AZ Medien takes over Tele Bärn and Tele Züri
AZ Medien acquires the two regional TV stations Tele Bärn and Tele Züri from Tamedia. Having already owned the Aargau regional TV station Tele M1, AZ Medien can now expand its TV network to Zurich and Bern with the new acquisitions.
Tele Bärn and Tele Züri are to continue at their current locations in Bern and Zurich. The level of Tele Züri is to serve as a benchmark for the two stations Tele M1 and Tele Bärn, publisher Peter Wanner told Werbewoche. Through targeted cooperation in technology and sales, the three stations are to be turned into a TV station family with strong regional roots in the cantons of Aargau, Bern, Solothurn and Zurich. According to a press release from Tamedia and AZ Medien, all employees of Tele Bärn and Tele Züri will be taken over, as well as the advertising sales staff who have so far worked primarily for the two stations. A total of 150 employees - or 112 full-time positions - will be transferred to AZ Medien.
In accordance with the Radio and TV Act, the transfer of Tele Bärn's license must be approved by the Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications DETEC. Details of the sale, which is subject to this approval by the regulatory authorities, have been agreed to remain confidential. About the price, Peter Wanner says only: "It's not as much as Tamedia paid at the time."
In April of this year, as part of the merger with Edipresse Suisse, the media company Tamedia had decided to examine a sale of the two TV stations as well as its radio stations and specialist media. The sale of Tele Züri and Tele Bärn is the first step in this process, said Tamedia spokesman Christoph Zimmer in response to an inquiry from the SDA news agency. A decision on how to proceed with the two regional radio stations Radio24 and Capital FM will be made before the end of the third quarter. Various interested parties had applied for Tamedia's two private television stations. However, Christoph Zimmer told Werbewoche that the company was still not under pressure and would now calmly complete its sales review. The rapid progress of Tele Bärn and Tele Züri had even tended to gain additional time.
Unions relieved about sale
The media unions are relieved that Tamedia has sold the private stations TeleBärn and TeleZüri to a media company rather than to political circles. They now expect the AZ Media Group to use the synergies for "better television.
