Anticyclical Basel providers

The Basellandschaftliche Zeitung (circulation: 25,136 copies) is introducing early delivery: from November 2, the paper from the Lüdin publishing house in Liestal (turnover: CHF 16 million) will be distributed by the BaZ subsidiary Prevag in both Basel, parts of Fricktal and Solothurn (Thierstein/Dorneck). Publisher Mathis Lüdin, who is expecting 2,500 new subscribers within six months, says that the deterioration in the postal delivery service has forced him to do this. 50% of the additional costs of 1.5 million francs will be borne by the publisher itself, the rest will be passed on to the subscribers. Asked about his anti-cyclical behavior, Lüdin says: "This will bring advantages when things pick up again." Although he is now "close to being in the red", "thanks to our reserves, we can easily endure three bad years." (mk)