The Lucerne hiss well
Commuter Newspapers: LZ-Medien’s free newspaper features a unique name—and cutting-edge news.
Commuter newspapers LZ-Medien's free newspaper relies on an original name - and topicality.Zisch News - that's what LZ-Medien's new commuter newspaper will most likely be called. "I've already protected the name," laughs Jürg Weber, Managing Director of Neue Luzerner Zeitung AG (Neue LZ). The original title undoubtedly reflects the attitude to life of many young people as well as the atmosphere on the streets and at train stations. In this respect, it is a program like that of its competitor 20 Minuten. What's more, Zisch News also has a multimedia touch: The name refers to www.zisch.ch, the well-established internet platform of LZ-Medien, for which Net Audit reported 160,000 visits and an average time spent on the site of eight minutes in February (and rising). Accordingly, the in-house designed layout has a relaxed feel and, according to Weber, is intended to be reminiscent of the Internet.
The conceptual basis of Zisch News, however, is the editorial team of Neue LZ. Weber speaks of an "integrated solution". Organizationally, Zisch News will be attached to the LZ editorial team as an additional department and will therefore report to the LZ editor-in-chief. This will enable close cooperation with all other departments, in particular with the zisch.ch online editorial team and the LZ regional editorial teams. In addition, only a relatively small increase in personnel is required. Weber cannot yet say how many new jobs will be created.
But although Zisch News contains a similar mix of content to the Neue LZ, the new paper is intended to be more than just its table of contents. It contains special commuter news, provides the articles with Internet and SMS addresses and will also be ahead of the game in terms of timeliness. "Because we will always print after the Neue LZ at 4 a.m., we can delay the editorial deadline until 3.30 a.m. if necessary," says Weber.
This means that Zisch News will certainly be able to come up with primeurs compared to its parent paper or 20 Minuten. However, it is up to the editors to decide whether Zisch News will also publish primeurs that are not due to deadlines. Presumably, it will only place tear-offs in Pendlerblatt, which will then refer to the text in Neue LZ.
Evaluation of box locations
The main distribution of the new paper is planned via the boxes advertised by the SBB at around 60 stations in Central Switzerland (WW 9/04). Weber is also evaluating other distribution channels. At the moment, he is only revealing that boxes on city floors are not currently permitted and that colporteurs are only permitted for temporary campaigns. Another possibility is on buses operated by the Lucerne public transport company (VBL), where Neue LZ has newspaper holders. In addition to Lucerne, Weber has also "looked into box locations in other municipalities".
The question is how long Neue LZ can keep the project going. "We didn't have a bad result last year either. That's why Zisch News doesn't have to be in the black after just one year," says Weber, "we see this as an investment in the future." However, success should come in two or three years. After the shift in the reader and advertising market towards commuter newspapers, LZ-Medien hopes to be able to profit from this. Weber does not rule out the possibility that Neue LZ could lose subscribers as a result. In the longer term, however, he expects a reverse fertilization - whether through young subscribers or advertising revenue.
Young and fast: Zisch News, the free newspaper from LZ-Medien, will focus on additional benefits for commuters in Central Switzerland.
Profile of Zisch NewsZisch News, whose editorial director has not yet been appointed, could be
The launch is scheduled for the beginning of May, but may not take place until June. Either way, an in-house poster and advertising campaign will accompany the launch of the commuter newspaper, which will be published from Monday to Friday and in tabloid format. The planned circulation is
around 40,000 copies. The main target group is 16 to 32-year-olds. The paper comprises at least 24 pages. A full-page four-color advertisement costs CHF 1,600 gross, and combinations with Neue LZ and Anzeiger Luzern are also offered. Sales are expected to be handled by Publicitas. The Zisch News concept described here is based on the expectation that LZ-Medien will receive an exclusive box concession from SBB for Central Switzerland's railroad stations. If SBB does not comply with this request or even prefers 20 Minuten, then, according to Jürg Weber, the LZ Board of Directors will have to reconsider whether the project would also work via other channels. (mk)
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The conceptual basis of Zisch News, however, is the editorial team of Neue LZ. Weber speaks of an "integrated solution". Organizationally, Zisch News will be attached to the LZ editorial team as an additional department and will therefore report to the LZ editor-in-chief. This will enable close cooperation with all other departments, in particular with the zisch.ch online editorial team and the LZ regional editorial teams. In addition, only a relatively small increase in personnel is required. Weber cannot yet say how many new jobs will be created.
But although Zisch News contains a similar mix of content to the Neue LZ, the new paper is intended to be more than just its table of contents. It contains special commuter news, provides the articles with Internet and SMS addresses and will also be ahead of the game in terms of timeliness. "Because we will always print after the Neue LZ at 4 a.m., we can delay the editorial deadline until 3.30 a.m. if necessary," says Weber.
This means that Zisch News will certainly be able to come up with primeurs compared to its parent paper or 20 Minuten. However, it is up to the editors to decide whether Zisch News will also publish primeurs that are not due to deadlines. Presumably, it will only place tear-offs in Pendlerblatt, which will then refer to the text in Neue LZ.
Evaluation of box locations
The main distribution of the new paper is planned via the boxes advertised by the SBB at around 60 stations in Central Switzerland (WW 9/04). Weber is also evaluating other distribution channels. At the moment, he is only revealing that boxes on city floors are not currently permitted and that colporteurs are only permitted for temporary campaigns. Another possibility is on buses operated by the Lucerne public transport company (VBL), where Neue LZ has newspaper holders. In addition to Lucerne, Weber has also "looked into box locations in other municipalities".
The question is how long Neue LZ can keep the project going. "We didn't have a bad result last year either. That's why Zisch News doesn't have to be in the black after just one year," says Weber, "we see this as an investment in the future." However, success should come in two or three years. After the shift in the reader and advertising market towards commuter newspapers, LZ-Medien hopes to be able to profit from this. Weber does not rule out the possibility that Neue LZ could lose subscribers as a result. In the longer term, however, he expects a reverse fertilization - whether through young subscribers or advertising revenue.
Young and fast: Zisch News, the free newspaper from LZ-Medien, will focus on additional benefits for commuters in Central Switzerland.
Profile of Zisch NewsZisch News, whose editorial director has not yet been appointed, could be
The launch is scheduled for the beginning of May, but may not take place until June. Either way, an in-house poster and advertising campaign will accompany the launch of the commuter newspaper, which will be published from Monday to Friday and in tabloid format. The planned circulation is
around 40,000 copies. The main target group is 16 to 32-year-olds. The paper comprises at least 24 pages. A full-page four-color advertisement costs CHF 1,600 gross, and combinations with Neue LZ and Anzeiger Luzern are also offered. Sales are expected to be handled by Publicitas. The Zisch News concept described here is based on the expectation that LZ-Medien will receive an exclusive box concession from SBB for Central Switzerland's railroad stations. If SBB does not comply with this request or even prefers 20 Minuten, then, according to Jürg Weber, the LZ Board of Directors will have to reconsider whether the project would also work via other channels. (mk)
Markus Knöpfli
