Free obituaries all year round
«Placing obituaries and acknowledgments in the Solothurner Tagblatt is free through December 31, 2003!» reads a quarter-page self-promotional ad in the latest issue of the Berner Zeitung.
Print "Placements of obituaries and acknowledgements are free of charge in the Solothurner Tagblatt until December 31, 2003!" is written on the quarter-page self-advertisements of the latest split of the Berner Zeitung. The Solothurner Tagblatt has been accepting local obituaries free of charge since December 2001 - because nobody wanted to place them in the first two months after the launch in October 2001. In the local newspaper market, obituaries are a reliable indicator of a title's standing. The free offer has had an effect: the Solothurner Tagblatt currently averages two obituaries per issue, compared with just one a year ago.
