Schaffhausen publisher wants to launch new daily newspaper for the capital city
According to the current issue of the Handelszeitung, Schaffhausen publisher Norbert Bernhard is planning a new, free daily newspaper called "Neue Berner Zeitung".
"We want to launch a new free newspaper for the capital from fall 2021," Norbert Bernhard explains to the Handelszeitung. The Schaffhausen-based publisher with Bernese roots has been publishing the free money magazine Private which also awards a "Prize for Quality Journalism".
Bernhard is currently in the process of obtaining offers for the new newspaper project, as the Handelszeitung writes. Printers, distribution organizations and news agencies are being contacted. As soon as the offers are on the table, Bernhard wants to start looking for investors. "The daily newspaper will be financed by advertising revenue and patronage," says Bernhard. Donors could be wealthy private individuals as well as interested banks and companies. In addition to a daily print publication in newspaper format, the free alternative to Confederation and Bernese Newspaper will also have its own online presence. The "Neue Berner Zeitung" will cover all the sections of a normal daily newspaper, he says.
Industry experts expect start-up costs over several years, which could run into the mid double-digit millions, according to the Handelszeitung. Bernhard's newspaper plans are a reaction to the changes in the Bernese press landscape: from April, the two Bernese daily newspapers The Covenant and Bernese Newspaper cooperate more closely in terms of content. The owner of the two newspaper titles, the Zurich media group TX Group, announced the cost-cutting measure in the fall (Werbewoche.ch reported).
