Peter Wanner freezes free newspaper project
Peter Wanner is putting the project for a new free newspaper on hold. He plans to wait and see how the economy and the free newspaper market develop. The project had been announced by the AZ publisher last November in response to the free newspaper News.
AZ publisher Peter Wanner is shelving the project for a new free newspaper. The Board of Directors has examined various options in detail and decided not to realize the project this year, as AZ Medien announced on Thursday. The company wants to wait and see how the economy and the free newspaper market develop. On the other hand, more investment is to be made in the quality and market presence of the Aargauer Zeitung and Sonntag. Talks were also held with the partners of the Mittelland Zeitung association before the decision was made. The free newspaper was announced by Wanner in November 2007 as a kind of countermeasure for the new free newspaper News, which is also distributed with a large circulation in the Mittelland, the home region of Wanner's AZ-Medien. There was talk of an "innovative offer with a completely new approach" in the free market. However, the launch was repeatedly postponed. News is backed by Tamedia and the Basler Zeitung publishing house.
