EBM wants to give "NW1" employees the station as a gift
The electricity provider Elektra Birseck Münchenstein has offered to hand over the television station to the editorial staff.
For weeks, the Basel television station "NW1" has been looking for solutions to cover its costs. According to the Basler Zeitung, the main shareholder Elektra Birseck Münchenstein (EBM) has now come up with a rescue proposal: The electricity supplier has offered to hand over the TV station to the employees. However, the team must develop a concept by the beginning of June that will enable the station to survive in the long term. In return, EBM wants to hand over the share capital free of charge to the editorial team and pay off debts worth around four million francs. In mid-February, EBM announced its intention to leave "NW1". At the beginning of March, Christian Heeb, Chairman of the Board of Directors and second main shareholder, also left the loss-making broadcaster and sold his share package to EBM. The latter now holds 90 percent. Beat Alder, publisher of the Basel free newspaper Stadt-Zytig and former head of "NW1" predecessor station "NW5", offered to save the day (see current Werbewoche No. 20). However, as the separation did not go smoothly, both parties are skeptical about this solution.
