Prime TV is not quite dead
Christian Stärkle wants to wrap local TV stations in a TeleCombi package
Christian Stärkle wants to wrap local TVs in a TeleCombi mantleBy Markus Knöpfli Prime TV - that was the name of the national project of local TV broadcasters, for which a license application was never submitted. But the idea lives on: Tele-M1 boss Christian Stärkle wants to expand TeleCombi. However, some Combi members are opposed.
Prime TV initiator Christian Stärkle has a new project in mind that could be realized even without a license application: Stärkle is in talks with Tele Top and TeleOstschweiz to expand TeleCombi, the advertising pool of Tele M1, TeleBärn, Tele Tell and Tele Basel, to cover practically all of German-speaking Switzerland.
At the same time, Stärkle wants to align the program structures of all partners: hourly program loops that start on the hour and at the same time. The 60-minute program with news, weather and magazine should also have an identical schedule everywhere.
A plausible idea with three hooks
But Stärkle's happiness would only be perfect if they could also agree on magazine shows with similar content: All stations should broadcast a youth, sports, music or car show once a week. This would allow the locals to offer advertisers throughout German-speaking Switzerland a uniform broadcasting environment - and thus increase TeleCombi's attractiveness for national campaigns. However, for Stärkle, Tele Combi is already attractive. After all, at the current Combi price, members in their home areas can definitely compete with the big broadcasters in terms of GRP. "In most cases, we offer the best value for money," says Stärkle. The idea sounds plausible and simple, but it has at least three catches: first, private TV operators are harder to keep together than a bag of fleas. Tele Basel, for example, has always been averse, even hostile, to Stärkle's projects and, with its 6:53 p.m. broadcast (7-vor-7-News), refuses to be forced into Stärkle's scheme. TeleBärn, which only a few weeks ago switched from an hourly to a half-hour program loop, is behaving similarly.
Secondly, a TeleCombi membership for the high-priced TeleOstschweiz (see WW 15/00) would result in cutbacks in rates. Therefore, it is possible that it will remain on the sidelines after all - or will have to remain, because the much cheaper Tele Top may now also cover St. Gallen.
Schawinski does not give the new proposal a chance
Thirdly, TeleCombi has the flaw that TeleZüri is not (any longer) part of it and has to be booked additionally. TeleZüri boss Roger Schawinski can afford to be on the sidelines, but does not reject cooperations outright.
In 1999, for example, he offered Tele 24 to the locals as a national channel. But that failed due to the behavior of the locals and the large differences in quality. That's why Schawinski doesn't give Stärkle's new proposal a chance - not least because Tele Bärn has pulled out: "What's come out of this kitchen has always been stillborn," he tells WW.
Stärkle sees things differently. Although he describes the half-hourly service in Bern as a "setback," he believes that his project is "closer to its goal than ever. Firstly, because there have been local TV stations in all regions since last year, and secondly, because Tele Top and TeleOstschweiz have been measured by Telecontrol for a few weeks, just like the TeleCombi members. And thirdly, Stärkle is in no hurry, his Tele M1 is doing well. And he knows his Combi peers: "It takes time and can't be forced," he says.
Prime TV initiator Christian Stärkle has a new project in mind that could be realized even without a license application: Stärkle is in talks with Tele Top and TeleOstschweiz to expand TeleCombi, the advertising pool of Tele M1, TeleBärn, Tele Tell and Tele Basel, to cover practically all of German-speaking Switzerland.
At the same time, Stärkle wants to align the program structures of all partners: hourly program loops that start on the hour and at the same time. The 60-minute program with news, weather and magazine should also have an identical schedule everywhere.
A plausible idea with three hooks
But Stärkle's happiness would only be perfect if they could also agree on magazine shows with similar content: All stations should broadcast a youth, sports, music or car show once a week. This would allow the locals to offer advertisers throughout German-speaking Switzerland a uniform broadcasting environment - and thus increase TeleCombi's attractiveness for national campaigns. However, for Stärkle, Tele Combi is already attractive. After all, at the current Combi price, members in their home areas can definitely compete with the big broadcasters in terms of GRP. "In most cases, we offer the best value for money," says Stärkle. The idea sounds plausible and simple, but it has at least three catches: first, private TV operators are harder to keep together than a bag of fleas. Tele Basel, for example, has always been averse, even hostile, to Stärkle's projects and, with its 6:53 p.m. broadcast (7-vor-7-News), refuses to be forced into Stärkle's scheme. TeleBärn, which only a few weeks ago switched from an hourly to a half-hour program loop, is behaving similarly.
Secondly, a TeleCombi membership for the high-priced TeleOstschweiz (see WW 15/00) would result in cutbacks in rates. Therefore, it is possible that it will remain on the sidelines after all - or will have to remain, because the much cheaper Tele Top may now also cover St. Gallen.
Schawinski does not give the new proposal a chance
Thirdly, TeleCombi has the flaw that TeleZüri is not (any longer) part of it and has to be booked additionally. TeleZüri boss Roger Schawinski can afford to be on the sidelines, but does not reject cooperations outright.
In 1999, for example, he offered Tele 24 to the locals as a national channel. But that failed due to the behavior of the locals and the large differences in quality. That's why Schawinski doesn't give Stärkle's new proposal a chance - not least because Tele Bärn has pulled out: "What's come out of this kitchen has always been stillborn," he tells WW.
Stärkle sees things differently. Although he describes the half-hourly service in Bern as a "setback," he believes that his project is "closer to its goal than ever. Firstly, because there have been local TV stations in all regions since last year, and secondly, because Tele Top and TeleOstschweiz have been measured by Telecontrol for a few weeks, just like the TeleCombi members. And thirdly, Stärkle is in no hurry, his Tele M1 is doing well. And he knows his Combi peers: "It takes time and can't be forced," he says.
