SDA back in the black
The Swiss Dispatch Agency can report a consolidated profit of 1.668 million for 2005.
The Swiss News Agency (SDA) can report a consolidated profit of 1.668 million for 2005. In contrast to the previous year, in which a loss of 1.004 million Swiss francs was made, the news service is thus back in the black, as the company announced on Wednesday evening at the Annual General Meeting. The operating result before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) more than doubled from CHF 1.105 million in the previous year to CHF 2.279 million. The SDA Group's total income amounted to CHF 35.249 million, compared to CHF 42.013 million in the previous year. Operating expenses amounted to CHF 32.970 million compared to CHF 40.908 million in 2005. Extraordinary income from the release of employer contribution reserves at Sportinformation Si and the sale of part of the stake in the business agency AWP contributed significantly to the Group profit. Cost-saving measures were also responsible for the good result. Markus Schwab, Chairman of the Executive Board, also blames the improved market situation, the 3 percent increase in SDA's rates and the increased coordination of sales efforts for the increase in turnover.
As Chairman of the Board of Directors Hans Heinrich Coninx (Tamedia) writes in the annual report, around half of the planned savings for the period from 2004 to 2008 have been implemented. In addition to the AWP stake, the stake in News Aktuell was also reduced from 70 to 50 percent compared to the previous year. The number of employees fell by 15.4 percent to 217.9 full-time positions.
Despite being in the black again, the SDA Group is only cautiously optimistic for 2006. However, thanks to the positive budgets of all associated companies, a positive Group result is once again expected, which, according to Schwab, will not reach the level of 2005.
In 2005, the major customers "Blick" and "Sonntagsblick" terminated their service with the news agency, but two new free newspapers were acquired in French-speaking Switzerland.
Matthias Saxer, head of the domestic editorial team at "NZZ", is a new member of the Board of Directors. He replaces Martin Breitenstein, who recently moved from "NZZ Online" to the news magazine "Facts".
As Chairman of the Board of Directors Hans Heinrich Coninx (Tamedia) writes in the annual report, around half of the planned savings for the period from 2004 to 2008 have been implemented. In addition to the AWP stake, the stake in News Aktuell was also reduced from 70 to 50 percent compared to the previous year. The number of employees fell by 15.4 percent to 217.9 full-time positions.
Despite being in the black again, the SDA Group is only cautiously optimistic for 2006. However, thanks to the positive budgets of all associated companies, a positive Group result is once again expected, which, according to Schwab, will not reach the level of 2005.
In 2005, the major customers "Blick" and "Sonntagsblick" terminated their service with the news agency, but two new free newspapers were acquired in French-speaking Switzerland.
Matthias Saxer, head of the domestic editorial team at "NZZ", is a new member of the Board of Directors. He replaces Martin Breitenstein, who recently moved from "NZZ Online" to the news magazine "Facts".
