View: Nothing has been decided yet

After the NZZ am Sonntag published a week ago that Blick editor-in-chief Andrea Bleicher would be replaced by Marc Walder with René Lüchinger (Werbewoche.ch reported), various members of the editorial staff wrote a letter to the Ringier CEO and made their case for the interim boss (Werbewoche.ch reported). According to NZZ am Sonntag, Walder met four of the signatories of the protest letter on Thursday and criticized the fact that the letter had been made public. However, according to Schweiz am Sonntag, he also praised the editors' "civil courage" and signaled that all options were open. Ringier spokesman Edy Estermann confirmed that nothing had been signed and that the media company would communicate "in the foreseeable future" how it would proceed with Blick. The Sonntagsblatt quotes insiders who can imagine Walder abandoning his original plan "out of size" and giving Bleicher a second chance.

Would Cavalli follow Bleacher?

Walder would do well to consider this option. Because if Lüchinger takes the boss's chair as planned, the Ringier titles face an exodus. In addition to Bleicher, who will turn down the post of deputy editor-in-chief and leave Blick, the media company also risks losing her life partner Rolf Cavalli. Cavalli, head of Blick Online and chief editor in the newsroom, currently heads Sonntagsblick on an interim basis and has worked loyally for Ringier for years. According to Patrik Müller (Schweiz am Sonntag), he could be considered for the vacant editor-in-chief position at Sonntagszeitung - Martin Spieler is leaving at the end of the year (Werbewoche.ch reported). After the protest letter, one also fears that the whole editorial office could fall apart without Bleicher.

Lüchinger wants Dietrich as vice

According to Schweiz am Sonntag, it is now "leaking out" that Lüchinger would like to take Andreas Dietrich with him as Vice President if he were to take up the position. This report is also confirmed by NZZ am Sonntag. Dietrich is an experienced news chief and pagemaker and was not only a member of the editorial board of the Tages-Anzeiger, but today also works for Weltwoche, among others. It was Weltwoche media columnist Kurt W. Zimmermann, who repeatedly criticized Bleicher, who recommended Lüchinger to Tamedia as Facts editor-in-chief in 1998.

A year later, he had to apologize to then-Federal Councilor Kaspar Villiger for the "personal and political violation of integrity" because his person appeared in connection with reporting on the book of a high-class prostitute from Bern. Lüchinger left Facts in 2000 and three years later became editor-in-chief of Bilanz magazine. In 2007, he had to vacate this post - despite economic success. The editorial staff and the Springer publishing house criticized his simultaneous work as a biographer of chocolate king Klaus J. Jacobs.

Communication of upcoming personnel decisions has also been delayed because Andrea Bleicher was on vacation this week. (hae/SaS/NZZaS)

Images Teaser Collage: Blick.ch , Luechingerpublishing.com