Lots of Occasions for AZ Media
Peter Wanner plugs holes in the weekly newspaper network
Peter Wanner plugs holes in the weekly newspaper networkBy Markus Knöpfli The purchase of Kromer Medien AG in Lenzburg gives AZ Medien four more weekly newspapers. The company has also acquired the Auto Börse and its website. Both will bring AZ Medien additional sales totaling 5 million francs.
The AZ Media Group in Baden, which already owns the free weekly newspapers Limmat-Zeitung (LIZ, 35011 copies) and the title Aargauer Woche (leased from Publicitas) with its four regional editions Aargauer Woche (36881 copies), Aarauer Woche (47828), Badener Woche (59144) and Freiämter Woche (31506), has become four more prosperous thanks to the purchase of Kromer Medien AG. Its portfolio now includes the official publications Lenzburger Bezirks-Anzeiger (22428 copies), Der Seetaler/Der Lindenberg (7753), Der Unterfreiämter (9896) and Die Wyna (13402).
The AZ Media Group has already announced that it will continue to publish the Kromer titles as official publication organs and in-house titles and will now print them in Aarau. At the same time, however, it intends to discontinue the duplication in areas where both a Kromer newspaper and a split edition of the Aargauer Woche were previously distributed.
It is not yet clear how it will accomplish this and whether it will therefore discontinue one or the other title, said AZ publishing director Ueli Eckstein when asked. One thing is certain: The Aargauer Woche with its splits (total circulation: 175359 copies) on the one hand and the four Kromer titles (53479 copies) on the other have "striking overlaps" in some areas, according to Eckstein. The smaller Kromer titles have an advantage: as official advertisers, they are also allowed to serve letterboxes with stop stickers.
Wanner also secures the classifieds market for cars
Following the sale of Kromer Medien AG, the Kromer family business, which is managed by the third generation of sole owner Theo Kromer, now also includes Kromer Print AG (customer printing) and Kromer Handels AG. Around ten years ago, Kromer only owned the Lenzburger Bezirks-Anzeiger, then bought Der Seetaler/ Der Lindenberg from the bankruptcy estate and finally founded the other two titles. Kromer Medien AG has now been sold because no successor could be found in the family.
AZ Medien will combine the four new titles and the entire Aargauer Woche in the long-established AZ Wochenzeitungen AG, which has been inactive for years, with new headquarters in Lenzburg. At the request of Theo Kromer, the reactivated company will have its headquarters in Lenzburg. The Board of Directors of AZ Wochenzeitungen will include Peter Wanner and Jürg Schärer from AZ Medien as well as Theo Kromer and Hans Ulrich Glarner from Kromer Medien AG. The Managing Director is Marcel Suter.
AZ Medien also acquired a small majority stake in the Emil Frey Group's subsidiary eCarmarket AG in Mollis GL on January 1, 2002, with the remainder remaining with the previous owners. eCarmarket publishes the monthly magazine Auto Börse (20,000 copies) and operates the Internet platform www.autoboerse.com for the used car trade. The company will remain in Mollis, but Auto Börse will now be printed in Aarau (previously in Germany).
The Auto Börse has a large number of picture advertisements for second-hand cars. Around 5000 current offers can be found on the Internet platform every month. Last year, the site recorded an average of 4641 page impressions per day, with 500 visitors spending around eight minutes a day on the various pages of the homepage.
The AZ Media Group in Baden, which already owns the free weekly newspapers Limmat-Zeitung (LIZ, 35011 copies) and the title Aargauer Woche (leased from Publicitas) with its four regional editions Aargauer Woche (36881 copies), Aarauer Woche (47828), Badener Woche (59144) and Freiämter Woche (31506), has become four more prosperous thanks to the purchase of Kromer Medien AG. Its portfolio now includes the official publications Lenzburger Bezirks-Anzeiger (22428 copies), Der Seetaler/Der Lindenberg (7753), Der Unterfreiämter (9896) and Die Wyna (13402).
The AZ Media Group has already announced that it will continue to publish the Kromer titles as official publication organs and in-house titles and will now print them in Aarau. At the same time, however, it intends to discontinue the duplication in areas where both a Kromer newspaper and a split edition of the Aargauer Woche were previously distributed.
It is not yet clear how it will accomplish this and whether it will therefore discontinue one or the other title, said AZ publishing director Ueli Eckstein when asked. One thing is certain: The Aargauer Woche with its splits (total circulation: 175359 copies) on the one hand and the four Kromer titles (53479 copies) on the other have "striking overlaps" in some areas, according to Eckstein. The smaller Kromer titles have an advantage: as official advertisers, they are also allowed to serve letterboxes with stop stickers.
Wanner also secures the classifieds market for cars
Following the sale of Kromer Medien AG, the Kromer family business, which is managed by the third generation of sole owner Theo Kromer, now also includes Kromer Print AG (customer printing) and Kromer Handels AG. Around ten years ago, Kromer only owned the Lenzburger Bezirks-Anzeiger, then bought Der Seetaler/ Der Lindenberg from the bankruptcy estate and finally founded the other two titles. Kromer Medien AG has now been sold because no successor could be found in the family.
AZ Medien will combine the four new titles and the entire Aargauer Woche in the long-established AZ Wochenzeitungen AG, which has been inactive for years, with new headquarters in Lenzburg. At the request of Theo Kromer, the reactivated company will have its headquarters in Lenzburg. The Board of Directors of AZ Wochenzeitungen will include Peter Wanner and Jürg Schärer from AZ Medien as well as Theo Kromer and Hans Ulrich Glarner from Kromer Medien AG. The Managing Director is Marcel Suter.
AZ Medien also acquired a small majority stake in the Emil Frey Group's subsidiary eCarmarket AG in Mollis GL on January 1, 2002, with the remainder remaining with the previous owners. eCarmarket publishes the monthly magazine Auto Börse (20,000 copies) and operates the Internet platform www.autoboerse.com for the used car trade. The company will remain in Mollis, but Auto Börse will now be printed in Aarau (previously in Germany).
The Auto Börse has a large number of picture advertisements for second-hand cars. Around 5000 current offers can be found on the Internet platform every month. Last year, the site recorded an average of 4641 page impressions per day, with 500 visitors spending around eight minutes a day on the various pages of the homepage.
