The site offered health insurance premiums, theater reviews and many opinion pieces at its launch on Wednesday. The articles will remain online free of charge for one week, after which "Bon pour la tête" financed solely by subscriptions and remain ad-free.

"The launch allows our readers to discover us," Florence Perret, who is part of the editorial team of the new online media project, told the SDA news agency on Wednesday. "You can also criticize us, encourage us and suggest topics," said Perret.

In future, the media site plans to publish two to three new articles per day, as well as videos and photo reports. After the free launch week, the price for a monthly subscription will be CHF 8, and CHF 96 for a year. A patron subscription is also available for 200 francs per year.

3000 to 5000 subscriptions hoped for

The initiators are hoping for 3,000 to 5,000 subscriptions. The editorial office has been located near the train station in the center of Lausanne since the beginning of June. The editorial team includes many former L'Hebdo media professionals. The slogan "Bon pour la tête" also comes from the weekly magazine, which was discontinued by Ringier Axel Springer Switzerland in January after 35 years. The media site is "complementary" to the other newspapers and media, says Florence Perret from the editorial team, describing its role.

Successful crowdfunding

The project took shape thanks to a crowdfunding campaign in May. The target of 100,000 francs was exceeded just one day after the launch on May 13. By the time the website was launched, 234,000 francs had been raised. The crowdfunding ended with the launch of the website. "Now it all depends on the subscriptions," said Florence Perret. The editorial team is working free of charge until enough funds are available. (SDA)

The social plan has received the unanimous support of the affected staff, according to a joint statement from Imprint and Syndicom on Thursday. It said the 40 or so employees affected by the layoffs had achieved substantial improvements. For example, the eleven people who will retire early at age 59 will receive higher pensions and longer notice periods. The other dismissed employees also benefited from an extension of the notice period by up to four months and higher severance pay.

The negotiations, which lasted around eight weeks, took place in a constructive atmosphere, the statement continues. Imprint and Syndicom welcomed the result, but at the same time regretted that the management of Ringier Axel Springer Switzerland had rejected all alternative economic measures at the end of February, which would have made it possible to reduce the number of redundancies. They also said it was regrettable that the unions had not been able to participate directly at the negotiating table. (SDA)

The publishers announced the layoffs to the editorial staff Thursday morning: 25 people will be laid off, and eleven will retire early. In addition, the mandate of seven freelancers of L'Hebdo has been terminated, Michel Danthe, president of the editorial commission, told the news agency SDA on Thursday. He thus confirmed reports from the French-speaking Swiss radio and television RTS.

The job cuts also affect Le Temps newspaper, which had shared a newsroom with Hebdo. "This is the biggest restructuring in the history of the newspaper. We are losing about 20 jobs," Danthe said. At the daily, all sections are losing one to two jobs. The two sections most affected are Opinion and Debate and Culture, Danthe noted. A social plan is being negotiated for the job cuts.

The editorial team had submitted its proposals to the publishing house on Friday to reduce the number of layoffs. It proposed reducing the management team and cutting the office space used in the building from three to two floors.

"All staff proposals for alternative savings aimed at reducing the number of redundancies have been rejected. In particular, the management has refused to reduce the number of staff at the management level (elimination of the position of director for Suisse Romande and one of the three editor-in-chief positions in the newsroom). This proposal would have resulted in savings of around CHF 600,000. Similarly, the proposal to rent two floors for the offices of the downsized editorial staff instead of the current three was rejected, which could have brought savings of around CHF 400,000. And the sale of L'Hebdo to a possible buyer was thrown to the wind."

(from the media release issued by the Editorial and Personnel Commission, February 16, 2017)

L'Hebdo discontinued after 35 years

The proposals were rejected on Wednesday, after which the layoffs were announced on Thursday. Ringier Axel Springer confirmed the reduction of 36 jobs. The publishing house had announced on January 23 that it would discontinue L'Hebdo after 35 years. The decision led to large protests in French-speaking Switzerland. Only on Wednesday, the management of Ringier Axel Springer Switzerland had assured in talks with the Vaudois government that it wanted to secure the newspaper Le Temps in the long term. The talks will be continued.

Syndicom and Imprint appalled

In a statement issued on Thursday evening, the Syndicom trade union and the Imprint journalists' association expressed their outrage at the latest developments. The proposals made during the consultation process have been completely ignored with the wave of dismissals. The publisher Ringier Axel Springer had revealed with its approach "that it regarded the consultation procedure only as an annoying formality, and that the decisions had already been cemented beforehand". This was "diametrically opposed to the spirit and purpose of the Participation Act". Syndicom and Imprint also sharply criticize the fact that 20 of the people affected also directly affect Le Temps: "How this widely respected quality newspaper should continue to function after such a bloodletting is a mystery." (SDA/hae)

For the Vaudois government, a strong and diverse press is essential, as the canton of Vaud announced after the talks. The newspaper Le Temps is also widely read in German-speaking Switzerland and outside Switzerland, said the Vaudois economic director, Philippe Leuba (FDP), in response to a question. In the interest of French-speaking Switzerland, he said, it was important that this title be retained. Ralph Büchi and Daniel Pillard had confirmed on behalf of Ringier Axel Springer Switzerland that they wanted to further develop Le Temps on various axes such as on the web, as a magazine and with events. The talks are to be continued. (SDA)

This Thursday, February 2, is a black day for the Swiss press and especially for that of French-speaking Switzerland. With the last appearance of L'Hebdo, the only weekly print news magazine disappears, while the editorial staff of Le Temps faces a new drastic restructuring.

The disappearance of L'Hebdo seriously affects the diversity and pluralism of the press in French-speaking Switzerland. Reporters Without Borders (ROG) expresses its solidarity with the employees of L'Hebdo and Le Temps and reminds the publisher, Ringier Axel Springer Switzerland, of its responsibility towards the people affected by the closure of L'Hebdo and the restructuring at Le Temps. Furthermore, the company should not close its mind to a continuation or takeover of the magazine by third parties.

ROG Switzerland by no means underestimates the difficulties and challenges currently facing the printed press. But our democracy needs free and independent media more than ever. ROG Switzerland therefore calls on the authorities - at all levels - to quickly develop and implement measures to support the press that do not compromise its indispensable editorial independence.

Readers and interested parties were able to participate in the design of the latest issue on Saturday in the newspaper's newsroom in Lausanne.

The publishing house Ringier Axel Springer Schweiz had announced only last Monday that the weekly magazine would be discontinued after 36 years. 37 editors and publishing staff will lose their jobs. The discontinuation of the title was justified by declining advertising sales revenues and poor economic prospects.

Jacques Pilot (picture), founder of the newspaper, was touched by the many positive feedbacks. And he announced that a new project will be launched in the next few weeks. What form the new platform for French-speaking Switzerland will take, he left open.

All interested parties are invited to the brunch on Saturday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., as the editor-in-chief Alain Jeannet says in the editorial of the second-to-last issue, which will be published on Thursday, writes. The brunch will take place in the newsroom of L'Hebdo and Le Temps newspaper in Lausanne. All readers will also receive a written offer in the coming days to convert their L'Hebdo subscription into a subscription to Le Temps newspaper, Jeannet added. He called on readers to accept the offer.

The publishing house Ringier Axel Springer Switzerland had announced on Monday that the weekly magazine will be discontinued after 36 years (Werbewoche.ch reported). As a result, 37 employees in the editorial and publishing departments will lose their jobs.

"Media for All" criticizes decision

The title's discontinuation was justified by declining advertising sales and poor economic prospects. The organization "Media for All" criticized the decision on Wednesday. The organization of journalists and filmmakers called on Western Switzerland not to pull up stakes. It called on the cantonal governments to set up a support fund so that the magazine could continue to appear until a new solution was found. (SDA)

It is a disgrace that a media company as large as Ringier Axel Springer is putting 37 people out on the street, writes Impressum. The association appeals to the company's social responsibility and demands that all alternatives be examined to prevent redundancies. Ringier Axel Springer Switzerland must enter into a dialogue with politicians and civil society, impressum writes in a statement on Monday. In the view of the association, the disappearance of L'Hebdo represents an immeasurable loss for the diversity and quality of the media landscape in French-speaking Switzerland.

For Urs Thalmann, the managing director of Impressum, "the weekly magazine L'Hebdo is an important platform for investigative journalism in the region. We are dismayed by the announcement of its closure. And the job cuts in the joint newsroom also endanger the quality of the reference medium Le Temps. We will cooperate in the deliberations of civil society and politics to find solutions to save the magazine and the jobs, and we demand that Ringier Axel Springer openly participate in this dialogue."

One cannot accept the disappearance of a title like L'Hebdo.

Dominique Diserens, Central Secretary, adds: "This is a sad day. One cannot accept the disappearance of a title like L'Hebdo. It plays a very important role in the social and political discourse of Suisse Romande. Media diversity is suffering enormously."

Syndicom calls for search for buyer

In a statement, Syndicom calls the closure of L'Hebdo "another blow". The media release from Ringier Axel Springer does not even mention the consequences for capacity utilization - and thus the employees - at the printing center in Zofingen, the union criticizes.

Following the layoffs at the end of 2016 at the Tribune de Genève and 24 Heures newspapers of the Tamedia Group, Syndicom regrets "that the two German-speaking Swiss media groups can decide in this way whether important titles of the French-speaking Swiss press are to be or not to be." By expanding advertising platforms on the Internet and refusing to invest profits from the commercial online sector in the print sector, the two publishers would have cannibalized their own printed titles.

...cannibalizes its own printed titles.

The union calls on RAS to do everything possible in the consultation process to prevent layoffs. For this, the group would have to actively look for a buyer for L'Hebdo in particular. Syndicom is also skeptical about the announced investments in the "conference business", which no longer has much to do with journalism. (hae/pd)

Due to a constant decline in advertising and sales revenues combined with a poor economic outlook, the weekly magazine L'Hebdo, which was launched in 1981 in French-speaking Switzerland, will be discontinued as of February 2, 2017. According to the press release, this decision will lead to job cuts in the newsroom jointly managed by L'Hebdo and Le Temps as well as in the publishing house in Lausanne, affecting 37 employees.

The extent to which some of the job cuts can be absorbed through early retirement and internal task shifts is being examined, but it will not be possible to avoid layoffs, the statement continues. For the employees affected, an accompanying plan of measures will be applied, which will be based on Ringier's existing social plan. The consultation process will begin on Monday.

L'Hebdo was the most widely read magazine in French-speaking Switzerland. However, circulation and readership figures have been eroding inexorably for several years. According to Wemf figures, the magazine still achieved a circulation of 33,706 copies sold and a reach of 156,000 readers in 2016, compared with 36,935 copies sold and a reach of 172,000 readers the previous year.

Ralph Büchi, Delegate of the Board of Directors of Ringier Axel Springer Switzerland: "With this decision, we are reacting to the constantly loss-making economic situation of L'Hebdo and the upheaval in the advertising market. L'Hebdo has posted a negative EBITDA since 2002 and has lost more than half of its advertising revenues in the last four years alone. We very much regret that despite various conceptual revisions and organizational adjustments over the past 15 years, we have not succeeded in putting L'Hebdo on a secure economic footing. All the more so because the personnel consequences associated with the decision are unfortunately unavoidable. Nevertheless, we consider it crucial for the future of our site in western Switzerland that we invest our resources in businesses with a stable economic outlook."

The freed-up funds will be shifted to the expansion of the benchmark daily newspaper Le Temps. The newspaper is the leading quality daily in French-speaking Switzerland thanks to its strong digital presence and the online subscription model successfully introduced in 2011. Among other things, investments in new Le Temps businesses such as the regional conference business will be stepped up and the "Forum des 100" will be further expanded. In addition, Le Temps is launching the new Saturday supplement "T" on February 18, 2017, which comprehensively expands the weekend offering for its readers and advertising customers.

Ringier Axel Springer Switzerland currently employs 212 permanent staff in French-speaking Switzerland. The employees of L'illustré, TV8, Boléro and PME Magazine are not affected by the discontinuation of L'Hebdo. (hae/pd/SDA)