The robot show at BIW is the largest in Europe to date. Hera, a new European robotics alliance, will also be launched at BIW: the "Human Empowering Robot Alliance". Visitors can experience four European robot premieres and new, exclusive robotics software at the "Robolution" live experience show. 

Hardly a week goes by without a new virtual assistant, a chatbot, a welcome service or a dialog and live translation aid coming onto the market. Virtual assistants come in all shapes and forms. The implementation can be completely virtual or more and more in the form of a humanoid robot. Siri and Alexa are digital, DJ Mecabot is a "humanized figure" that gets people in the mood for dancing. "The robots make digitalization and artificial intelligence tangible and therefore tangible. That creates trust!" says Avatarion CEO Jean Christophe Gostanian.

And that is what is needed: professions and jobs will be taken over by robots, entire industries will (have to) change in a very short space of time when robots take over various functions. A shortage of labor and cost pressure will accelerate these processes. However, Gostanian also warns us to handle humanoid robotics responsibly: "It is up to us humans to introduce and use these intelligent machines responsibly."

Ewa Ming, founder and initiator of Business Innovation Week, believes it is important to give robotics enough space: "There's no question that humanoid robots inspire respect, perhaps even fear. But they also help to make algorithms, chatbots, bits and bites more comprehensible and understandable for the average person in the rapid pace of digitalization."

At BIW19, "Robolution" will therefore also take up a significant amount of space in the Live Experience Hall. Avatarion from Switzerland, Generation Robots from Germany and Intuitive Robots from France will be there at the start.

The Business Innovation Week focuses on innovations for companies and invites people to engage in dialog. A knowledge and experience platform for new technologies, trends and business models will be created in Zurich Oerlikon next week - the meeting place for entrepreneurs, founders and future shapers.

Christian Gut, Chief Consumer Officer of Stöckli: "KSP convinced us strategically and with their profound insights into the winter sports and ski market."
 
Daniel Krieg, Founder and CEO of KSP: "The special thing about winning this mandate is that KSP already had Stöckli as a client until two years ago. Winning back this lovebrand is just great."

The new issue is available from today Hollythe magazine from interior blogger Holly Becker is now available in stores. The first issue was published in January under the name "Living at Home + Holly" and sold almost 40,000 copies. Following this successful start, the title is now being launched as a private label. Holly will go into series production next year and will be published four times a year.

Holly Becker, Creative Director Holly: "My dream of having my own magazine has come true. The Holly-magazine should be a source of inspiration for readers - to touch, to take away and to copy. I want to encourage readers to feel comfortable in their homes, to listen to their gut feeling and to simply try things out."

Sinja Schütte, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Holly"We are delighted with the successful launch of the magazine. Holly's Fans seem to feel at home in both print and digital. We believe in Holly's inspirational power and build the brand Holly further next year. Soon to start Holly with its own podcast."

The start of the Holly-magazine as a private label is accompanied by a print and social media campaign under the claim "Make every day a Holly Day". Point-of-sale promotions round off the launch of the own brand Holly from.

The magazine Holly from the publishing group Deutsche Medien-Manufaktur DMM is available in stores for 5 euros and is published four times a year with a print run of 80,000 copies. (pte)

To be closed: The editorial office in Rorschach (Photo: Google Street View).

A total of around six full-time positions will be cut, the company, which belongs to CH Media, announced on Thursday. In addition, savings would be made in graphics and secretarial services. Falling revenues, particularly in the advertising market, are forcing the company to make savings, editor-in-chief Stefan Schmid was quoted as saying in the online edition of the St. Galler Tagblatt on Thursday.

The editors of the Appenzeller Zeitung and the Rorschach department will in future work in the offices on Fürstenlandstrasse in St.Gallen. Jobs will continue to exist in Appenzellerland.

Ausserrhoden regrets departure

The government of Ausserrhoden has commented on the move of the editorial office of the Appenzeller Zeitung from Herisau to the central editorial office in St. Gallen. It regrets the decision, but is relieved that it does not involve any major job cuts.

Last week, CH Media publisher and Chairman of the Board Peter Wanner, together with the publishing and editorial management, had sought talks with a delegation from the government council.

The government council emphasized the important function of the Appenzeller Zeitung for the region and the canton. The interlocutors agreed that the restructuring of the media landscape was far from complete. (SDA)

As Mr. Campaigning, Metzinger supports companies, associations and other organizations in dealing with crises and complex challenges in the areas of corporate management, marketing, communications and politics. If necessary, he draws on a network of specialists and partners to put together the optimal team in each case, he writes in a statement.

"Where others see only two ways, there is often a third," says the author of the standard work "Business Campaigning," organizer of the Campaigning Summit Switzerland and campaigning pioneer in Switzerland. "That's one of the guiding principles that guides us."

Mr. Campaigning emerges from the former The Reputation Rescue Company by means of a name change. According to Metzinger, Business Campaigning will be sold or liquidated after the last orders have been processed. 

The move was prompted by the observation that Metzinger had been referred to and presented as "Mr. Campaigning" again and again for twenty years, and more and more frequently in recent years. When you get such clear feedback from the market, you can't ignore it, so his wife suggested that you rebrand yourself under this name. The form of a stock corporation was then the ideal solution, he says, because it offers the possibility of bringing partners on board.

According to Metzinger, he is called Mr. Campaigning, but the real Mr. Campaigning was his teacher in the eighties and nineties. After Metzinger went into business for himself in 1998, Mr. Campaigning disappeared. Since then, there have been repeated reports of sightings in crisis areas, usually shortly before the end of the crisis, but nothing is known for sure. Currently he is said to be in the Amazon. Commitment to a good future for humanity has always been an essential part of Mr. Campaigning's mission. That's why supporting innovation is also a real concern for him, says Metzinger. This includes the fact that, together with National Councilor Martin Bäumle and ETH Professor Anthony Patt, he recently developed a proposal for an airline ticket levy, which was the first proposal to receive support from environmental representatives as well as Zurich Airport and Swiss, as the NZZ on Sunday reported.

Based on an interview in 20 minutes on the current crisis at Credit Suisse, it was decided today to bring forward the publication while work continues in the background on the new corporate design and a new website.
 

The 42-page report was triggered by a complaint dated April 16, 2019, concerning the political orientation of Fernsehen SRF's programming. In his letter, the complainant accuses Fernsehen SRF of exaggerating the climate debate.
On the other hand, he complains that Schweizer Fernsehen SRF basically reports from a left-wing point of view. Both of these factors influenced the Zurich elections on March 24. In these, the Greens and the Green Liberals gained seats.

In his final report, the SRF ombudsman rejects both accusations. According to Blum, SRF television had neither wrongly made a big issue of the climate debate nor "acted one-sidedly on the left. He backs up his decision with analyses of the information programs broadcast by Fernsehen SRF between March 11 and 23.

His conclusion is clear: "Schweizer Fernsehen selects the topics in its information programs according to the criteria of topicality and relevance." The program managers had evaluated their programs and were able to prove that politicians from both the right and the left always had their say. This shows that SRF "practices distance on all sides," Blums writes.

No evidence of leftward trend

Overall, in the two weeks leading up to the Zurich elections, SRF reported on the climate debate in just over a third of its broadcasts, according to the report. Blum points out that the media have no choice when it comes to topical issues like the climate debate. "If they don't take up such a topic, they neglect their information, socialization and aritculation function."
Blum also rejects the accusation of a fundamental left-wing tendency. This would be the case if predominantly "left-wing" topics were chosen and these topics were dealt with a left-wing advocacy focus. Furthermore, in the sense of a left-wing tendency, it would have to be possible to prove that more left-wing positions were reflected in the broadcasts and that left-wing members of the government were treated more kindly than right-wing members.

According to the final report, Blum found no evidence for any of these points. On the contrary: During the period under investigation, the Tagesschau, for example, had even reported in favor of the right-wing, since more right-wing politicians had been able to express themselves in the programs under investigation.
There was also no evidence that correspondents and presenters had shown any left-wing sentiments through remarks and emphasis. "They reported factually and neutrally," summarizes Blum.

Proper presentation is mandatory

In his conclusion, the SRG ombudsman refers to the programming autonomy enshrined in the constitution and the law. The company will "defend itself with all its might against attempts to influence", Blum states. Paternalism in the choice of topics - regardless of where it comes from - contradicts media freedom and the democratic principles of the Swiss Confederation.

The Federal Law on Radio and Television RTVA formulates both the programming autonomy of Radio and Television SRF and certain minimum requirements for programming content. Art. 4, para. 2. requires that "editorial broadcasts with information content must present facts and events in an appropriate manner" so that the audience can form its own opinion. (SDA)

Although the federal government had awarded subsidies for the public service of Keystone-SDA in the amount of 2 million francs, a further savings package of 800,000 francs was announced on Thursday. The management speaks of renewed job cuts and higher cost pressure on employees.

The staff of Keystone-SDA expresses incomprehension in view of this announcement and fears further rounds of savings. The journalists' association Imprint shares these fears and expresses its concern. Already last year, a quarter of the employees were laid off.

Further job cuts would not be compatible with Keystone-SDA's quality standards. The savings potential has been exhausted in terms of personnel, as last year's savings target of 36 full-time positions was actually exceeded. On the other hand, there has been no change in the number of managers since last year, despite the other major cuts. If savings have to be made, then that is where the potential lies.

That is why the association appeals in its communication to Keystone-SDA's customers, the publishing houses, to uphold this Swiss quality service of journalism in the sense of public service and not to abandon it to a further downward spiral.

He also stresses that cost-cutting measures are not inevitable, but that the company's revenue side must be scrutinized more closely with the involvement of the staff. Keystone-SDA is in the black thanks to aid from the federal government. In view of this situation, layoffs would not be expedient.

Last week, the Board of Directors approved the 2020 framework budget. It described personnel measures as unavoidable, despite positive feedback from customers on the new rate model and bright spots in corporate content.

The implementation of this measure is to be spread across the entire company and not only affect the editorial department. The Board of Directors intends to take natural fluctuation into account as far as possible. The basic hiring freeze still applies. (pd/swi/SDA)
 

As part of a project in the joint-degree bachelor's program Multimedia Production, students at the University of Applied Sciences Graubünden have designed this new type of social media-compatible vessel. The Blick Group is the exclusive media partner of the study project and published the official trailer for "Millennials in Paradise" online yesterday evening on Blick.ch and on the social media channels.

"Innovation is particularly important to us, especially when it comes to new formats and new target groups. That's why we are delighted to support the students in their project and at the same time offer our audience a new, entertaining format on a new platform. Blick.ch ", says Katia Murmann, Editor-in-Chief Digital at the Blick Group.

A diverse generation

The reality format "Millennials in Paradise" is aimed at a young, social media-savvy audience and is intended to portray the millennial generation, which could not be more different. Eight candidates between the ages of 18 and 24, who are strangers to each other, were accompanied by cameras for a week in September during a stay together on Mallorca. The series shows what happens when the different characters meet.

"With this seven-part series, we want to show the generation burdened with prejudice from its most honest side and at the same time develop a new, audiovisual form of entertainment," say Lorena Wahrenberger and Michel Kessler, producers of the project and students at the University of Applied Sciences Graubünden. Their vision: to break the barriers of a standard university project. "Above all, the heated, non-scripted discussions show the individual personalities and the issues that concern the young generation."

Students are encouraged to try new things

The project, which was supported by the Blick Group, was developed as part of a module with Thomas Weibel, lecturer at the Institute for Multimedia Production at the University of Applied Sciences Graubünden. "We don't train young media engineers to simply copy traditional formats. We encourage them to dare to try something new, perhaps fail once and succeed another time. Millennials in Paradise is one such attempt, and we are delighted that the Blick Group is supporting our students in disseminating the content," says Weibel.
 
From Sunday, September 29, a portrait of one of the eight participants will be published every day online at Blick.ch and on the social media channels of the Blick Group and Millennials in Paradise. Millennials in Paradise" kicks off on Monday, October 7, when the seven episodes of up to 20 minutes in length will be broadcast on Blick.ch and accompanied there, as well as on the Blick Group's social media channels. Videos, vlogs and interactive stories accompany the reporting and offer the project additional reach.

As part of the further expansion of digital media activities, Thomas Spiegel will join the Group Executive Board of Ringier as of February 1, 2020. His area of responsibility includes all journalistic products of the Ringier Group.
 
The 36-year-old joins from Dentsu Aegis Network, where he served as CEO Switzerland since 2015. During this time, the network's Swiss presence has grown to around 800 employees through strong organic growth and strategic acquisitions, and has won a large number of well-known clients. Prior to that, Spiegel spent several years in senior positions for the global agency network, during which time he established another successful agency presence in Austria. Before joining Dentsu, he worked at Google in account management for some of the world's largest clients.
 
Marc Walder, CEO Ringier, in a statement: "With Thomas Spiegel, we are gaining a proven expert in digitally focused media strategies, marketing and transformation. With his broad know-how and his large network, Spiegel will support us in strategically developing Ringier's journalistic activities. In parallel, he will assume operational responsibility for the Blick Group."
 
Alexander Theobald (55), who in addition to his role as COO Ringier Switzerland previously also held the position of CEO of the Blick Group, will take over operational management as CEO of Ringier Axel Springer Switzerland from Ralph Büchi (62) as of April 1, 2020. He will continue to report to CEO Marc Walder and, in his capacity as CEO, to the Board of Directors of Ringier Axel Springer Switzerland.
 
Ralph Büchi will leave Ringier AG by best mutual agreement and at the end of his contract on May 31, 2020, in order to concentrate fully on his duties as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Axel Springer SE, Berlin, which he took up in April 2019, as well as other mandates. During the transition period, he will continue to oversee selected projects. 

The Group Executive Board of Ringier will be structured as follows as of February 1, 2020:

• Marc Walder, CEO
• Annabella Bassler, CFO
• Robin Lingg, International Marketplaces
• Thomas Spiegel, Global Media and Blick Group
• Alexander Theobald, COO Switzerland and CEO Ringier Axel Springer Switzerland

"We are simply regional." This is the customer promise of Basler Versicherungen in Berne, while in Sursee it will read: "Mer send eifach regional.". The differentiation is intentional. Geographical and personal proximity is at the heart of the new campaign by Baloise Insurance, which is positioning itself as an attractive provider of insurance solutions for SMEs in its latest image campaign. Their promise: We are cooperative, authentic and regional.

Individual portraits of consultants and their clients

Basler has 29 general agencies throughout Switzerland, 19 of which are in German-speaking Switzerland, 8 in French-speaking Switzerland and 2 in Ticino. In the campaign, which will be shown for the first time at the beginning of September, customers become testimonials with individual customer quotes in their respective dialect.

The customer stories form the heart of the campaign and are shown on Baloise.ch. The photos of the claims are real, those for the customer relationships were designed together with the selected customers and shot on site at the company's premises.

OSW developed the concept for this testimonial campaign and then got to the bottom of customer relationships and claims handling in personal interviews. Both sides had their say in the interviews, resulting in comprehensive stories. 

The SME image campaign can be seen on regional posters and banner ads as well as on social media.

The Annabelle will be published by Aargauer Verlag Medienart from October 1, 2019. All employees will be taken on by the new publisher and will initially continue to work in their offices at Tamedia's headquarters. Jacqueline Krause-Blouin, who took over as editor-in-chief ad interim in July, will continue to run the title as planned until the end of the year. Tamedia Advertising (Goldbach Publishing from January 1, 2020) will continue to be responsible for marketing the magazine on a contract basis. The parties have agreed not to disclose the sale price.

Jacqueline Krause-Blouin, Editor-in-Chief ad interim.

Medienart is based in Aarau and is managed by the three owners Valentin Kälin, Brigit Langhart and Jürg Rykart. Medienart was founded in 2016 to take over the cooking magazine Le Menu with 288,000 readers. The title will also be marketed by Goldbach Publishing in future. Medienart's portfolio will continue to include various specialist publications such as Phase 5, Domotech, eTrends and Technik und Wissen. According to the press release, the publishing house intends to retain Annabelle's mix of reportage, background and lifestyle topics. 

Valentin Kälin, Brigit Langhart and Jürg Rykart (from left) from Medienart. Langhart has been a partner since 2017 (Werbewoche.ch reported).

Jürg Rykart, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Medienart: "With our start-up mentality, we can help the Annabelle We want to give the magazine the necessary spirit for a great future on the one hand and ensure the sustainable development of this brand with our experience in the magazine market on the other. We are looking forward to this major task together with the proven editorial team."

In future, Tamedia wants to concentrate on quality journalism in the paid media sector, which is financed by readers in the subscription model. The intention to sell Annabelle, which is heavily dependent on the advertising market, was therefore announced in July 2019 (Werbewoche.ch reported). Already in January Tamedia introduced massive cost-cutting measures at Annabelle. 14 employees were made redundant at the time, editor-in-chief Silvia Binggeli gave up her post and Krause-Blouin took over on an interim basis from August. At the end of August Tamedia let slipthat various potential buyers were interested in the oldest women's magazine in the German-speaking world. (hae/pd)

Since September 1, Günzler has been part of the ten-strong PrimCom team at the Zurich site, contributing her expertise.

The 42-year-old has several years of experience in tourism, journalism and communications. Before joining PrimCom, she worked for five years at the Swiss tourism trade magazine Travel Inside as editor, and for the last three years also as editor-in-chief of the special interest magazine MICE-tip. 

Previously, she worked for the Viva agency in Zurich and for the southwest German daily newspaper Heilbronner Voice as an editor.