Wagner leaves BZM
Private Radio: Martin Wagner, the new owner of Basilisk, has an extensive network of contacts—including connections to Basler Zeitung Medien.
Private radio The new owner of Basilisk, Martin Wagner, is very well connected. Martin Ernst Wagner, Basel lawyer and new owner of Radio Basilisk, is - as he announced a month ago - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Roger Köppel's Weltwoche Verlags AG, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Filippo Leutenegger's publishing house Neue Ideen.ch, a member of the Board of Directors of Jean Frey AG (now Axel Springer Switzerland), which belongs to Axel Springer, and Vice Chairman of the two companies Highlight Communications AG and Bernhard Burgener's Rainbow Home Entertainment.
What Wagner did not say at the time, however, was that he was also closely associated with Basler Zeitung Medien (BZM) until the end of September. He worked for BZM as a legal advisor and supported the media company in the sale of its subsidiary Jean Frey AG. In the past, Wagner also sat on the Board of Directors of various BZM subsidiaries, including Birkhäuser + GBC, Birkhäuser + GBC Spezialprodukte, Verlag Multipress AG, Adic Insurance Services AG and the telemarketing company bc best connect ag.
When it was clear that Wagner would take over the Basel-based broadcaster Basilisk from Tamedia, he gave up all board mandates at BZM companies: The commercial register shows his board resignations as of September 26 and 27, 2007, which shows that Wagner had already arranged them prior to the announcement of his Basilisk deal.
BZM Board Chairman Matthias Hagemann confirms the separation from Wagner due to the Basilisk purchase. "Mr. Wagner gave up these mandates of his own accord because he was of the opinion that they were not compatible with his new position as an independent radio entrepreneur in Basel," says the BaZ publisher. However, Wagner will continue to hold the temporary mandate as BZM legal advisor.
Because Hagemann had also expressed an interest in the Basilisk channel six months ago, the Basel news portal Onlinereports asked last week whether Wagner was now acting as its front man because of his connections to BZM. Both Wagner and Hagemann denied this theory. And Onlinereports also comes to the conclusion that although there is a close relationship between Wagner and BZM, the straw man theory can hardly be proven. Onlinereports also acknowledges that Wagner could hardly be used in this way.
Markus Knöpfli
What Wagner did not say at the time, however, was that he was also closely associated with Basler Zeitung Medien (BZM) until the end of September. He worked for BZM as a legal advisor and supported the media company in the sale of its subsidiary Jean Frey AG. In the past, Wagner also sat on the Board of Directors of various BZM subsidiaries, including Birkhäuser + GBC, Birkhäuser + GBC Spezialprodukte, Verlag Multipress AG, Adic Insurance Services AG and the telemarketing company bc best connect ag.
When it was clear that Wagner would take over the Basel-based broadcaster Basilisk from Tamedia, he gave up all board mandates at BZM companies: The commercial register shows his board resignations as of September 26 and 27, 2007, which shows that Wagner had already arranged them prior to the announcement of his Basilisk deal.
BZM Board Chairman Matthias Hagemann confirms the separation from Wagner due to the Basilisk purchase. "Mr. Wagner gave up these mandates of his own accord because he was of the opinion that they were not compatible with his new position as an independent radio entrepreneur in Basel," says the BaZ publisher. However, Wagner will continue to hold the temporary mandate as BZM legal advisor.
Because Hagemann had also expressed an interest in the Basilisk channel six months ago, the Basel news portal Onlinereports asked last week whether Wagner was now acting as its front man because of his connections to BZM. Both Wagner and Hagemann denied this theory. And Onlinereports also comes to the conclusion that although there is a close relationship between Wagner and BZM, the straw man theory can hardly be proven. Onlinereports also acknowledges that Wagner could hardly be used in this way.
Markus Knöpfli
