Press frenzy in the Bernese Oberland

The administrative reform approved by the people in the canton of Bern is having an impact on the local press landscape. In the Bernese Oberland, people are already wondering what the future holds for the official gazettes and local newspapers. Due to the new administrative division, the question is how many official gazettes are still needed for the region and how and where the municipalities will publish their publications. Until now, the western Bernese Oberland consisted of four official districts, but from 2010 there will only be two, according to a report by the SDA news agency. The municipal publications were previously published in three official gazettes. Franz Zölch said on behalf of the publishing houses concerned on Wednesday that the business could only be run economically if one publisher could publish the official gazette and the local paper. Solutions have already been developed by Frutigländer Medien / Egger, Ilg in Wimmis, Kopp Druck und Grafik in Zweisimmen, Müller Marketing & Druck in Gstaad and Weber Werbeagentur und Verlag in Gwatt. In addition to the official gazettes, smaller local newspapers such as Der Frutigländer, the Obersimmentaler, the Anzeiger von Saanen and the monthly magazine Spiez Info are published in the western Bernese Oberland. They all exist alongside the larger regional newspaper Der Berner Oberländer. The small, local papers are important for local associations or events, as the larger the newspaper, the more expensive the advertisements, emphasizes Zölch.