there in which he already knows his way around. (ba)

Urs Wäckerli, President of the Commissioned Filmmakers, is satisfied with the Edi AwardsLast Thursday, the first Edi Awards Ceremony took place in the Schiffbau in Zurich. The turnout of the professional audience positively exceeded the expectations of the organizers of the Swiss Film & Video Producers (SFVP). At the award ceremony, it became clear that the award is aiming for a higher standard than the earlier Cristalli.Has the move from Locarno to Zurich been worth it for the Association of Commissioned Filmmakers?
Urs Wäckerli: Yes. In Locarno, our award ceremony was always just the fifth wheel on the wagon. We were never really integrated into the festival, but rather felt tolerated. We were also of little interest to the press most of the time, because the critics came mainly for the feature films, of course.
And the advertisers? Wouldn't they have liked it better in Ticino?
Wäckerli: No, because advertisers are usually quite vain people. They want to be the center of attention at an event. Just like us filmmakers, of course. What's more, Locarno takes place in late summer, when many advertisers are still on vacation.
Did more people actually come to the party in the Schiffbau now?
Wäckerli: We started from a plan with 300 guests invited by name for the gala. In the end, 380 came. Unfortunately, we had to postpone over a hundred registrations at the last moment for reasons of space. So next year we will expand the festive infrastructure to at least 600 people. We had to learn that many advertisers usually decide on such parties very spontaneously.
Was that one of the reasons why many familiar faces from the advertising industry were still missing from shipbuilding?
Wäckerli: That certainly played a role. Nevertheless, there were already a few more than in earlier times. Even the panel discussion on the future development of electronic media was able to attract 130 participants at eleven in the morning. The work show, in which all members of our association were able to present themselves with their showreels, is of course still expandable. We imagine a real exhibition with booths here in the future. The organizers from our circle with Verena Zollinger, Peter Beck and Levente Paal have already developed various ideas here for the coming years.
The whole event was very dignified. What can be said about its financing?
Wäckerli: After a long period of uncertainty about the renewed patronage of the Federal Department of Home Affairs, our hands were naturally tied for a long time with regard to interested sponsors. But confidence has now returned, and we were able to win over Publisuisse and the general management of SRG SSR idée suisse to our cause. Next year we need more sponsors, because our total budget was 220000 francs. This year the money will come once from a pot of non-payable small amounts of copyrights from Suisseimage. Since it is not worthwhile to pay out these small amounts to the authors, the total sums were distributed to the individual film associations. According to the statutes, we had to do something for the industry as a whole.
A competition is always associated with a wide range of opinions. How were the jury's decisions received?
Wäckerli: Right after the award ceremony, I played with my String Jazz Quartet for the aperitif. So I didn't hear many comments. Basically, however, there seems to be agreement that the bar for quality standards has been set very high. The Edi is not meant to be an inflationary advertising film prize. This year's shortlist is roughly on a par with what has been awarded in previous years in the form of diplomas or Cristalli.
Jury president Danielle Lanz has stated that she missed many good spots that she, as a careful observer, knows from television when she entered them. Why is that?
Wäckerli: After the back and forth with the DHA in the past, we are currently in a build-up phase again. But I'm convinced that next year we'll have many more registrations and thus also a response from advertisers. And then there will certainly be more than just one Edi for nine commercials again, like this year.
How is the workload in the industry otherwise?
Wäckerli: With the development of the DVD system, which is guaranteed to become increasingly important, I'm convinced that we'll have a lot of work in the future. The new medium just needs to be discovered by advertising agencies with all its interactive possibilities.
Other activities in the association?
Wäckerli: One important goal is to expand our website. At www.filmproducers.ch, it will soon be possible to access many forms, as well as price lists and other production aids. We have also launched our customer magazine newsreel, with which we are actively seeking contact with all BSW, ASW and other advertising agencies. Interview: Andreas Panzeri
And the winners are... An Edi for the best concept was awarded to the client SRG SSR idée suisse for the film "Die neue Bundesverfassung", concept and production: Martin Uebele. An Edi for best direction was awarded to the client Swisscom for the film "Convergence: Mission impossible", produced by Allcom Productions AG and directed by Klaus-Michael Vetter. The Edi for Best Camera went to Effact AG for the film "SSG Modulfilme", production: Techo Film und Video AG, camera: Roland Schmid. The Edi for Best Editing was awarded by the jury to Schauspielhaus Zürich for the film "Schiffbau". Production and editing: Frame Eleven. The Edi for Best Overall Production was awarded to Tamedia AG for the film "Fahnen". Advertising agency: Weber Hodel Schmid, Zurich, production: Peacock Film, director: Rolando Colla.

The current issue of the m+a Trade Fair Planner 2000/2001 provides information on around 9500 trade fairs and exhibitions worldwide.Service The trade fair as a marketing tool
These are arranged by country, industry, chronologically and by trade show abbreviation. The reference work offers exhibitors and trade visitors a comprehensive overview of international trade show events with a preview of dates up to the year 2003. In addition to a book edition, the trade show planner is also available on CD-ROM and in English (ITD-International Trade Show Directory). All versions are available from m+a Vertriebsstelle Schweiz Natural AG, P.O. Box, 4002 Basel, Tel. 061 316 59 90, Fax 061 316 59 98, E-mail: [email protected]. A single print version of the 2000/2001 exhibition planner costs 143.50 Swiss francs. For a detailed price list, please contact the sales department.
APG sales documentation The Allgemeine Plakatgesellschaft (APG) launches the budget year 2001. The 124-page sales documentation presents around 1600 poster networks. The documentation is also supplemented by planning tools on the Internet. The documentation can be ordered from the homepage www.apg.ch or from APG Marketing in Winterthur, phone 052 208 94 23.
Eurobest 1999 now in book form The winners and finalists of last year's Eurobest Awards have also been compiled in book form. With Advico Young & Rubicam, Guye & Partner, Honegger von Matt, Mc-Cann-Erickson, Zurich, Publicis, Pumpkin Film, Wirz Werbeberatung and Ruedi Wyler Werbung, Swiss agencies are also well represented in the 1999 edition. The yearbook can be ordered for 98 Swiss francs from: Eurobest Awards Limited, 27 Mortimer Street, London WIN 7RJ, telephone ++44 20 7291 8434, fax ++44 20 7291 8400, e-mail: [email protected]. The award ceremonies for this year's awards will take place in London in December.

A SW workshop informed advertisers about the pitfalls in dealing with copyrightsBy Piero Schäfer Many advertisers who regularly deal with copyrights in music, text and images often know too little about the pitfalls of copyright. At a SW workshop, specialists from Suisa and Pro Litteris showed participants from the advertising industry where the legal traps lurk.
Over 60 participants from the advertising industry took part in the traditional SW workshop, which this year was devoted to the thorny issue of copyright. Obviously, many advertisers tend to disregard copyright law, if not intentionally, then certainly negligently. Especially when a protected work is not placed in the front of the picture, but rather in the background, as if by chance. And it is absolutely irrelevant which artistic value one subjectively attaches to an object: Copyright law is completely value-free. And it even applies to sketches: the work does not have to be completed to be subject to protection.
Who is the rights holder, who is liable?
The decisive factor is the fact that the rights are clarified with the actual rights holder. If one secures the copyright of a photographer, this does not mean that one has thereby also acquired the right to reproduce a protected work recognizable on this picture. It should also be noted that even owners of a work of art (private individuals or even gallery owners) are not legitimized to assign copyrights.
The requirements for buildings are somewhat less strict: Buildings standing on public land that can also be seen from there may be used as background decoration.
An important question concerns liability: Who is responsible in the event of copyright infringement? Is it the photographer, the agency or the client? The answer is that whoever uses the work is liable. So in most cases it is the advertising client.
There are rights that cannot be bought
Sometimes it is not easy to clarify all rights, which is why Werner Stauffacher, head of the legal department at Pro Litteris, recommended that advertisers and clients seek advice from a collecting society. There, he said, they have enough experience to help even in tricky cases. However, the speaker qualified that there are authors for whom one can save oneself the work: In the case of Giacometti or Matisse, it is a wasted effort, since the rights are simply not available or are too expensive for most clients. Anyone who is guilty of copyright infringement will be asked to pay a hefty sum: The cost of use, subject to certain tariffs, will be increased by 100 percent. "It cannot be that those who are too convenient to clarify the rights for use should pay the same as those who undergo this duty," Stauffacher said.
Copyright is a complex matter, for which it is worthwhile to consult specialists from the licensed collecting societies. There you will also receive useful tips, such as the one that all copyright problems are solved as soon as 70 years have passed since the death of the creator of the work. And of course, all collecting societies keep a record of when this happens.
Copyright Clearance Documents on the SW workshop are available for 25 francs from the office of Swiss Advertising SW, Kappelergasse 14, 8001 Zurich, 01 211 40 11, fax 01 211 80 18,
E-mail: [email protected]

Gross advertising expenditures grew at a below-average rate in SeptemberThe summer slump that used to plague advertising acquisition departments during the summer months no longer exists. Or it has shifted forward or backward. There is no getting around this "meteorological" impression if you look at the gross advertising expenditure in September published by Media Focus. These in fact grew by "only" 7.8 percent overall to 392.473 million Swiss francs. While this is a satisfactory figure, it is nevertheless the lowest since May of this year. In all the intervening summer months, gross advertising expenditure had grown at double-digit rates.
TV dived for the first time this year
Nevertheless, it should be noted that the "summer slump model" still seems to have retained some of its validity for the print media. With an increase of 10.1 percent, it achieved the best result of the last four months in September.
And general-interest magazines also performed somewhat better than in August, with growth of 8.6 percent. The same applies to trade magazines, which posted very comfortable growth of 21.3 percent in September.
TV advertising, on the other hand, got off on the wrong foot in September, with its gross expenditure shrinking by 9.4 percent compared with the same month last year. This is the first time in the current year that TV has suffered a loss.
Radio, on the other hand, made all the more encouraging progress. The medium with the strongest growth rates of all this year achieved another record result with a plus of 32 percent. In the case of cinema, on the other hand, August proved to be a one-off interim high, with top growth of 78.6 percent. In September, cinema advertising again dipped sharply, by 16.9 percent, as it has done several times before this year.
Although teletext developed quite well with an increase of 7.5 percent, growth had been even higher in the months before. The same applies to billboard advertising, which grew by 5.6 percent, its weakest growth in five months. Nevertheless, Internet banner advertising was able to increase by more than 40 percent to 3.657 million Swiss francs compared to August. Daniel Schifferle
Gross advertising expenditure by mediaSeptember 1999/2000 in comparison
in 1000 Fr. 1999 in 1000 Fr. 2000 +/- %
Daily newspapers 160,734 177,027 10.1
Publ. journals 62,571 67,926 8.6
Trade journals 22,377 27,149 21.3
TV 68 425 62 003 -9.4
Radio 10 429 13 766 32.0
Cinema 3,848 3,196 -16.9
Teletext 1,849 1,987 7.5
Poster 33,866 35,762 5.6
Internet Banner - 3 657 -
Total 364,099 392,473 7.8
Source: Media Focus Hergiswil (NW)

The use of humor is not suitable for every product - and least of all in print adsBy Wolfgang Koschnick Humor in advertising is guaranteed to have an effect on the viewer or listener. However, if there is no reference to the advertised product, the effect of the joke will fizzle out. That's why it's important to think carefully about the product for which funny advertising is effective.
At first glance, the matter seems as clear as day: funny advertising is simply fun. People are happy. Maybe they even have to laugh. It feels good and sticks in the memory. Everyone likes to remember funny commercials. So it goes like clockwork - or so you think.
If only it were always that simple. At second glance, however, the effect of humorous advertising seems to fizzle out somewhere: People are probably having a great time and laughing heartily, but in the end all that remains is the memory of the successful joke. No one remembers the product that the funny commercial was supposed to promote.
And what's far worse: The punchline wears thin after a few repetitions. No joke is so good that you could listen to its punchline five, ten, or even twenty times. When you've seen again and again how the two hunters with the duck whistle collide in the reeds because they've lured each other with their whistling, you can't laugh at it anymore. Not even smiling anymore. And what was the commercial for again? That's exactly where the hare lies in the pepper.
Jokes thrive on the surprise effect of a good punch line. But advertising thrives on the lasting effect of many repetitions - on massive advertising pressure. And that ruins the best punchline.
Humor increases credibility of advertisers
Reason enough for advertising research to take an in-depth look at the possible effects of humorous or humorous design elements in advertising, and to do so with due methodological care. The result of the worldwide efforts of market and communication researchers is a little more than what usually comes out of such projects: Nothing is known for sure.
Because there are a few certainties that deserve to be recorded. Hard to deny the fact that with the help of funny advertising you can get high attention.
People look first. In view of the veritable flood of advertising that pours down on the general public every day, this is of course a real blessing that cannot be overestimated.
But a high level of attention is not yet an advertising effect. It only offers the very best prerequisites for the much-noticed advertising to also influence the buying behavior of those advertised to. In any case, worldwide advertising research has proven with a fair degree of certainty that humorous advertising not only attracts attention, but also increases sympathy for the advertiser. What's more, humor also promotes understanding of the message and - not always, but increasingly often - even the credibility of the advertiser. What more could an advertising company possibly want?
A lot! Because after that it gets difficult, because there is a danger that the humorous elements in a commercial will distract attention from the product itself. Advertising researchers even speak of a vampire effect. Like a true vampire, the joke takes over the entire commercial and sucks the reference to the advertised product out of it. All attention is focused on the joke, but no viewer or listener pays attention to the product anymore.
The most obvious distraction from the advertiser's intended goals is sex in advertising (see WW 38/00). Here, the connection between the object of the advertising (the product or service) and the advertising design is either artificially created, or it does not exist at all. The same principle applies to humor. It is just not quite so easy to recognize.
Too much humor damages the advertising effect
In the worst case, the distraction can even jeopardize the understanding of the message. For example, American studies by Leon Festinger and Nicholas Maccoby in the 1960s initially showed that a certain amount of distraction during a communicative influence can even increase the effect of the influence.
In experiments, a verbal influence was combined with a film that did not match this influencing communication. Then the communication effect was compared with an influencing of a verbal kind with a matching film.
In another study, however, G. A. Haaland and M. Venkatesan showed: In the case of very strong distraction, consumers are influenced much more weakly than without distraction. The relatively weak distraction of the study by Festinger and Maccoby obviously led to the fact that the test subjects understood the message, but were not able to critically deal with it. This mechanism of action can be applied directly to an advertising medium such as television, which rarely receives the undivided attention of the audience.
Many studies indicate that not too much distraction reduces reactance. In advertising research, reactance is the term used to describe the conscious defensive reaction against "advertising that is laid on too thick": the recipient defends himself against the attempt to influence him or subsequently repels an influence that has already taken place and tries to restore his threatened freedom by either rejecting the alternative suggested to him or by upgrading the attractiveness of all the alternatives not suggested to him.
The advertising potential lies in the associations
People are apparently motivated not to be influenced. As a result of reactance, a boomerang effect can occur: The person concerned rejects the recommendation made in an advertising spot and does exactly the opposite. So for advertising to be effective in influencing, feelings of reactance must be avoided in the target persons.
However, one could counter this comparison with the fact that every creative advertisement runs the risk of distraction: the more creative the idea, the greater the distance to the advertised product. So it's always a matter of putting the creative elements at the service of the message.
This applies to humor as well as to all other attention-getting elements of a message. One should also always pay close attention to whom a message is directed. And you should not overtax the recipients in the process. Witty jokes on a high intellectual level are usually too high for the clientele of advertising messages. Not because they're all stupid, but because most of them don't pay their highly concentrated attention to advertising at all.
Funny advertising has often aimed far off the mark
A larger number of controlled studies to test the persuasive effect of humorous advertising messages have shown that humorous and serious versions of messages did not differ in the influencing effect. This means in any case: The purchasing effect of advertising does not depend on the advertising wit. The potential of humorous advertising obviously lies in the creation of favorable associations and connotations.
When advertising is about influencing the behavior of target groups, humor is certainly not a decisive factor. This is the common thread that emerges from all scientific studies. At best, it is an ornamental accessory. Its effect is limited to the atmospheric. And even with the atmospheric effects it depends on the individual case. The thing can also go wrong more often.
There is even a whole series of studies that assume that witty advertising generally backfires. For example, the American advertising researchers R. I. Haley, J. Richardson and B. M. Baldwin reviewed a large number of experimental studies on the relationship between humor and persuasion in advertising and concluded: "Humor generally correlates negatively with persuasion. Needless to say, humor itself is a complex topic and the range of humor available in this sample was limited. However, these data suggest that use of humor involves substantial risks." (There is a negative correlation between humor and influence. No doubt humor as such is a complex topic, and the range of humor available in our sample was limited. But the data suggest that there are significant risks associated with the use of humor). Yes, when someone talks so pompously, there must be something to it, right?
All in all, the following applies: The advertising effect of humor cannot be clearly determined. It really depends very much on the individual case. And in the individual case, it is very important to check which dangers exist for the close connection between the advertising joke and the product. And this is probably the most difficult act of all.
If the joke in the ad is a pure no-brainer and would work even without any advertising, there is a first alert level. Probably the joke is then aiming far off target without any advertising effect.
A joke is good when it is connected to the product
This - like humor in advertising in general - is not funny at all and is a beery affair. And it's one of the reasons why the Cannes reel is so wildly popular with a wide audience. The Cannes annual award-winning commercials are incredibly funny. You can even watch it as an entertainment film in the cinema, and you can't stop laughing.
The poor jurors prefer to award prizes for funny commercials. They would have to be bored to death if they only ever had to reward commercials that consistently put the product in the spotlight. That's all very understandable. But only a few of these commercials are effective. Most of them merely contribute to amusement. But they do so in a way that most advertisers would have to state with royal restraint: "I am not amused."
So it's not enough to create a commercial that thrives on an incredibly funny idea. It is more important that the punchline itself is directly related to the advertised product. The most perfect spot would be one whose joke is so intensely related to the advertised product that the same joke could not be made for another product at all, or almost not at all. But creative people manage to do that at best once in several years.

With a pass rate of 76 percent, 35 out of 46 candidates passed the examinations for the federal diploma in advertising management in Lenzburg.The best result was achieved by Peter Eisenegger from Zurich. Nadine Kollbrunner from Zurich and Simon Lerch from Baden came in second. More at www.werbewoche.ch/gratulationDie The 15-member examination committee of Swiss Advertising has been newly appointed. Newly elected to the board are Sandra Ulrich, Advertising Director PickPay, Heinz Egli, President idée/VfW, and Charris Yadigaroglou, Managing Director Grey Switzerland. The Actuary of the Audit Commission, Hanspeter Marti, will also serve as Chairman for the year 2001.
The revised regulations for the higher professional examinations are currently with the Federal Department of Economic Affairs with the application for approval and should come into force at the beginning of 2002. For the first time, examinations will also be held in French-speaking Switzerland in 2001. (pan)

TeleCombi unites eight regional TV stations in German-speaking SwitzerlandBy Markus Knöpfli Christian Stärkle has done it: He has packed eight regional TV fleas, including Tele 24, into his TeleCombi sack. And it is contractually tied up. The new offer will be on the market as of 2001. And from April, most of the stations will also have an identical program structure.
"What has come out of Stärkle's kitchen so far has always been stillborn" - with these words Roger Schawinski had commented on the Tele-M1 boss's efforts to create a regional language TV combi just six months ago (WW 17/00). Today, six months later, the Belcom boss with his stations Tele Züri and Tele 24 is the fattest flea in Stärkle's combi bag.
The previous TeleCombi partners Tele M1, Tele Bärn, Tele Basel and Tele Tell were joined by the four eastern Swiss fleas Tele Top, Tele Ostschweiz, Tele Südostschweiz and Schaffhauser TV. Tele 24 serves as the language-regional umbrella.
The goal is clear: The nine stations want to form a joint advertising platform for national campaigns. Compared to SF DRS, TV 3 and the advertising windows, the reference to the respective region is emphasized as a special USP. The offer will be marketed as of January 1, 2001. The clearing house is at Radiotele AG.
Based on the advertising block ratings measured (or assumed for SHTV and Südostschweiz) between January and June 2000, the TeleCombi partners excluding Tele 24 reach an average of between 607000 and 651000 viewers per day from the 15 to 49 age group, according to Stärkle. In the future, however, TeleCombi will be measured and reported as a unit by Publica Data.
Now serving regional one-size-fits-all TV fare
The tariff has not yet been defined in detail. Here, the young combination, which for the first time can only be terminated at the end of 2002, still faces a stress test. However, benchmarks have been set. For example, the rates will always be about ten percent lower than those of SF 1, the CPM will be 90 francs and the GRP 1.70 francs. In the future, rates will be reset on a quarterly basis.
In order to offer advertisers not only a platform but also a programming environment that is as homogeneous as possible, the programming structures of the partners (except Tele Züri and Tele 24) are to be
be aligned as of April 1, 2001: Hourly program loops starting on the hour. The 60-minute program with regional news, weather and magazine should also have an identical schedule everywhere. But that's not all: a program commission headed by Tele-Bärn managing director Marc Friedli will ensure joint magazine shows. Currently, a jointly produced weekly lifestyle magazine is in preparation. Others are to follow.
In order for TeleCombi to come about, some partners have jumped over their own shadows. Tele Bärn, which has only been repeating its program every half hour on certain days since last spring, will return to the hourly loop as of April 1, 2001. Tele Top and Tele Südostschweiz have to abandon the leader pool they launched in the middle of the year, since no sub-pools are tolerated within TeleCombi.
However, the last word has hardly been spoken on this matter. It is also astonishing that the three eastern Swiss broadcasters SHTV, Tele Ostschweiz and Tele Top are placing themselves jointly under the TeleCombi umbrella. On the one hand because of the animosities among them, on the other hand because the territories of SHTV and Tele Ostschweiz are practically completely covered by Tele Top.
"A combo like this takes time and can't be forced," Stärkle had told WerbeWoche last spring with stoic composure. How right he was.

ADs and CDs come up with the most ridiculous commercials, the audience in front of the TV is doubled over with laughter, and no one buys the product afterwards. Humor in advertising is a serious matter. That's why it's important to think carefully about which product funny advertising will work for. The difficult thing is that a punch line wears thin after repetition. A joke heard ten times is no longer funny. Commercials, however, are shown much more often and rely on repetition for their effect. That's not funny, according to advertising researchers. Our article "The joke with advertising" on page 15 shows that they haven't completely lost their sense of humor in their strategic considerations.

U.S. fast food chain Burger King has announced the final shortlist for the final round of its pitch.Fax Lowe is gone at Burger King
The previous supervisor, Lowe Lintas, has dropped out of the running, as have Publicis and Saatchi & Saatchi. The decision for the $400 million U.S. budget will be made in early 2001 between Grey Worldwide, McCann-Erickson and Campbell Mithun.
Jean-Remy von Matt: most creative advertiser Germany's marketing managers consider the Swiss Jean-Remy von Matt to be the most creative personality in the industry. This is the result of a survey of 320 marketing managers conducted by the trade magazine Werben & Verkaufen. The co-owner of the Jung von Matt agency received 78 mentions. In second place is partner Holger Jung (38), followed by Konstantin Jacoby (20) and Reinhard Springer (18).
WHS Berlin looks after Gorki Theater Weber Hodel Schmid, Berlin, is now in charge of the Maxim Gorki Theater's advertising budget. The theater in the center of East Berlin was recently extensively renovated. The new artistic director of the Gorki Theater as of 2001 will be Volker Hesse, who headed the Neumarkt Theater in Zurich until 1999.
HOT and Kirch buy TM 3 The shopping channel HOT and Leo Kirch are jointly acquiring the TV channel TM 3 from Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. According to Georg Kofler, chairman of HOT's supervisory board, the shopping channel will take over at least 51 percent of TM 3. The rest will go to Kirch. Kofler wants to turn TM 3 into a live program with quizzes and advice shows. The target is annual sales of 100 to 200 million marks, to be generated not only by advertising but primarily by transaction revenues. Three hours of teleshopping programs, which HOT will supply to its sister station, will contribute to this.

Ringier parts with MEX and its book publisherBy Markus Knöpfli Ringier is dropping two of its colorful "leaves: As of the end of the year, the Group is discontinuing the activities of its book publishing house and selling the youth magazine MEX Musenalp Express.
In the short time that Martin Kall has been Head of Magazines at Ringier, he has made two decisions that make people sit up and take notice. The closure of the book publishing house breaks with a publishing tradition, and the sale of MEX overturns a concept that Beat Lauber, now Head of New Media at Ringier, created just two years ago.
The book publisher, which put about six titles on the market each year in small print runs, was "not a loss-making business, but we don't play a role in the German-speaking world either," Kall states soberly.
The title rights to three annual periodicals (including "Eulenspiegel" and "Book of the Year") are being sold, and talks with publishers are underway, says Kall. The only exception: The gastronomic guide "Gault Millau" will continue to be published by Ringier's magazine division.
The situation is different at MEX: When they took over Musenalp Express in 1998, they overestimated the size of the market. "In the last two years, we've learned that the youth magazine market works differently," says Kall. What's different, he says, is that young people don't want to pay for magazines and their loyalty to a title is low. That's why Ringier, which entered the market with a certain editorial claim, was unable to compete against the other youth titles with low-cost concepts.
The title had been invested in: a new layout, its own website called Mextown, a circulation adjustment and certification (143,000 copies, 178,000 readers) and an expanded editorial team. Lauber had still dreamed of a multimedia strategy à la GesundheitSprechstunde and hoped to win MEX readers as later subscribers to Blick or Schweizer Illustrierte - or as up-and-coming journalists. "In itself, a good idea. But for a multimedia strategy, you first need a strong brand. As a pool of young talent for the other titles, MEX is too expensive. And the Ringier School of Journalism doesn't have any problems with young talent," says Kall today.