"I don't see any dangers"
Commuter newspapers After the 20-Minuten-Tamedia deal, the Mittelland Zeitung is now caught in the headlock between Tamedia and Espace Media.
Commuter newspapers Following the 20 Minuten-Tamedia deal, the Mittelland Zeitung is now caught in the headlock between Tamedia and Espace Media.Nevertheless, Ueli Eckstein, deputy CEO of AZ Medien, is not immediately afraid of a commuter newspaper.WW Mr. Eckstein, does the purchase of 20 Minuten by Tamedia and Espace Media hurt you?
Ueli Eckstein We could live with the current situation. And we would certainly have followed the duel between 20 Minuten and Express with interest. However, the new development does not cause us any pain. Of course, there are mental games about what would happen if 20 Minuten were to move east or west. However, we assume that the commuter newspaper will first have to expand its market position in the Bern and Basel conurbations before embarking on such an adventure.
However, the Mittelland Zeitung is one of the losers of the 20 Minuten-Tamedia deal: it is now even more caught in the sandwich between Tamedia and Espace Media. How do you protect your market against further penetration by 20 Minuten?
I don't see any operational threats to us at the moment. 20 Minuten - and Metropol at the time - tried unsuccessfully to penetrate our space right after its launch. Let me remind you that Metropol in Aarau had already canceled its plans after a month.
However, 20 Minuten now has access to Tamedia's expanded cross-media options, which could quickly strengthen the commuter newspaper further.
Since its launch, 20 Minuten has been anchored in the Dietikon district, where we are also at home with the Limmattaler Tagblatt. Although we are located here in a stronghold of the commuter newspaper, we have been able to maintain our circulation. However, I can well imagine that the battle in the Limmattal will become even tougher.
When will the Mittelland Zeitung launch its own commuter newspaper?
I can hardly imagine a commuter newspaper in our area, no matter who it comes from. Because a commuter newspaper needs epicentric conurbations like Zurich. In contrast, we have various medium-sized centers such as Baden, Aarau, Olten and Solothurn, but they are too small for a commuter newspaper. The logistical effort would simply not be worth it.
AZ Medien will lose
Group will probably soon receive the print order for a partial run of
20 Minuten. Tamedia and Espace Media are expanding their printing capacities and will print the commuter newspaper themselves.
I cannot give any details on the contractually agreed duration of this printing order. But we assume that the new co-owners will adhere to the existing contracts. This means that we will continue to print the 20-minute edition for Berne and Basel well beyond the current year.
Luzerner leave their AnzeigerJust recently, the Neue Luzerner Zeitung (NLZ) acquired a stake in Anzeiger Luzern AG in order to keep new intruders from the free and commuter newspaper sector out of its own market on the eve of the launch of "Express" (WW 11/03). After Tamedia's participation in 20 Minuten and the aborted Express, these hasty efforts now appear to have been in vain.
Nevertheless, Erwin Bachmann, Delegate of the Board of Directors of LZ Medien, is not deterred in his chosen path. "We are a publishing house that has lived without free newspapers until now. And we want to change that by working with Anzeiger Luzern AG. However, this is a long-term strategy and was not directly planned for the launch of the Express." Bachmann assumes that 20 Minuten will concentrate on its existing distribution areas and "not encroach on our catchment area". The LZ boss is now also more explicit about the possible further development of Anzeiger Luzern and Luzerner Woche. "From today's perspective, there is no need to think in terms of a commuter newspaper. We can continue to maintain the two free papers as they are." (dse)
Plaything of the big boysFor the second time in a year, Zehnder Print in Wil (TG) has lost out on a juicy print job. Tamedia has currently delayed the launch of its commuter newspaper project Express zwei
Canceled days before the start - Zehnder Print lost a one-year contract. A year ago, the free newspaper Metropol pulled the plug and stopped its printing order with Zehnder after two years - the contract would have continued for another year. In both cases, the order was for the printing of 150,000 copies, five times a week.
Owner Andreas Zehnder, son of publisher Rolf-Peter Zehnder, seems to think that his print shop is being used as a pawn by large publishers.
Zehnder, however, was not particularly bothered. He had already received "X amount" from Metropol after the stop. "And our contract with Tamedia is also financially secure, we knew that Tamedia and 20 Minuten could join forces," he says. For Zehnder, the sudden and short-term termination of the contract does not represent a breach of contract, but rather one of the contractually agreed "options". He does not have to dismiss anyone because of this. "But of course we would have loved to print the 'Express'," the Wiler printer told Werbewoche. (mk)
Interview: Daniel Schifferle
Ueli Eckstein We could live with the current situation. And we would certainly have followed the duel between 20 Minuten and Express with interest. However, the new development does not cause us any pain. Of course, there are mental games about what would happen if 20 Minuten were to move east or west. However, we assume that the commuter newspaper will first have to expand its market position in the Bern and Basel conurbations before embarking on such an adventure.
However, the Mittelland Zeitung is one of the losers of the 20 Minuten-Tamedia deal: it is now even more caught in the sandwich between Tamedia and Espace Media. How do you protect your market against further penetration by 20 Minuten?
I don't see any operational threats to us at the moment. 20 Minuten - and Metropol at the time - tried unsuccessfully to penetrate our space right after its launch. Let me remind you that Metropol in Aarau had already canceled its plans after a month.
However, 20 Minuten now has access to Tamedia's expanded cross-media options, which could quickly strengthen the commuter newspaper further.
Since its launch, 20 Minuten has been anchored in the Dietikon district, where we are also at home with the Limmattaler Tagblatt. Although we are located here in a stronghold of the commuter newspaper, we have been able to maintain our circulation. However, I can well imagine that the battle in the Limmattal will become even tougher.
When will the Mittelland Zeitung launch its own commuter newspaper?
I can hardly imagine a commuter newspaper in our area, no matter who it comes from. Because a commuter newspaper needs epicentric conurbations like Zurich. In contrast, we have various medium-sized centers such as Baden, Aarau, Olten and Solothurn, but they are too small for a commuter newspaper. The logistical effort would simply not be worth it.
AZ Medien will lose
Group will probably soon receive the print order for a partial run of
20 Minuten. Tamedia and Espace Media are expanding their printing capacities and will print the commuter newspaper themselves.
I cannot give any details on the contractually agreed duration of this printing order. But we assume that the new co-owners will adhere to the existing contracts. This means that we will continue to print the 20-minute edition for Berne and Basel well beyond the current year.
Luzerner leave their AnzeigerJust recently, the Neue Luzerner Zeitung (NLZ) acquired a stake in Anzeiger Luzern AG in order to keep new intruders from the free and commuter newspaper sector out of its own market on the eve of the launch of "Express" (WW 11/03). After Tamedia's participation in 20 Minuten and the aborted Express, these hasty efforts now appear to have been in vain.
Nevertheless, Erwin Bachmann, Delegate of the Board of Directors of LZ Medien, is not deterred in his chosen path. "We are a publishing house that has lived without free newspapers until now. And we want to change that by working with Anzeiger Luzern AG. However, this is a long-term strategy and was not directly planned for the launch of the Express." Bachmann assumes that 20 Minuten will concentrate on its existing distribution areas and "not encroach on our catchment area". The LZ boss is now also more explicit about the possible further development of Anzeiger Luzern and Luzerner Woche. "From today's perspective, there is no need to think in terms of a commuter newspaper. We can continue to maintain the two free papers as they are." (dse)
Plaything of the big boysFor the second time in a year, Zehnder Print in Wil (TG) has lost out on a juicy print job. Tamedia has currently delayed the launch of its commuter newspaper project Express zwei
Canceled days before the start - Zehnder Print lost a one-year contract. A year ago, the free newspaper Metropol pulled the plug and stopped its printing order with Zehnder after two years - the contract would have continued for another year. In both cases, the order was for the printing of 150,000 copies, five times a week.
Owner Andreas Zehnder, son of publisher Rolf-Peter Zehnder, seems to think that his print shop is being used as a pawn by large publishers.
Zehnder, however, was not particularly bothered. He had already received "X amount" from Metropol after the stop. "And our contract with Tamedia is also financially secure, we knew that Tamedia and 20 Minuten could join forces," he says. For Zehnder, the sudden and short-term termination of the contract does not represent a breach of contract, but rather one of the contractually agreed "options". He does not have to dismiss anyone because of this. "But of course we would have loved to print the 'Express'," the Wiler printer told Werbewoche. (mk)
Interview: Daniel Schifferle
