Blick am Abend: Strict differentiation from Blick in terms of content

 
As has already been announced, Ringier is launching a free evening Blick entitled Blick am Abend (see ). In the morning, you have to pay CHF 1.80 for Blick, but in the evening it will be distributed free of charge - a strategy that is likely to cause irritation among the public, writes former Blick journalist Kurt-Emil Merki in Sonntag. Marc Walder, Editorial Director of the Blick Group, takes a different view. He is quoted in Sonntag as thinking outside the box. That's why he wants people to see that all Blick Group titles come from one brand. Sonntags-Blick, Blick and, from June, Blick am Abend are to benefit even more from the umbrella brand "Blick", which has a good reputation among young people in particular. Advertisers have reacted "extremely positively" to these ideas, and readers will do the same, and the individual titles will have a correspondingly uniform look. In terms of content, however, Walder attaches great importance to strict differentiation: Blick am Abend will be true to the law of the free newspaper: short, concise, factual, entertaining and informative. Half of the newspaper will offer after-work tips and life advice, the other half information and news. The stories will be "neatly staged", there will be no commentary. If Blick runs a campaign for days on end, then Blick am Abend will present the same topic in an "unagitated" way. Blick am Abend does not want to be a second Blick - it is totally different in tone.
In order to emphasize the independence of the paper, Blick am Abend will have its own editor-in-chief, Merki writes in Sonntag. It is unclear whether this will be Daniel Steil, currently interim editor-in-chief. Apparently, other candidates could also be considered. Walder simply says that he wants to have the personnel issue off the table in two weeks at the latest. The product will have 32 pages. Like the free newspaper Heute, it will be distributed in Zurich, Basel and Berne.