Last but not least: Sleepless in the newspaper business

Some people don't sleep a wink at night. They lie quietly in bed and wait for the morning or occupy themselves with sensible things like early-morning television or online games, so that they don't have to think about work at four in the morning.  
As of December 1, 2006, the German media group Axel Springer has set up a hotline for all insomniacs to call around the clock. This finally offers a service to advertising customers who remember at eleven in the evening or four in the morning that they have to place an ad. Or who lie sleepless in bed and wish for nothing more than a subscription to the Bild newspaper - to count sheep.
 
But customers can also vent their steam about the Group's print products at inhuman hours. After all, that's precisely why the new 24-hour service was set up: To give customers the opportunity to ask questions, make suggestions or point out grievances around the clock. Axel Springer employees can rejoice, because in the future they will probably have to do without their normal rhythm of life. Their telephone numbers - those of subscribers, advertisers and readers - will remain available and the hotline will be able to forward callers directly.
 
The Group management at Springer has thought of this as follows: "With the Axel Springer 24-hour service, we want to provide our customers with a competent contact person quickly and without complications, improve our range of services and be accessible at all times. Our goal of being Europe's most customer-friendly media company by 2010 at the latest is thus moving a step closer." Perhaps the media group will also have resounding success with its customers' sleep problems. It is well known that the yawning of tiredness that can occur late at night among the company's own employees is highly contagious.