Celebrities from French-speaking Switzerland criticize restructuring at Tamedia
More than 170 prominent figures from French-speaking Switzerland have sent an open letter to the leadership of the Tamedia media group and the board of directors of its parent company, the TX Group. They are calling on the recipients to champion media diversity in French-speaking Switzerland and to refrain from layoffs.
Among the signatories to the appeal are musician Stephan Eicher, writer Joël Dicker and film director Ursula Meier, as well as swimmer Roman Mityukov and numerous personalities from the worlds of science and culture.
Last week, Tamedia announced that it would be cutting jobs and merging editorial teams (Markt-kom.com reported). There are plans to cut 25 full-time positions in French-speaking Switzerland. 24 Heures, Tribune de Genève and Le Matin Dimanche are to be produced by a single editorial team in future.
According to the appeal, French-speaking Switzerland deserves a strong, independent and diverse regional press. For years, the cutbacks have led to an impoverishment of regional information. Moreover, if the proportion of texts translated from German in newspapers in French-speaking Switzerland increases, the voice of French-speaking Switzerland will become inaudible.
In a statement on Friday evening, Tamedia regretted that it had not been asked for the coverage. The company management has taken note of the signatories with great respect, Tamedia announced in French. It takes the concerns seriously and understands the emotions of those affected.
With its new strategy, the company is responding to rapidly changing media usage and the paradigm shift in the advertising market. The aim of the new orientation is to ensure a solid foundation in order to secure the information mandate. The aim is to meet the challenges with a strong press in French-speaking Switzerland - with deeply rooted titles such as 24 Heures and Tribune de Genève. (SDA/swi)
