When the grim reaper comes
Column With every publication that disappears, a special form of journalism also disappears
Column With every publication that goes out of business, a special form of journalism disappears, and there must be some sadness when two weekly newspapers are discontinued, even if the figures speak for themselves. What a pity! What was ultimately responsible for the poor performance of the two weekly publications Cash and Facts is also a chicken-and-egg question. The fact is that Cash and Facts are two publications that have contributed to media diversity. Depending on the form of the respective editorial offices, they have enlivened the journalistic competition with more or less independent voices and refreshed the media industry journalistically. According to media theorist McLuhan, a message dies with every medium.
Cash brought a breath of fresh air to business journalism in the 1990s. Unfettered by tradition, the paper disregarded conventions in the relationship between media and business. Journalistically, it strengthened reader guidance with a creative combination of text, graphics and images. With its tabloid touch, the "Prokuristenblick" provided information in a way that was unusual at the time, but also always provoked and irritated. Cash showed that newspaper design does not have to be limited to running text and isolated images. Storytelling meant optimally linking all information elements. Business journalism has changed fundamentally as a result. Some of it is standard today. Only the cheekiness and freshness have been lost, unfortunately also at Cash in recent years.
Facts was an attempt to position a news magazine in German-speaking Switzerland. After several attempts and projects had no chance of survival, Tamedia tried to occupy the market with a weekly magazine with editors-in-chief who were known from television, such as Jürg Wildberger and Hannes Britschgi. Why shouldn't it be possible to do in German-speaking Switzerland what works in Germany with Focus, Spiegel and Stern? Nervousness about the lack of success led to hasty adjustments and changes. Unlike Cash, Facts was unable to develop its own signature style. Nevertheless, it repeatedly stimulated journalistic competition, used the creative possibilities of the magazine layout and occasionally created facts.
Cash and Facts were children of the 1990s before the New Economy bubble burst. Anglo-Saxon titles were in vogue, the economy was on the upswing and there seemed to be no limit to growth. Influenced by the zeitgeist, they failed to establish themselves as classics. The collapse of the stock market was a problem for Cash. As long as the stock markets were a playground where everyone had the chance to make a profit, reading the business newspaper was a pleasure for those spoiled by success. After the crash, the bearers of unpleasant news became less popular. Facts became a playground for fashionable graphic and editorial adjustments - once more in the direction of Focus, once more in the direction of Spiegel - which diluted rather than strengthened the profile and were able to attract the attention of readers and advertisers.
What was difficult during the week, however, worked at the weekend. The Sunday newspapers are prospering. They occupy all media-relevant markets: from a journalistic point of view, they are the favorites for the placement of news, readers like to spend their Sunday morning with a newspaper and advertisers are loyal to them. On Thursday, on the other hand, Cash, Facts and Weltwoche simultaneously contested the market. At least the publications of the major distributors have shifted to the beginning of the week.
The two media companies Ringier and Tamedia recorded massive losses for both titles for years. This shows that it was not easy for them to close the unprofitable products. The combination of cost-cutting exercises and timid repositioning prolonged the agony. The Cash brand will live on in the Cash daily multimedia platform. Apart from the logo, however, little is reminiscent of the weekly paper. The new appearance is technically innovative and interesting, while the descendants of the weekly newspaper are focusing on brevity in editorial terms. For them to be worthy of their parent newspaper's brand, the technical development would have to be accompanied by a journalistic breakthrough.
Cash and facts are buried. The deceased are freeing up resources and space for journalistically sophisticated innovations: We are waiting for the birth of new media with an exciting message.
Josefa Haas is head of the Media Institute and was an editor at Cash from 1995 to 1998.
Cash brought a breath of fresh air to business journalism in the 1990s. Unfettered by tradition, the paper disregarded conventions in the relationship between media and business. Journalistically, it strengthened reader guidance with a creative combination of text, graphics and images. With its tabloid touch, the "Prokuristenblick" provided information in a way that was unusual at the time, but also always provoked and irritated. Cash showed that newspaper design does not have to be limited to running text and isolated images. Storytelling meant optimally linking all information elements. Business journalism has changed fundamentally as a result. Some of it is standard today. Only the cheekiness and freshness have been lost, unfortunately also at Cash in recent years.
Facts was an attempt to position a news magazine in German-speaking Switzerland. After several attempts and projects had no chance of survival, Tamedia tried to occupy the market with a weekly magazine with editors-in-chief who were known from television, such as Jürg Wildberger and Hannes Britschgi. Why shouldn't it be possible to do in German-speaking Switzerland what works in Germany with Focus, Spiegel and Stern? Nervousness about the lack of success led to hasty adjustments and changes. Unlike Cash, Facts was unable to develop its own signature style. Nevertheless, it repeatedly stimulated journalistic competition, used the creative possibilities of the magazine layout and occasionally created facts.
Cash and Facts were children of the 1990s before the New Economy bubble burst. Anglo-Saxon titles were in vogue, the economy was on the upswing and there seemed to be no limit to growth. Influenced by the zeitgeist, they failed to establish themselves as classics. The collapse of the stock market was a problem for Cash. As long as the stock markets were a playground where everyone had the chance to make a profit, reading the business newspaper was a pleasure for those spoiled by success. After the crash, the bearers of unpleasant news became less popular. Facts became a playground for fashionable graphic and editorial adjustments - once more in the direction of Focus, once more in the direction of Spiegel - which diluted rather than strengthened the profile and were able to attract the attention of readers and advertisers.
What was difficult during the week, however, worked at the weekend. The Sunday newspapers are prospering. They occupy all media-relevant markets: from a journalistic point of view, they are the favorites for the placement of news, readers like to spend their Sunday morning with a newspaper and advertisers are loyal to them. On Thursday, on the other hand, Cash, Facts and Weltwoche simultaneously contested the market. At least the publications of the major distributors have shifted to the beginning of the week.
The two media companies Ringier and Tamedia recorded massive losses for both titles for years. This shows that it was not easy for them to close the unprofitable products. The combination of cost-cutting exercises and timid repositioning prolonged the agony. The Cash brand will live on in the Cash daily multimedia platform. Apart from the logo, however, little is reminiscent of the weekly paper. The new appearance is technically innovative and interesting, while the descendants of the weekly newspaper are focusing on brevity in editorial terms. For them to be worthy of their parent newspaper's brand, the technical development would have to be accompanied by a journalistic breakthrough.
Cash and facts are buried. The deceased are freeing up resources and space for journalistically sophisticated innovations: We are waiting for the birth of new media with an exciting message.
Josefa Haas is head of the Media Institute and was an editor at Cash from 1995 to 1998.
