Reporters Without Borders (ROG) is calling for more international efforts to prosecute murders of media professionals. On the occasion of the first "World Day against Impunity for Crimes against Journalists" on 2 November, the organization recalled on Thursday in Berlin that in many countries reporters are victims of murders or kidnappings without these acts being credibly prosecuted.

At least 80 journalists worldwide were killed because of their work in 2013. So far this year, 56 have been killed.

"Far too many governments are neglecting their duty under international law to ensure that journalists can do their work independently and without fear of attack or persecution," said ROG board spokesperson Michael Rediske according to the press release. "What is needed above all are effective protection programs for journalists under threat as well as independent investigations and court proceedings in cases of violent crimes." (SDA)

 

 

On March 1, 2015, Martin Boner will take over the role of Deputy Editorial Director of Folk Music and Specials. At the same time, he will become the producer of "SRF bi de Lüt - Live" and will also oversee other projects in the Entertainment department as a producer. Boner began his career in Swiss television in 1998 as a reporter and editor of the youth magazine "Oops!", which he later also produced. He hosted the quiz "Flash or Crash", as well as the Street Parade broadcasts. Martin Boner has been with "Glanz & Gloria" since 2005. He initially worked as a producer and deputy editor at the people magazine. Since the beginning of 2009, he has been responsible for the program as head of the TV editorial department.

As of March 1, 2015, he is now handing over the editorial management of "Glanz & Gloria" at his own request to take on a new challenge in SRF's entertainment department as deputy head of the folk music and specials editorial team and producer of "SRF bi de Lüt - Live". He will also be jointly responsible for other projects as a producer. His successor at the people magazine will be decided in the coming months.
 

Together with the agency Furrerhugi.corporate (Werbewoche.ch reported) and the public affairs agency Furrerhugi.Publicaffairs, Furrerhugi. offers comprehensive communication services across all disciplines and can implement national economic and political campaigns from a single source. The establishment of Furrerhugi.advisors is intended to further strengthen Furrerhugi.'s portfolio and network.

The three founding partners of Furrerhugi.advisors work in Bern and Zurich as independent individual consultants in the fields of strategy and management consulting as well as communications and public affairs. Any implementation work is carried out with Furrerhugi.corporate and Furrerhugi.publicaffairs.

Michael Gehrken worked as an independent communications consultant for numerous associations, non-profit organizations, politicians and companies after completing his doctorate at the University of Bern. From 2001 to 2005, he worked in the Federal Administration, where he gained practical experience in political communication and crisis communication. From 2006 to 2014, he was Director of the Swiss Commercial Vehicle Association ASTAG. Michael Gehrken focuses on mandates in the areas of communications management, public affairs and executive management.

Rob Hartmans began his professional career as a journalist for various print media. He then worked for 10 years in various communications departments at Zurich Financial Services (1996-2001) and Swiss Life (2001-2006). From 2006 to 2014, Rob Hartmans was Head of Communications at Helsana, where he was responsible for the brand and communications management of the leading health insurer (corporate branding, corporate publishing, PR and media relations) as well as for the management and further development of internal and external digital communication channels (intranet, internet and social media). As of January 1, 2015, Hartmans will take up his position as advisor at furrerhugi.advisor.

Lorenz Hess gained his first political experience in the Grand Council of the Canton of Berne from 2002 to 2011. He has also been mayor of Stettlen (BE) since 2001. In 2011, he was elected to the National Council for the BDP, where he sits on the Social Security and Health Committee (SGK). From 1990 to 2014, he was co-owner of the PR agency Stoll, Hess&Partner as a communications consultant.

 

The upheaval was triggered by the strategic decision of St. Galler Tagblatt AG to concentrate on its core business. As the owner of Appenzeller Medienhaus AG, it intends to withdraw from commercial printing, according to a press release published on Thursday. These plans have been known since the summer, explained Marcel Steiner, former Managing Director of Appenzeller Medienhaus AG, when asked by the SDA news agency. The media company in Herisau previously included a commercial printing plant, the Appenzeller Verlag publishing house and the editorial office of the Appenzeller Zeitung newspaper. This AG is now effectively being dissolved.

Publisher bought out

In a management buyout, Marcel Steiner - as the previous publishing director - has purchased the Appenzeller Verlag from Tagblatt AG. From January 1, 2015, the company will continue to operate with ten employees in Schwellbrunn. "Otherwise the publishing house would have disappeared sooner or later," says Steiner.

The editorial team of the Appenzeller Zeitung will now report directly to the editor-in-chief of the St. Galler Tagblatt. However, this has in fact been the case for a long time, said Steiner. The editorial team will continue to work in its current premises.

The biggest changes are in printing: this division will be taken over by the Appenzeller Volksfreund AG printing company based in Appenzell on April 1, 2015.

Three jobs disappear

Production is reorganized under the future name Appenzeller Druckerei AG: In future, printing will take place in Herisau. The editorial office, advertising sales and some of the printed matter sales will remain in Appenzell. The location of Kunz-Druck & Co. AG in Teufen, will be closed. The new company will employ around 100 people, according to the press release.

The restructuring will result in job losses: There will be no changes in Herisau, but three jobs will be cut in Appenzell, said Markus Rusch, head of the Appenzeller Volksfreund printing plant and future managing director of the new company. In Teufen, there will be a reduction in part-time positions.

Desired partner of Tagblatt AG

Rusch explained that they were Tagblatt AG's preferred partner because most of the jobs could be retained with a merger. The print shop in Appenzell had too little space and a new building was being planned. This project is now superfluous. Around half of the 50 employees in Appenzell will work in Herisau in future.

Rusch emphasized that these were two healthy companies coming together. The offer had been carefully examined. It was unusual for the small company to take over the big one. The relationship between Innerrhoden and Ausserrhoden had also been an issue in the run-up. He explained that it was important that the core business remained in Appenzell, even if production, which generates cash flow, would in future be located in Herisau. (SDA)

 

The eight 72''-advertising media in full HD quality are powered by eco-electricity and have been installed at highly frequented bus stops. They were put into operation in cooperation with the city of Winterthur and the company Stadtbus Winterthur. The advertising media are state of the art and form a homogeneous, digital network offering on public land, writes APG in a statement on Thursday. In a loop of 60 seconds, up to four customers can book a lightly animated spot of 15 seconds each. After the introduction of ePanels for Rail, Shopping, Event, and Mountain, the City ePanels now offer digital spaces in all communication areas.
 

The proportion of smartphones among 12 to 19-year-olds has risen from 79% to 97% in the last two years; only one percent still own a normal cell phone. Young people are making full use of the possibilities of the smartphone. It has become a multifunctional device, said Daniel Süss, head of a study presented in Basel on Thursday.

Since 2010, the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) has been surveying over 1,000 young people in the three language regions of Switzerland on behalf of Swisscom. The first James study was published in 2010 and the next one in 2012.

The latest study shows that the use of the Internet has changed the most since 2010: four years ago, only 16% of the young people surveyed used their cell phones to surf the net daily or several times a week, but this figure has now risen to 87%. Over the same period, phone use has fallen from 80% to 71%. Cell phones are also increasingly being used as portable games consoles.

Facebook remains popular

Girls often listen to music or take photos, while boys play video games or watch movies. It is striking that young people are consulting the news portals of daily newspapers more and more often. On the other hand, consumption of free newspapers fell from 49 to 35 percent in 2012. The survey also showed that 99% of households in which young people live have computers or laptops with Internet access. The daily surfing time during the week was two hours; this has not changed since 2010. "That's astonishing," said Süss. Behavior at the weekend (three hours a day) has also remained the same.

According to the survey, three out of four Swiss young people regularly exchange information on social networks on the internet. 89% are registered on at least one social network. Facebook is still the most popular, closely followed by Instagram, which is particularly popular among younger people. Twitter follows in fourth place after Google+.

81 percent of respondents stated that they had activated the privacy setting, and 56 percent regularly update this setting. One in five young people have been approached online with unwanted sexual intentions. 12% stated that false or offensive information had been spread about them online.

Boys receptive to brutal movies

More than half of young people, and particularly boys, stated that they had watched violent videos on their cell phone or computer. 12 percent had sent such films. Nine percent filmed a staged fight and six filmed a real fight.

Porn or erotic films were consumed by 43% of respondents, with boys clearly in the majority here too. Eight percent of respondents sent provocative photos or videos of themselves. Girls do this very rarely, while boys are not so reticent.

The most common leisure activities have changed little in the last four years. "Meeting friends" has always been at the top of the list. 64 percent said they do sport, 60 percent "rest". Every day or several times a week, 29% play music (2010: 32%).

The young people were surveyed in class in May and June 2014. The full study will be available in January 2015. (SDA)

Teaser image: Keystone
 

A Chairman of the Executive Board is sought. He bears overall responsibility, represents the company externally and will be responsible for the commercial management of the company. Manuel Dähler will continue to be a member of the Executive Board, who will be responsible for research matters and will face the growing demands in this area. The search for a full-time Chief Executive Officer will start immediately. As a result, Urs Zeier's temporary part-time mandate will end on December 31, 2014.

Mediapulse and Publica Data
The two companies measure and market the official radio and television ratings in Switzerland. The daily data from the two measurement systems (Mediapulse radio and TV panels) are used by broadcasters to optimize programming and by the advertising industry to sell advertising to specific target groups.

 

The main problem apparently lies in the fact that advertisements featuring thin models and athletes suggest something other than just how unhealthy fast food can be. The study was conducted for the American Journal of Public Health, as Pressetext.com writes. To this end, 27 Facebook pages of the most popular food and beverage brands were analyzed. The researchers focused on Australian Facebook users. The results show, for example, that the strong social aspect of social networks in particular increases the consumption of unhealthy foods. This is because, time and again, clever marketing influences the thinking of many young users by linking the purchase of junk food to positive events.

Many companies use social media in this way, particularly because of its high level of interactivity. The junk food industry is no exception. However, blaming one’s own binge eating on Facebook use sounds a bit sensationalist—but it’s still a factor that can’t be ignored. After all, shared content markets itself well through the social aspect, following the logic: «If my Facebook friend likes the product, it can’t be bad for me either.» Through “likes,” contests, and posts like these, the product is also displayed to all of the user’s friends. And the social media cycle keeps turning. (uma/pressetext)
 

The agency created the "Honda is looking for the best eco-driver" competition. The aim of the economy rally is to use as little fuel as possible for a given distance. Honda Eco Drive is the first competition in eco-friendly driving to be held nationwide. A digital campaign is running in parallel: banner ads, Facebook ads and short videos direct people interested in cars to an dedicated website.

Every week 100 new drivers sign up for the contest. All participants have the chance to win free gasoline for 5×1 years. Those who drive well save gasoline without sacrificing driving pleasure. The current rankings are posted on the Eco Drive website.

Responsible at Honda Motor Europe: Philippe Maag (Head of Communications). Responsible at Trio: Sonia Duperret and Florence Germond (consulting), Christophe Muller and Gaël Tran (multimedia concept), Maude Rion, Gaël Tran and Timo Kirez (multimedia creation), Nicolas Karlen (multimedia development).
 

On this basis, the agency developed the strategic positioning, followed by basic principles for the design. At its center is the "x" from the Ex Libris logo. It symbolizes the meeting point of people with different needs and interests around entertainment - as well as the multitude of media possibilities.

Meta Design developed a verbal brand platform for the linguistic expression of the Ex Libris brand. Basic decisions on the use of verbs, grammatical tenses, word choice and address convey closeness and personality. A formulated set of messages illustrates and completes the overall appearance.

Szabo succeeds Peter Meyer, who is leaving the company. GfK writes this in a press release. Peter Fickentscher has been appointed head of the newly established Consumer Choices sector. In this role, he will report to the Managing Director. The Retail & Technology business and the Audience Measurement activities will in future be managed in the Consumer Choices sector. This corresponds to the global positioning of this business. Bettina Hoffmann will continue to head Audience Measurement.

Teaser image: GfK Switzerland
 

As a result, the costs of the world's largest internet network are likely to rise by 55 to 75 percent, as Facebook announced on Tuesday evening. This represents a change of direction for the Silicon Valley company. Up to now, the increase in expenses has generally been lower than the increase in turnover. This could now change, especially as Facebook is no longer expecting to grow quite as fast as in the past quarter.

Above all, analysts criticized the fact that the company only provided a forecast for costs, but not for expected revenues. This unsettled investors. Facebook shares plummeted by nine percent to 73.80 dollars in after-hours trading in the US. They had risen sharply in recent months and had just reached a record high of 81.16 dollars.

Very expensive acquisitions

Investors had also reacted positively to the company's acquisitions, although some experts had criticized the prices - for example, 22 billion dollars for the WhatsApp messaging service. However, because the Group's figures repeatedly exceeded expectations, the stock market rose steadily. On Tuesday, however, investors had already reacted with heavy selling of rival Twitter because the short messaging service is growing at a slightly slower rate.

However, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg does not want to be driven. The company is not under time pressure to make money quickly with the acquisitions. Significantly increasing the number of users is more important for now.

Size more important than profit for the time being

WhatsApp, for example, already has more than 500 million customers worldwide, but is anything but profitable. Facebook published figures for the acquired start-up for the first time. It reported a loss of 232.5 million dollars in the first six months - four times as much as in the previous year. Facebook also recently acquired the start-up Oculus VR for two billion dollars, which offers a new type of data goggles that allow users to immerse themselves in a virtual world while playing computer games.

According to experts, accessories such as computer watches and data glasses could become the next big trend in the technology sector after smartphones and tablet PCs.

Surprisingly strong quarter

Facebook was able to exceed market expectations in the third quarter, mainly thanks to strong demand from the advertising industry. Sales climbed by 59 percent to 3.2 billion dollars. Net profit almost doubled to 806 million dollars. Two thirds of revenue is now generated from advertising on mobile devices - Facebook is making much faster progress here than Twitter, for example. Of the 1.35 billion Facebook users, 864 million log in every day - an important argument when selling ads. For the current fourth quarter, however, Facebook only expects an increase in revenue of between 40 and 47 percent.

Twitter had already published its quarterly figures on Monday evening and was able to increase the number of users by 23 percent. However, Twitter is much smaller with 284 million active members. (SDA)
 

Facebook increases profit and revenue