Wanner sees news as a ship of destruction

AZ publisher Peter Wanner confirmed to the Mittellandzeitung on Thursday that he intends to respond to the planned new free newspaper News (see ). The majority shareholder of the AZ Media Group is planning an "innovative offer with a completely new approach" in the free market. This offer will be launched within a reasonable period of time. Wanner told the Mittellandzeitung that the company wanted to become active in the free market without significantly affecting the subscription newspapers. Wanner did not give any further details, saying that the project still had to be discussed with the Mittelland Zeitung's partners. The planned free newspaper News, which is backed by the publishers of the Tages-Anzeiger, the Berner Zeitung and the Basler Zeitung, is to be launched under the title News Mittelland with a circulation of 132,000 copies in the cantons of Aargau and Solothurn. Wanner described News to the Mittellandzeitung as the destroyer ship of Tamedia boss Martin Kall's war fleet. He considers the announced attack to be quite perfidious.