French-speaking Switzerland: Five newspapers now with a joint jacket section
Five regional newspapers in French-speaking Switzerland will be published on Tuesday for the first time with a uniform layout. They will now produce the national sections of the newspapers jointly in Neuchâtel.
The Journal du Jura, the Vaud local newspaper La Côte, L'Express from Neuchâtel, L'Impartial from La Chaux-de-Fonds NE and Le Nouvelliste from Valais have joined forces. The whole thing was initiated by the Hersant Group (Editions Suisse Holding), owner of these regional newspapers with the exception of the Journal de Jura, which belongs to the Biel-based Gassmann Group. A new joint platform called "Agence romande de presse" was founded in Neuchâtel. Here, eight journalists produce the joint cover consisting of the Swiss, foreign and business sections.
Reorganization without job cuts
According to Nicolas Willemin, project manager and editor-in-chief of L'Express and L'Impartial, the entire reorganization could be carried out without job cuts. However, some editors from Sion now have to work in Neuchâtel. Thanks to the reorganization, more resources are now available, which in turn will be used for an additional background page in the regional section, Willemin added.
According to Willemin, the aim of the new arrangement is to benefit more from in-house services and be less dependent on agency texts. In addition, an agreement has been concluded with the conservative French daily Le Figaro, which allows the regional newspapers in French-speaking Switzerland to use its articles. (SDA)
