CH Media produces newspaper shell in Aarau - TV & Radio go to Zurich

CH Media has examined various locations for the newspaper's national departments and online portals in recent weeks as part of its integration program. The primary goal was and is to maintain the regional roots of the newspaper titles at the approximately 30 editorial locations and to take into account the needs in the individual cantons, according to a statement on Wednesday. However, synergies in central areas and supra-regional departments are not to be dispensed with.

For cost reasons, the Board of Directors decided not to establish another location for the main editorial office. Aarau was chosen because CH Media already has a modern and spacious newsroom there that meets all requirements. The business newsroom will now also be located in Aarau. The cover editorial team, headed by Patrik Müller, is to be established by mid-2019.

In TV & Radio, the fundamental decision has been made in favor of a new central location in Zurich. Here, too, the focus is on exploiting synergies in central areas without compromising the stations' regional identity and their information mission. Radio 24, Virgin Radio Switzerland as well as TeleZüri, TV24, TV25 and S1 will move into the new location in Zurich by the beginning of 2020. All other CH Media stations will remain at their existing regional locations.

"We want to maintain and strengthen the local roots of our titles and stations. Our USP lies in the region. At the same time, we want to and have to exploit synergies in the editorial department and central areas, because developments in the advertising market are forcing us to do so. That's why the Board of Directors has opted for an existing location for the newspapers' central editorial offices. As a publisher, I prefer to invest in journalism than in new locations," says Peter Wanner, Chairman of the Board of Directors of CH Media.

Image: Aargauer Zeitung