The 33-year-old will have the opportunity to complete a one-year paid traineeship at the research desk of Sonntagszeitung and Le Matin Dimanche in Bern. He studied German and geography in Bern and Heidelberg and has a degree in journalism from the Maz. Dominik Balmer currently works in the business section of the Berner Zeitung, having gained experience in journalism at various newspapers. Balmer has attracted attention with several complex investigations. Using the example of the Grimsel power plants, he demonstrated the lack of profitability in the operation of pumped storage power plants. He also uncovered delicate interdependencies and dual roles of top managers at Swiss Post and BKW. Balmer's articles are thoroughly researched, clearly understandable and present the interrelationships well for a broad audience.

Image: Twitter.com

They fully fulfill their information mandate within the framework of the public service concession. Despite cultural peculiarities in presentation, there are many similarities.

The five SRG audience councils (SRG.D, RTSR, Corsi, SRG.R and Swissinfo) generally work independently of each other. For national monitoring, however, they work together: The supra-regional exchange of experience is organized by the national working group of the presidents of the audience councils. While the focus in 2011 was on coverage of the federal elections and in 2012 on consumer magazines, in 2013 the working group focused on the main issues of the various SRG daytime shows:

- "Tagesschau" (7:30 p.m., SRF - Television SRF 1)
- "Le Journal" (7:30 p.m., RTS - Television RTS Un/Deux).
- "Telegiornale" (20.00, RSI - Television RSI LA 1).
- "Telesguard" (5.40 p.m., RTR - Television SRF 1)

Hard news" is the most important component of all broadcasts and provides the audience with a good overview of current events. The focus is on political and economic topics. However, the presentation of the information varies from language region to language region. For the watching audience SRF uses graphics and illustrations very well. RSI's "Telegiornale" presents significantly more topics than SRF's "Tagesschau," which reports in a more focused manner. SRF thus relies on an overarching information strategy in which the "Tagesschau" and information programs such as "Schweiz aktuell" or "10vor10" complement each other. "Le Journal" from RTS, on the other hand, offers plenty of space for conversations, opinions and commentary, presented with a great deal of commitment and emotion.

The results of the observations were discussed intensively with those responsible for the broadcasts. They were particularly interested in the view of the audience councils from the other language regions. However, only a few contributions about the other language regions could be analyzed during the observation period (it also plays a role here that it is easier for RSI to report on the other language regions than for SRF due to the relatively greater news potential). In the interviews, further reasons were explained why relatively little could be reported on the other regions during the observation week. The responsible persons made a point of noting that the quality characteristic of journalistic relevance is decisive for whether a topic from another language region is to be reported on. Therefore, the editorial offices would also reject a quota regulation that would be in the service of national cohesion. The audience councils consider actions such as the exchange of the daily foam presenters to be a successful change and would like to see a continuation.

Zermatt Bergbahnen has heralded the end of 2013 with a new website. With this, the company wants to address its guests in a more target group-specific and direct way. "The new site allows us to present our offers in the best possible way," explains Martin Niederberger, Online Marketing & Media Manager at Zermatt Bergbahnen. With the new website, the company has also set itself the goal of appealing to its visitors on an emotional level. This refers to the visual language on the one hand and the text on the other. The content had to be short and concise, describe the most important things, whet the appetite for more and be optimized for search engines. etextera implemented the texts for Zermatt Bergbahnen in a short space of time.

Martin Niederberger, Online Marketing & Media Manager at Zermatt Bergbahnen, summarizes the collaboration with the copywriting agency as follows: "Etextera made a very competent, fresh and original impression. We also find the aspect that the agency explicitly looks at the work-life balance of its copywriters to be very likeable and future-oriented." The new experience world of Zermatt Bergbahnen is now available at: Matterhornparadise.ch

The 31-year-old from Bern has been working in communications and marketing for 13 years. He has worked as a freelance journalist for the Bund publishing house, in marketing for the international tennis tournament in Gstaad, in corporate communications for Swiss Post and for the PR agencies Righetti & Partner and Knobel Corporate Communications. He mainly works for companies in the consumer goods, industry, services, healthcare and hotel sectors.

Nik Schwab Communications uses text, content and storytelling to help clients create communication tools that achieve a wide reach. This includes websites, blogs, magazines, books and brochures. The range of services also includes the classic PR disciplines of media relations, ghostwriting and social media. "Thanks to positive signals from my network, I was able to set up my own business and realize my content-driven communication philosophy in my own agency," says Nik Schwab. "With my journalistic background and business training, I support my clients in their public relations work and the marketing of their products and services."

The launch of a communication platform is planned for 2014 and the development of further service brands for subsequent years.

 

According to a press release issued on Wednesday, the current contract cannot be extended due to submission regulations. The contract, which regulates the cooperation between the Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich and the City of Zurich with regard to official publication, came into force in 1995 and has since been extended twice for ten years at a time. The last extension was in 2005. According to the press release, the City Council values the Tagblatt as a reliable partner that delivers official publications to all households and also offers readers added journalistic value. However, new submission regulations made a public tender for the concession unavoidable.

The city council has therefore terminated the existing contract. In view of the complexity of the clarifications to be made, the termination will take effect on December 31, 2016, writes the City Council. It wants to use the next two years to make fundamental considerations regarding the official publications. The Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich is published weekly with a certified circulation of 127,355 copies and reaches 142,000 readers, according to its own figures. It is published by Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich AG, in which Tamedia holds an 85 percent stake and Neue Zürcher Zeitung AG a 15 percent stake. (SDA)
 

"We're going to see a large number of unexpected developments," Johnston said. Six trends that represent digital innovations that media agencies should have on their radar:

Shared transience

2014 will see an increase in apps such as Snapchat or Wickr, which allow multimedia content to be shared that deletes itself after a certain amount of time. This trend can be summarized as "shared ephemerality". Some new developments will follow here.

Learning governments

David Cameron tweets, and he's not the only politician to do so. Barak Obama was one of the first to use digital for his first election campaign. Governments around the world are realizing that they need to use new technologies to stay relevant. And not just governments, for example, the German police have developed an app that detects neo-Nazi lyrics in songs. These developments in governments around the world will continue in 2014.

The Internet of (Strange) Things

Wearable technology, especially in the health sector, will increase. So far, only the tip of the iceberg can be seen (such as Google glasses). The development of the "Internet of Things" continues. Sony, for example, has patented the "Smart Wig"; Microsoft is betting on the "Smart Bra." The merging of the Internet with everyday objects will continue in 2014 - and may even produce strange blossoms now and then.

Marketing with sound

Sound rocks the main stage of consumption. Another trend emerging in 2014 is marketing through sound. Companies such as Sonic Notify and Apple want to use sounds to influence consumers' purchasing decisions. Mindshare entered into a collaboration with music identification service Shazam in 2013. Called Audio+, the joint venture is designed to help leading brands better capitalize on their acoustic elements in TV advertising.

Fitness + Charity + Technology + Fashion = Kerching

We all like to wear our Livestrong bracelets to show our sympathies (and trendiness) for companies, events, or charity causes. However, such a personal manifesto can also generate money. Newly developed apps - which function comparably to the sponsored runs we're familiar with here - make it possible. Consumers can thus support their favorite charity events. In return, brands can communicate with their consumers in a sympathetic and interactive way - and for charity companies, this is a great way to raise money for a good cause.

From giants to sellers

2013 was the year of the social media and search engine giants. Record sales and top future forecasts shaped events. 2014 will be the year of the sellers. Amazon and Alibaba are leading this field. China is experiencing dream growth rates in e-commerce, and Alibaba has become the largest online retailer thanks to Taobao and T-Mall. Amazon could also expand and compete with Google etc. in the field of digital advertising.

About Mindshare

The Global Media Network Mindshare was formed in 1997 from the merger of the media departments of Ogilvy and JWT. Mindshare has been operating successfully in the Swiss market since 1998 and is ranked fifth by the French market research institute Recma. Mindshare is part of GroupM, the media holding company of the world's largest communications group WPP (including Ogilvy, JWT, Y&R). The group also includes the international media networks Medicom, MEC and Maxus. The Zurich media agency's clients include Unilever, Jobs.ch, Boehringer Ingelheim, Ford Motor Company, Swisshaus, Hildings Anders.

Through the partnership with Swiss Marketing, the knowledge and information platform marketing.ch gets a good opportunity to present its diverse range of marketing topics to new interested marketing and sales professionals. Swiss Marketing acts as a partner for the "Education and Training" section, providing important, interesting and useful content on education in the marketing field. The offer ranges from the professional and vocational examinations in marketing, sales, communication and text to the marketing-related CAS and MAS of the universities of applied sciences. Thanks to the integrated search function, the user can find and contact the offering schools.

Marketing.ch is a new cooperation and media partner at the Swiss Marketing Day 2014. The Swiss Marketing Day is the meeting place for entrepreneurs and marketing experts. Know-how, networking, entertainment and glamour are in the foreground. Exciting keynote speakers round off the program.
 

The Neue Kleinbasler Medien cooperative was founded on the initiative of five members of the Rotary Club of Basel-Riehen. The club itself supports the initiators ideally and has thus cleared the way for the collection of financial contributions in the form of share certificates, according to the statement. Many friends of the club have pledged their support and are thus helping the cooperative to get off the ground, as are other well-known personalities from Kleinbasel and, in particular, from IG Kleinbasel. The IG Kleinbasel, whose official organ is the Vogel Gryff, was also integrated into the cooperative board with two seats.

The cooperative acquires the publishing rights retroactively as of December 30, 2013. The publication of the two titles will be carried out by a publishing limited company that is currently being established. All employees of the previous publishing house will be taken on. The cooperative will distribute the part of the earnings that is not necessary to finance the business operations to social funds, charitable institutions, projects related to Kleinbasel or similar projects.
 

According to Managing Director Günter Heuberger, however, employees do not have to expect any deterioration. The relevant working conditions of the employees are regulated in a company contract. The previous provisions now apply until further notice, but only as long as the private broadcaster does not announce any changes. No contractual changes have yet been made at Radio Top, based in Winterthur. The trade union SSM (Schweizer Syndikat Medienschaffender) is, however, "not very optimistic" that this will remain the case, as it announced on Wednesday.

Because new employees would probably be employed under different - i.e. worse - conditions in future, this would otherwise result in unequal treatment of new and existing employees. Employees are currently discussing measures with the staff committee and the trade union to prevent a possible deterioration in working conditions.

Heuberger: "There will be no deterioration"

According to Managing Director Günter Heuberger, however, this is not necessary. "Employees do not have to expect any deterioration," he said when asked by the sda news agency. There will be no layoffs, and new employees will not be hired on less favorable terms. "A company contract is a good thing in itself," said Heuberger. Radio Top has long been an exotic case. All other comparable private stations do not have a contract either: "It doesn't bring a station any advantages." Of course it gives employees security. "But my employees can trust me that working conditions will not deteriorate."

RaBe and LoRa with contract extension

The SSM union was more successful with the alternative radio stations RaBe in Bern and LoRa in Zurich. These stations extended their expiring company contracts for a further five years.
 

Digital out of home remains on course for growth and recorded an increase of two index points 624 (622), while the other media suffered losses. TV advertising pressure fell by four 630 (634) index points compared to the previous month. Radio also recorded a loss of four index points at 426 (430), while advertising pressure for teletext fell by just two index points at 62 (64). The biggest decline was in the Internet segment, where advertising pressure fell by a full seven index points in November 746 (753).

Electronic media as a whole lost five index points to close at 634 (639), while advertising pressure in the market as a whole fell by just one index point to 235 (236).

 

The journalist from Biel, who grew up bilingually, will be joining the team of Radio 1 columnists in the new year. The team consists of Radio 1 boss Roger Schawinski, Weltwoche editor-in-chief Roger Köppel, former mayor Elmar Ledergerber, Handelszeitung editor-in-chief Stefan Barmettler and Persönlich editor-in-chief Matthias Ackeret. The columns are broadcast every weekday at 8.10 a.m. in the morning show with Marc Jäggi and Iris Ungricht and can be downloaded as a podcast on Radio1.ch can be downloaded.

Image: Keystone

Michael Kathe holds a Master's degree in English, German and Literature from the University of Basel. He was a copywriter and creative director at various agencies such as Weber Hodel Schmid, Publicis, Matter & Partner, Jung von Matt/Limmat, Sulzer Sutter, TBWA Zurich and Rod Kommunikation. He is also a guest lecturer at the University of Zurich and the Sawi Academy on the subject of creativity. He has won numerous creative awards and is a member of the Art Directors Club of Switzerland.