"We are bursting at the seams in Basel"
Local TV TeleBasel Managing Director Willy Surbeck on the miraculous increase in his advertising revenue, the competition and expansion plans.
Local TV TeleBasel Managing Director Willy Surbeck on the miraculous increase in advertising revenue, the competition and expansion plans.WW In 2004, TeleBasel almost doubled its advertising revenue compared to 2003 (see box). How was this possible? Willy Surbeck Firstly, the TeleNewsCombi (TNC), like the other TNC stations, brought in double the revenue. Secondly, we benefited from the growing interest in local TV as a medium. Thirdly, TeleBasel has made much more out of the local market since we started working it ourselves. Until a year ago, TeleBasel was tied to an exclusive external booking agency.
... to Medag, which belongs to Tamedia and also markets Radio Basilisk. You terminated the contract at the end of 2003 because Medag's performance was clearly below budget.
How do you know that? Medag works excellently for TeleBasel, but it is no longer the exclusive booking office. Nevertheless, its share of our sales success in 2004 was well above our expectations.
Has she pulled herself together?
She didn't have to get her act together, just clean up the range. Its success confirms the old rule that radio and TV can often not be sold by the same people. That's the nature of the business. People in Berne and Zurich have known this for a long time.
How big is TeleBasel's own sales team now?
In-house, sales professional Walter Liechti and a scheduler manage the business. Externally, three independent spot producers operate on the sales front.
Will the price change?
It could be that we adjust it slightly upwards in the spring. Nothing has been decided yet. It also depends on how things go with our new market partner NW1.
What part did NW1 (formerly Nordwest 5) play in your success? The expansion of this station to Basel and the arrival of Basilisk co-founder Christian Heeb has certainly spurred you on.
We had already given our all before. But the attacks by the new broadcaster have brought us into the media so often that TeleBasel has steadily gained in importance. We were even able to cancel a planned advertising campaign.
But NW1 also prompted you to open an outside studio in Liestal.
Yes, we do. But we're bursting at the seams in Basel anyway and can't rent enough space in the neighborhood. We also had the fiber optic cable from Basel to Liestal built back in 2003.
Now Tele M1 also wants to enter northwestern Switzerland ...
Tele M1 already reaches as far as Pratteln, in the middle of our broadcasting area, because cable networks cannot be split. That is why we have spoken out against the expansion plan, otherwise there will suddenly be no more room for TeleBasel.
When is the expansion to Germany coming? the mayor of Lörrach wants TeleBasel to be broadcast, although we have never spoken to her. She wants the 50,000 daily cross-border commuters from Alsace and South Baden to be able to see what is happening in Basel, their economic center. Kabel Baden-Württemberg also wants to put us on near the border. But we don't yet know when that will be.
However, TeleBasel has had plans across borders for a long time.
Plans? No. We inquired about the legal situation and the interest of a cable network operator years ago. That is all.
From a journalistic point of view, we can hardly extend our radius of action further than the border towns of Weil am Rhein and Lörrach.
Do you anticipate additional advertising potential? The southern German retail trade already advertises extensively and with great success on TeleBasel.
Swiss advertising customers will receive a supplement that cannot even be shown using Publica Data figures.
Yes, we do. But we trust the advertisers. They are good at abstracting this.
According to a press release, TeleBasel has had its "most successful year to date". In 2004, it recorded an average of 110,500 viewers per day, which corresponds to a reach of 21.7 percent.
The station was able to increase its advertising income from CHF 700,000 to CHF 1.3 million, which is CHF 300,000 more than budgeted. Revenue from local advertising has doubled.
The sponsorship brought in another 1.3 million francs. The additional income will be invested in modern IMX camera and editing equipment to improve image quality.
For 2005, TeleBasel is again expecting advertising and sponsorship income of CHF 1.3 million each. In addition, the broadcaster will receive CHF 1.5 million from the Cablecom subsidiary Balcab, giving it an annual budget of CHF 4.1 million. (mk)
2004 brought TeleBasel record sales in advertising and sponsorship. Willy Surbeck wants to at least match the previous year's figures in 2005.
Interview: Markus Knöpfli
... to Medag, which belongs to Tamedia and also markets Radio Basilisk. You terminated the contract at the end of 2003 because Medag's performance was clearly below budget.
How do you know that? Medag works excellently for TeleBasel, but it is no longer the exclusive booking office. Nevertheless, its share of our sales success in 2004 was well above our expectations.
Has she pulled herself together?
She didn't have to get her act together, just clean up the range. Its success confirms the old rule that radio and TV can often not be sold by the same people. That's the nature of the business. People in Berne and Zurich have known this for a long time.
How big is TeleBasel's own sales team now?
In-house, sales professional Walter Liechti and a scheduler manage the business. Externally, three independent spot producers operate on the sales front.
Will the price change?
It could be that we adjust it slightly upwards in the spring. Nothing has been decided yet. It also depends on how things go with our new market partner NW1.
What part did NW1 (formerly Nordwest 5) play in your success? The expansion of this station to Basel and the arrival of Basilisk co-founder Christian Heeb has certainly spurred you on.
We had already given our all before. But the attacks by the new broadcaster have brought us into the media so often that TeleBasel has steadily gained in importance. We were even able to cancel a planned advertising campaign.
But NW1 also prompted you to open an outside studio in Liestal.
Yes, we do. But we're bursting at the seams in Basel anyway and can't rent enough space in the neighborhood. We also had the fiber optic cable from Basel to Liestal built back in 2003.
Now Tele M1 also wants to enter northwestern Switzerland ...
Tele M1 already reaches as far as Pratteln, in the middle of our broadcasting area, because cable networks cannot be split. That is why we have spoken out against the expansion plan, otherwise there will suddenly be no more room for TeleBasel.
When is the expansion to Germany coming? the mayor of Lörrach wants TeleBasel to be broadcast, although we have never spoken to her. She wants the 50,000 daily cross-border commuters from Alsace and South Baden to be able to see what is happening in Basel, their economic center. Kabel Baden-Württemberg also wants to put us on near the border. But we don't yet know when that will be.
However, TeleBasel has had plans across borders for a long time.
Plans? No. We inquired about the legal situation and the interest of a cable network operator years ago. That is all.
From a journalistic point of view, we can hardly extend our radius of action further than the border towns of Weil am Rhein and Lörrach.
Do you anticipate additional advertising potential? The southern German retail trade already advertises extensively and with great success on TeleBasel.
Swiss advertising customers will receive a supplement that cannot even be shown using Publica Data figures.
Yes, we do. But we trust the advertisers. They are good at abstracting this.
According to a press release, TeleBasel has had its "most successful year to date". In 2004, it recorded an average of 110,500 viewers per day, which corresponds to a reach of 21.7 percent.
The station was able to increase its advertising income from CHF 700,000 to CHF 1.3 million, which is CHF 300,000 more than budgeted. Revenue from local advertising has doubled.
The sponsorship brought in another 1.3 million francs. The additional income will be invested in modern IMX camera and editing equipment to improve image quality.
For 2005, TeleBasel is again expecting advertising and sponsorship income of CHF 1.3 million each. In addition, the broadcaster will receive CHF 1.5 million from the Cablecom subsidiary Balcab, giving it an annual budget of CHF 4.1 million. (mk)
2004 brought TeleBasel record sales in advertising and sponsorship. Willy Surbeck wants to at least match the previous year's figures in 2005.
Interview: Markus Knöpfli
