The party wants to finance this primarily with two new levies. This is what the SP writes in its report presented in Bern on Tuesday. "In many large regions, there is now only one monopoly newspaper," said National Councillor Hans-Jürg Fehr (SH). The SP is also concerned about quality. Media are increasingly working according to commercial principles. Journalistic quality criteria such as independence or relevance are becoming less important.

Instead of indirectly via a CHF 50 million reduction in postal rates, the state should therefore now support the media directly. The SP wants to create a fund that will distribute up to CHF 200 million annually. Newly, newspapers, radio and television stations as well as internet media that meet certain criteria should benefit. For example, the SP wants to support media that employ enough journalists and pay them fairly. The SP particularly wants to support small regional and local newspapers. According to Fehr, they are often in a precarious situation. However, the money should also support new media, for example on the Internet.

A committee of independent experts and company representatives would establish criteria and decide which media receive money. The SP also wants to create a supervisory body. "We don't want state media," emphasized Fehr. It is merely a matter of correcting a market failure.

The SP wants to raise the money for the fund from the media themselves: they are to pay in one to two percent of their advertising revenue and thus contribute up to 50 million francs annually.

Google&Co as a source of money

A second source of money are internet providers such as Google, Facebook and Twitter, which take over journalistic products from other media free of charge. They are now to pay up to 50 million francs. The benchmark is the volume of data and the profit they generate in Switzerland.

Tax money as the last option

Technically, the levy is easy to implement, said Fehr. "Politically, it is more difficult", because these are international companies. Switzerland must cooperate with other countries on this issue, explained National Councillor Jean-Christoph Schwaab (VD).

Finally, the private TV and radio stations' share of the annual reception fees of CHF 50 million should also flow into the fund. Only if these sources of money were not sufficient should the state use taxpayers' money, said Fehr.

Publisher President Hanspeter Lebrument does not share the SP's assessment. He is against direct press subsidies. "The Swiss media have become better," he said at the request of SDA. Publishers are against direct press subsidies. The French-speaking Swiss association Médias Suisses also expressed skepticism. It sees a risk of "establishment".

Scope for SRG

The SP wants to strengthen state television and radio. The SRG should be given more freedom in advertising and on the Internet.

A constitutional amendment would be necessary to implement the new state media policy. The party would also like to create a new media law. According to Fehr, the ideal time would be 2019, when TV and radio licenses are reissued. (uma/SDA)

 

The ongoing legal proceedings at the Nidwalden High Court and the Federal Administrative Court are thus ended, as the two companies announced on Wednesday. In return, however, Mediapulse must change the survey method for all stations: From August 1, the recording of those viewers who watch television exclusively via computer will be waived. However, this means that a significant part of the new method will be dispensed with. It was actually intended to reflect changes in viewer habits. Online use will now only be recorded if viewers also own a normal TV set at the same time.

However, time-shifted use via the TV will continue to be included in the survey. According to Mediapulse spokesman Nico Gurtner, it is difficult to estimate how this decision will affect the data. "However, the change is the same for all broadcasters," he said in response to an inquiry from SDA.

This change in method will be applied until mobile usage, for example via tablets, can be measured. By fall, Mediapulse will recalculate the data for the first seven months of the year using the new method. Mediapulse is also further accommodating 3+ by no longer using license areas as a quota characteristic from 2014, but rather the urban-rural distribution. The private broadcaster will also be allowed to conduct data analyses in the coming months. According to the joint announcement, this should lead to "better understanding and more transparency.

3+ satisfied with agreement

The private broadcaster 3+ is satisfied with the agreement reached "in intensive talks". These jointly agreed measures are an important step towards restoring confidence in the data, Dominik Kaiser, managing director of 3+, is quoted as saying in the statement. Marco de Stoppani, chairman of the board of directors of Mediapulse, is also satisfied with the outcome of the talks. "I am pleased that with this agreement we can now supply the market with data again without hindrance."

At Swiss Radio and Television SRF, the modified measuring system is to be
because the effects are unclear. However, it is in SRF's interest that the data be made available to the market again, a spokeswoman said in response to an inquiry from SDA. (uma/SDA)

On the subject:

Mediapulse: Superprovisional injunction lifted

 

The Swiss Star packaging award is being presented for the 44th time this year. The aim of the competition is to showcase the creativity and innovative strength of the Swiss packaging industry, the Swiss Packaging Institute SVI said in a press release. The award is the flagship of the industry. The competition is open to innovative packaging and packaging systems that have either been developed, designed or manufactured by Swiss companies or individuals, or by foreign companies or individuals who have launched their entry on the Swiss market. Each entrant may submit several items of packaging.

The "easyFairs Green Packaging Award" will be presented once again. The closing date for entries is August 23, 2013. Svi-packaging.ch to find.

Prizes in five categories

The Swiss Star is awarded in the following categories: Sales packaging, shipping packaging, display packaging, packaging and labeling systems and prototypes. Packaging of all materials is eligible for the competition. The focus is on promoting and recognizing holistic packaging solutions, regardless of the packaging material. The main criteria for evaluation are the protective, logistical and marketing functions of the packaging. The criteria of design, economy and ecology are also assessed. The degree of innovation of the submitted packaging is decisive.
The jury is made up of representatives from the packaging industry, the packaging industry, the transportation industry, consumers and other institutions.

Audience Award - the voice of the consumer

In addition to the Swiss Star, the Audience Award is also presented. Here, it is not the jury but the consumers who decide on their packaging of the year. The result of the public vote also provides information about the preferences and motivation of consumers. This can also be used by companies as an indicator for future developments. Voting for the Audience Award starts in September 2013.

 

Publicis shares gained 6.4 percent after the resumption of trading in Paris, leading the CAC40 index. In New York, Omnicom shares climbed 7.2 percent to $69.78. In the media industry, plans for a merger also fueled takeover fantasies. The European sector index rose one percent. The French Publicis and the U.S. Omnicom had made their merger plans public on Sunday. The new Publicis Omnicom Group, with more than 130'000 employees, would have annual sales of around 18 billion euros, replacing WPP as the world leader in the advertising industry. The deal is expected to close at the end of this year or early next year.

However, the competition authorities still have to give their approval, which is not a foregone conclusion, at least in the USA. The merger will bring such well-known advertising and PR agencies as BBDO, Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett, Ketchum and Fleishman-Hillard under one roof. The merger could put further pressure on the media industry, some of which is already beleaguered. The sheer size and global reach of the new company could help its clients get lower prices for campaigns on television, the Internet, and in newspapers and magazines.

The shareholders of both sides are to hold around half of the shares in the Publicis Omnicom Group. The new group will be based in the Netherlands, but its headquarters will remain in Paris and New York. Publicis chief Maurice Levy and Omnicom chief John Wren will lead the group as equal chiefs. (SDA)

Teaser image: Marketingmagazine.co.uk

 

This is shown by the June edition of the Goldbach Index Gemi for advertising pressure in the overall market and electronic media. Adscreen has bottomed out and, at 608 (606), has increased by 2 index points for the first time since the beginning of the year. Radio lost four index points at 420 (424), Internet lost seven index points at 755 (762) and Teletext lost two index points at 70 (72).

The trend in the TV market continues to rise. At 635 index points, TV once again gained 2 index points compared to the previous month. Electronic media as a whole remained stable at 638 index points, as did the overall market at 237 index points.

 

This was announced by Twitter in the UK. This is the network's response to massive user complaints over the past few days. Tens of thousands of people have urged Twitter to take stronger action against harassment and threats from users. An online petition for a "report abuse" button on Twitter already had more than 70,000 supporters by midday on Tuesday.

British journalist and activist Caroline Criado-Perez had reported persistent threatening messages on Twitter and accused the online service of failing to respond to her complaints. She had received hundreds of insults on Twitter, she told the BBC, including threats of sexual violence. Cambridge professor Mary Beard also showed that the problem is not an isolated case. She defended herself against an online bully who had called her a "dirty old slut" on Twitter, among other things. Beard pointed out the messages to her readers - who protested. Within minutes, the author apologized and admitted his mistake.

No official statement

Members criticized Twitter for a hesitant response: there was no statement from official Twitter profiles regarding the demands. Twitter's announcement, headlined "We're listening to you", is on a local company blog. The most recent entry on the main blog is about the British royal child.

Twitter explained that the rules of use prohibit direct threats of violence against other users. Due to the volume of messages, the network cannot filter all of them manually, but has automatic and manual filtering systems for reports of rule violations. Users could then be banned from the service. The announcement does not specify whether the "report abuse" function will be accessible to Twitter app programmers, for example via automatic interfaces. Many users access Twitter via apps from other providers. (SDA)

 

This should save around 500,000 Swiss francs a year at the St. Galler Tagblatt's head paper, according to the SDA. David Angst, head of the Thurgauer Zeitung, confirmed a corresponding report by the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. The employees have been informed, Angst said. The reduction of 500 to 600 job percent will largely be achieved through voluntary departures and regular retirements. Only around 50 percent of the workforce will be laid off.

With the job cuts, the management hopes to save half a million francs per year. The Thurgauer Zeitung has so far been overstaffed with 40 full-time positions, Daniel Ehrat, managing director of Tagblatt Medien, is quoted as saying in the NZZ report.

The cost-cutting measures at the Thurgauer Zeitung are not related to the launch of the Sunday edition, said Philipp Landmark, editor-in-chief of Tagblatt Medien, in response to an inquiry from the SDA news agency.

Imprint fears loss of quality

The Swiss journalists' organization Imprint fears that the quality of local reporting will suffer: " The round of cuts joins a continuous, creeping downsizing that has been going on for years. The quality of reporting inevitably suffers under these circumstances." This will have negative consequences for the newspaper's market position, it said. The Tagblatt Media Group wrote continuously profit up to and including 2012, which cast doubt on the need to save money.

Teaser image: Thurgauerzeitung.ch

 

The aim has always been to "build a powerful family of channels that complement each other in terms of content", says Kaiser. While 3+ and 4+ offer in-house productions, international series and Hollywood blockbusters, 5+ will primarily show documentaries. According to Kaiser, these are in line with the international trend of the advertising-relevant target group and are "very popular" with viewers. According to Sonntagsblick, Kaiser will announce the exact date of the channel's launch in the fall. (hae/SoBli)

Image: Keystone

Publigroupe had inadequately explained the offsetting of goodwill (intangible assets) of associated companies against equity in its half-year report, as SIX Exchange Regulation announced on Friday. The investigation was launched in March of this year. At that time, the Sanctions Commission had also accused Publigroupe of a violation in the
The company was accused of reporting sales revenue in the 2011 annual financial statements. However, no sanction was imposed as the error was subsequently corrected and disclosed in the 2012 half-year financial statements, as the press release explains further.

The background to all this is Publigroupe's switch from the international accounting standard IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) to the Swiss standard Swiss GAAP FER as of the 2012 financial year. Swiss GAAP FER also presupposes for interim reporting that investors can form a "well-founded opinion" on the development of a company's activities and business performance in the corresponding period on the basis of it, explained SIX Exchange Regulation. (SDA)

One100 is part of an innovation and growth initiative launched by the Swiss Life insurance group two years ago. The aim of this initiative is to develop new approaches and forward-looking models that will enable Swiss Life to evolve from a pure life insurer into a provider of comprehensive pension and financial solutions. The One100 platform helps young people to achieve their financial goals, as detailed in a press release. Users can create savings goals, visualize them and share them with friends. Webguerillas was commissioned to develop a campaign to accompany the launch from the beta test through to the major rollout. The first measures can be seen from the end of August.

The automotive industry, still the most advertising-intensive sector in the previous year, recorded a decline of 5.6 percent to CHF 247 million and had to relinquish its top spot to the food industry. The latter increased its advertising spending by 10.7
percent to 259 million Swiss francs, as the market research company Media Focus reported on
Thursday announced.

The most popular advertising medium so far this year has again been television, which accounted for almost one-third of total advertising spending. Meanwhile, the print media continued to lose market share. The daily, weekly and Sunday press still managed 27.2 percent.

In the month of June, advertising spending rose by the same 0.3 percent as in the first half of the year as a whole, reaching CHF 381 million. The podium of the three most eager advertisers of the past month is all in orange: Retailer Coop tops the list, ahead of its rival Migros and telecommunications group Orange. (SDA)

Media Focus Advertising Market Trend June 2013 (PDF)

 

Now that we have successfully survived 3D films and 3D televisions, the next chapter that threatens to get on our nerves is the 3D printer. This pioneering technology is usually discussed in connection with weapons. Recently, a journalist managed to smuggle a fireable, printed handgun into the Israeli parliament (Source). Incidentally, the weapon in question was downloaded over 100,000 times in the days of its release - humanity is well aware that it will never run out of problems.

For example, more peaceful people print themselves a functioning SLR camera - for material costs of around 25 euros. Printers are getting better and cheaper - the possibilities seem endless. However, the technology only becomes really plausible with the idea of the Hamburg-based company TwinkindFor a few hundred euros, she prints customers in seven different scales from 1:12 to 1:5, making a 1.70 meter tall woman between 14.2 and 34 cm. A 1.90 meter tall man becomes an almost 40 cm high dust catcher at a scale of 1:5. The smallest scale is available for as little as 225 euros, the XXL version costs 1290 euros.

After making an appointment, customers are captured using a 3D photogrammetry scanner developed in-house. Finally, the three-dimensional portrait is brought to life layer by layer. The finished figurine can be sent to the customer's home. By the way, pets are also welcome and are bribed with treats to keep them quiet for a few moments.

Not that we needed it - but it does excite us a little. Don't you think? An eye-catcher for the wedding cake or the desk. Hamburg is always worth a visit, even apart from that. (hae)

Images: Twinkind.com