Goodbye virginity
Local press In its fifth year of life, the Jungfrau Zeitung has already grown up - at least in terms of its visual appearance. Meanwhile, its success in the readership and advertising market continues.
Local press In its fifth year of life, the Jungfrau Zeitung has already grown up - at least in terms of its visual appearance. Meanwhile, its success in the readership and advertising market continues.
Editor-in-chief Stefan Regez calls the new look of his micro-newspaper "sophisticated, dignified and unobtrusive" in the editorial of January 4. Indeed, Micha Krautwasser has given the paper (with a paid circulation of 10,500 copies) from the tranquil Bernese Oberland an almost sophisticated appearance. This is less due to the Hamburg origins of the alpine art director than to the ambitions of the publisher of Jungfrau Zeitung, Der Oberhasler, Der Brienzer and Echo von Grindelwald. According to Urs Gossweiler, this is not just a redesign, but "the creation of a model that can and should set the trend for other local newspapers" (see interview).
For the average reader of the Vierbund newspaper, this might sound a little presumptuous, as apart from the change from the previous six-column to a five-column layout, they will at most notice a few typographical modifications. In terms of content and dramaturgy, everything has remained the same. With 200 new subscriptions in December alone, he sees "no need for any editorial changes", says Gossweiler. In addition, the first (and still only) micro-newspaper only shows the journalistic tip of his concept pyramid.
The redesign and the optimization of the underlying marketing and communication processes, which ultimately form the copyable core of the concept, were financed "almost entirely" by the profits from Gossweiler Media AG's newspaper business. And these should of course continue to rise. This should be helped by the alignment of the editorial and advertising layout, which was already designed in five columns when it was launched in fall 2000. Interlaken hopes that this will not only harmonize the aesthetics of the small, twice-weekly newspaper, but also streamline the digital workflow.
Key partner for tabloid supplementThe magazine for TV, radio, events and church(!) called 7 Tage, which is enclosed with the Jungfrau Zeitung on Fridays, has also lost its visual and commercial innocence. With Rugenbräu, the agenda in tabloid format has gained a key partner for the whole year for the first time, which is present in print and online as a sponsor and exclusively placed advertiser with its two products Mountain Twister and Jungfrau Wasser. Gossweiler is proud of this local partnership of convenience and denies any conflict with the journalistic independence of his titles. "Unlike our colleagues in the city of Bern (the Berner Zeitung recently started printing and distributing the Kulturagenda, editor's note), at least we don't have our event newspaper supported by taxpayers' money, but by the private sector."
New solidity: Jungfrau Zeitung with 7 days supplement.
"End of the training camp "Urs Gossweiler, publisher of the Jungfrau Zeitung, on its new outfit and its role as the prototype of the micro-newspaper.
WW: Mr. Gossweiler, on the front page of the first issue, your in-house cartoonist says that the Jungfrau Zeitung still has to grow into its new clothes. Do you agree?
Urs Gossweiler: No, with their journalistic expertise, our editorial team also fills the new layout perfectly. What's more, this relaunch was extremely well prepared, which is why there have been no teething troubles so far. The whole process began two years ago with the complete overhaul of our editorial system.
It is therefore a software-based relaunch.
That's right. That's why the further development of our digital workflow only became visible in the design late last summer. The thoroughness of this approach is of course related to the function of our paper as a prototype of the micro-newspaper. In parallel to the newspaper and website relaunch, very detailed manuals were created for future users of our modular concept.
Does this mean that the domestic or foreign licensees of the micro newspaper that have been announced for some time have been found? first of all, the duplicability and therefore the attractiveness of our system are now even better guaranteed. Our business partners also appreciate this very much. In other words, the search is over and negotiations are ongoing. Unfortunately, I can't tell you any more yet. Just this much: the entire relaunch project symbolizes the fact that after four years in training camp, we have now entered the playing field.
How are advertisers reacting to the new solidity of the enfant terrible? It's not for nothing that we've been able to achieve another double-digit increase in earnings this year compared to last January. And this is despite the fact that our main customer Migros has reduced its order volume by sixty percent this year. Interview: Oliver Classen
Oliver Classen
Editor-in-chief Stefan Regez calls the new look of his micro-newspaper "sophisticated, dignified and unobtrusive" in the editorial of January 4. Indeed, Micha Krautwasser has given the paper (with a paid circulation of 10,500 copies) from the tranquil Bernese Oberland an almost sophisticated appearance. This is less due to the Hamburg origins of the alpine art director than to the ambitions of the publisher of Jungfrau Zeitung, Der Oberhasler, Der Brienzer and Echo von Grindelwald. According to Urs Gossweiler, this is not just a redesign, but "the creation of a model that can and should set the trend for other local newspapers" (see interview).
For the average reader of the Vierbund newspaper, this might sound a little presumptuous, as apart from the change from the previous six-column to a five-column layout, they will at most notice a few typographical modifications. In terms of content and dramaturgy, everything has remained the same. With 200 new subscriptions in December alone, he sees "no need for any editorial changes", says Gossweiler. In addition, the first (and still only) micro-newspaper only shows the journalistic tip of his concept pyramid.
The redesign and the optimization of the underlying marketing and communication processes, which ultimately form the copyable core of the concept, were financed "almost entirely" by the profits from Gossweiler Media AG's newspaper business. And these should of course continue to rise. This should be helped by the alignment of the editorial and advertising layout, which was already designed in five columns when it was launched in fall 2000. Interlaken hopes that this will not only harmonize the aesthetics of the small, twice-weekly newspaper, but also streamline the digital workflow.
Key partner for tabloid supplementThe magazine for TV, radio, events and church(!) called 7 Tage, which is enclosed with the Jungfrau Zeitung on Fridays, has also lost its visual and commercial innocence. With Rugenbräu, the agenda in tabloid format has gained a key partner for the whole year for the first time, which is present in print and online as a sponsor and exclusively placed advertiser with its two products Mountain Twister and Jungfrau Wasser. Gossweiler is proud of this local partnership of convenience and denies any conflict with the journalistic independence of his titles. "Unlike our colleagues in the city of Bern (the Berner Zeitung recently started printing and distributing the Kulturagenda, editor's note), at least we don't have our event newspaper supported by taxpayers' money, but by the private sector."
New solidity: Jungfrau Zeitung with 7 days supplement.
"End of the training camp "Urs Gossweiler, publisher of the Jungfrau Zeitung, on its new outfit and its role as the prototype of the micro-newspaper.
WW: Mr. Gossweiler, on the front page of the first issue, your in-house cartoonist says that the Jungfrau Zeitung still has to grow into its new clothes. Do you agree?
Urs Gossweiler: No, with their journalistic expertise, our editorial team also fills the new layout perfectly. What's more, this relaunch was extremely well prepared, which is why there have been no teething troubles so far. The whole process began two years ago with the complete overhaul of our editorial system.
It is therefore a software-based relaunch.
That's right. That's why the further development of our digital workflow only became visible in the design late last summer. The thoroughness of this approach is of course related to the function of our paper as a prototype of the micro-newspaper. In parallel to the newspaper and website relaunch, very detailed manuals were created for future users of our modular concept.
Does this mean that the domestic or foreign licensees of the micro newspaper that have been announced for some time have been found? first of all, the duplicability and therefore the attractiveness of our system are now even better guaranteed. Our business partners also appreciate this very much. In other words, the search is over and negotiations are ongoing. Unfortunately, I can't tell you any more yet. Just this much: the entire relaunch project symbolizes the fact that after four years in training camp, we have now entered the playing field.
How are advertisers reacting to the new solidity of the enfant terrible? It's not for nothing that we've been able to achieve another double-digit increase in earnings this year compared to last January. And this is despite the fact that our main customer Migros has reduced its order volume by sixty percent this year. Interview: Oliver Classen
Oliver Classen
