The unstable economic situation and uncertainty in the market caused advertising market and print revenues in particular to decline in 2012, LZ Medien announced on Friday. Nevertheless, the group's net profit increased by eight percent to 11.5 million Swiss francs. This was due to a good financial result. Thanks to a good performance on the capital markets, increases in value could be achieved on the strategic securities investments.

Revenues from advertising slumped by 9 percent year-on-year to 59.2 million Swiss francs. In the reader market, too, the LZ Group took in 3.3 percent less money, namely 39.7 million Swiss francs. Readership figures were stable, but newspaper circulations declined, the company adds.

Increased competition and restructuring measures would have depressed earnings in the print business. Print sales amounted to 34.9 million Swiss francs in 2012. This is 9.4 percent less than in the previous year. Other income, on the other hand, increased significantly by 17.4 percent to 24.1 million Swiss francs. This was mainly due to an acquisition in the calendar business. The company reduced operating expenses by 6.1 to 145.3 million Swiss francs. Group-wide cost-cutting and restructuring measures were implemented, the statement added.

The LZ Media Group publishes the Neue Luzerner Zeitung and its regional editions for the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zug. The media group also includes the subsidiaries Radio Pilatus and Tele 1. The group had 524 employees at the end of 2012. In the previous year, the figure was 555. (SDA)
 

Chocolat Frey is staking its claim to be both the most eaten and the most popular chocolate in Switzerland not only on two poster subjects, but also with a new TV spot: After Chinese, Mexicans and two Finnish women have already raved about Frey, in this film it is Mongolian children who talk about a small chocolate egg and our somehow strange Easter traditions, according to a press release. Or isn't it a little negligent to leave such fine chocolate lying around in the garden?

Responsible at MGB/Chocolat Frey: Marc Engelhard (Head of Marketing Communications), Jürg Spring (Head of Brand/Label Management), Roman Küng (Senior Project Manager M Branded Products), Gabriela Grütter (Head of Category Management Confectionery), Serge Doutaz (Head of Marketing and Sales Chocolat Frey). Responsible at Leo Burnett Switzerland: Martin Spillmann, Johannes Raggio (ECD), Pablo Schencke, Johannes Raggio (Creation), Michael Gassler, Nino Zuberbühler, Carmen Jegge (Consulting), Suzana Kovacevic, Erasmo Palomba (Art Buying). Film production: Pumpkin, director: Robert Jitzmark.

The most relevant innovation is a media library in which viewers can access a large number of programs directly. Access is now "OnDemand" on the TV set, according to a statement from Swiss TXT. Users can access the portal's content on their screens via intuitive navigation using a remote control. They start the new RTS offer via the "Red Button", the red button on the remote control. "RTS+" can be used by all viewers who own an HbbTV-enabled device and have a TV provider that supports the new technology. To use the video-on-demand services, it is recommended that the TV be connected to the Internet.

Swiss TXT coordinates the topic for SRG and was commissioned with the overall project management as well as the technical conception and development of the HbbTV base platform and the RTS pilot offer. Its conception and realization took place in close cooperation with RTS.

Ata Bozaci "Toastone" will connect his "Hype Balloon" with the new sneaker models from Onitsuka Tiger through an installation. His installation is a sculpture made of letters that is inflated as a staging around the currently widely used term "hype". Born in Burgdorf, he became internationally known when he spray-painted Gunther Sachs' apartment on Lake Wörthersee.

On Saturday, Onitsuka Tiger is organizing a jump rope competition for female visitors. Whoever manages to jump rope 30 times without making a mistake will win a tank top designed by Ata "Toastone" Bozaci.

Sneakerness has been dedicated to the culture and fashion phenomenon since 2008. The Anniversary Tour opens in Zurich. To mark the occasion, it will take place for the first time on two days (each starting at 12 noon) and in the Maag EventHall. In addition to a streetball tournament, there will be a large number of collectors offering their private rarities for sale.

The Bern-based advertising agency implemented a whole range of measures for the "AllergyCheck" project of Coop Vitality and Amavita pharmacies. According to the agency, the first step was to make the population of the canton of Zurich aware of the new offer.

The campaign is running immediately. Advertisements, streetcar hangers, POS measures, a distribution campaign and the website have been implemented. Further steps and subjects are being planned.

There were 53 members present at the General Meeting. President Roland Rosset gave an overview of the current business year, for which he drew a positive balance: According to Rosset, the highlights for 2012 were the successful market research day, the implementation of the image campaign, the professionalism in the board work and the improved association climate. This is what the association writes on Presseportal.ch. The focus in the current financial year is now on the training and further education program and on closing the vacuum created by the abolition of the service catalogs.

All members of the Board of Directors standing for election were confirmed in office at the renewal elections (term of office 2 years). The position of Vice President and of a representative of the collective brand respectively remains vacant. At the same time, Wolfgang Beule (Vice President) and Stefan Hitz were dismissed from the Board.
 

Radio Bern 1 will start broadcasting in the next three months, at the same time Capital FM will cease operations. This writes Radio Bern 1 in a statement on Thursday. The station positions itself as a friendly, modern and listener-oriented radio station for an adult audience.

Musically, the station relies on a lot of variety, consisting of current pop and rock music as well as the greatest hits of the last 30 years. In terms of content, the focus will be on strong regional news and service expertise as well as a high entertainment value, the statement continues. The station will focus exclusively on regional, national and international topics that really move the people of Bern.

Radio Bern 1 takes over the existing FM frequencies of Capital FM and will be receivable from the Bernese Oberland to Solothurn and from Emmental to Murten. The main frequency in the Bern region is 97.7 MHz. Further expansion of the transmitter network and a switch to DAB+ are also planned.

At the same time as the launch of Radio Bern 1, the capital city radio station Capital FM will cease broadcasting. Despite positive developments in listener numbers and listening time, the brand was unable to establish itself as a regional radio station throughout the broadcast area, according to the statement. The employees of Capital FM will be taken over and supplemented with new voices.

For the communication, the Bernese advertising agency Republica has restaged the heraldic animal of Bern.

According to a Swisscable press release issued on Thursday, this means that digital TV will finally prevail. It is foreseeable that analog TV will only occupy a niche by the end of the year. Yesterday's Swiss premiere - the complete switchover to digital cable television in Aarberg and other municipalities in this region - is characteristic of the rapid growth of digital cable television in the last 12 months.

It was not only digital cable television that recorded strong growth last year: While cable Internet grew by 10 percent, cable telephony increased by 18 percent.

This year, everything revolves around the key character Rich Uncle Pennybags, the mustachioed top hat wearer who stands for success and luck in the game. So if you want to have as much success as Pennybags, a mustache is a good idea. That's why the star of the TV commercial is the mustache, which has also made a splash recently as a fashion statement. The commercial features three friends who delight young and old with their moustaches and hope for the moustache as a lucky charm. Those who don't wear a moustache have the same chances as moustache wearers of winning something in Monopoly.

The promotion lasts until 31.03.2013.

Responsible at McDonald's Switzerland: Thomas Truttmann (Marketing & Communications Director Switzerland & Head Sports Europe), Jan De Schepper (Marketing Manager), Martine Sertic (Marketing Consultant). Responsible at TBWA\Zurich: Thomas Ammann, Marcus Josty (Creative Direction), Natasa Maricic (Text), Marek Zsdarsky (Art Direction), Remo Christen (Group Account Director), Sharon Nehrenheim (Account Executive), Christina Bürgin-Hengstmann (Art Buying), Pumpkinfilm (Film Production), Frieder Wittich (Director), Online (Post Production), Hastings (Sound).
 

The campaign will be on display from the beginning of 2014.
 

The Transgourmet range of private labels is to be greatly expanded over the next few years, the agency said. By July 2014, a total of 2'500 products would be launched in Switzerland, Germany and France.

The packaging design was realized in cooperation with the internationally active design agency Schaffner & Conzelmann.

Responsible at Transgourmet Holding: Jürg Peritz. Responsible at Facing: Lucius Leonhardt (management, consulting), Roger Sandmeier (CD), Isabel Lozano and Anna Fürer (design), Dimitri Bachmann (consulting). Responsible at Designersfactory Schaffner & Conzelmann: Jean Jacques Schaffner, Silvana Conzelmann (Creative Direction).
 

The book retailing activities of Orell Füssli OF and Thalia are to be merged to form a new company in which the two partners will each hold a 50% stake. With the joint venture, Thalia and Orell Füssli intend to jointly master the major challenges in the Swiss book market, according to an OF release. The result will be a bookselling company with a presence in large parts of German-speaking Switzerland, well-stocked stores managed by competent employees and a strong Internet business.

Activities in the digital sector are to be bundled. The aim is to simplify and harmonize the various online presences so that a Swiss alternative can be offered to international providers, the statement added. Those responsible at Thalia and Orell Füssli are convinced that this new Swiss bookselling company has the best prerequisites to survive in the rapidly changing book market in the long term.

As Orell Füssli CEO Michel Kunz said in a conference call on Thursday, according to SDA, the reason for the merger of the two companies is primarily the increasing migration of customers to the Internet. This is because it is not only online provider Amazon that has successively conquered the German-speaking market in recent years; Apple and Google also want to market more and more digital content. "We want to join forces, especially on the Internet," Kunz continued, according to SDA.

Staff reductions

However, the merger of the bookstore chains will also have consequences for personnel. As Orell Füssli CEO Michel Kunz said in the conference call on Thursday, 40 to 50 jobs are likely to be cut over the next year and a half. Synergies would be found in logistics, marketing and IT.

According to SDA, the Syndicom union is very surprised about the merger. Vice President Danièle Lenzin criticized that the staff representatives had not been informed in advance. She expressed concern about the impact of the merger on employees. In the event of redundancies, the staff would be supported accordingly.

But something else could also change for the employees: While Orell Füssli maintains a social partnership, there is no collective labor agreement (CLA) at Thalia. In addition, the wage level at Thalia is also lower. According to SDA, Michel Kunz and Thalia Vice President Jürg Bodenmann disputed this in the telephone conference: a rough analysis of the employment conditions had not revealed any major differences between the two companies. The CLA of Orell Füssli, for example, regulates minimum wages, Kunz said. "Thalia also adheres to these."

Weko decides on merger

However, the merger of the bookselling businesses still has to be approved by the Swiss Federal Competition Commission Weko: The transaction is subject to notification, Weko spokesman Patrik Ducrey told SDA. The Weko has one month after the official notification of the takeover to conduct a preliminary review. If there are indications that the merger could lead to a dominant position of the company, the authority has another four months for an in-depth examination.