CH Media sells majority stake in Buchs Medien to Galledia

CH Media and Galledia are further strengthening their partnership: CH Media is selling Galledia its majority stake in Buchs Medien, a communications and information company that publishes the regional newspaper Buchs Medien, with retroactive effect from 1 January 2021. Werdenberger & Obertoggenburger publishes. Buchs Medien will continue to operate as an independent public limited company. In addition, Galledia is taking over CH Media's 8 percent stake in Sarganserländer Druck. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

For Galledia, the transaction represents a sensible addition to its existing portfolio: as the publisher of the two regional newspapers The Rhine Valley and Rheintalische Volkszeitung the media company from Eastern Switzerland is deeply rooted in the St. Gallen Rhine Valley and has an excellent network in the region. "With the acquisition of the Werdenberger & Obertoggenburgers we can sensibly expand our distribution area. This not only enables synergies in the development of digital offerings, but also opens up new opportunities in local reporting. After all, the strong regional roots of the Werdenberger & Obertoggenburgers is a success factor for the newspaper that we will continue to hold on to in the future," says Daniel Ettlinger, CEO of the Galledia Group.

CH Media and Galledia already work closely together in the regional newspaper business. Along with the sale of the majority shareholding in Buchs Medien, the two companies agreed to extend their existing service agreements and to extend the principle of cooperation to the regional newspaper business. Werdenberger & Obertoggenburger.

"Thanks to its even better regional roots, Galledia has even more opportunities to Werdenberger & Obertoggenburger successfully into the future. In return, we can deepen our partnership with Galledia even further. The readers of the Werdenberger & Obertoggenburgers In turn, they will continue to receive committed, in-depth journalism with bundled editorial power - both at regional and national level," says Axel Wüstmann, CEO of CH Media.

"With this transaction, the cooperation that has existed for many years and Werdenberger & Obertoggenburger, the Rheintalische Volkszeitung and the Rheintaler association, was intensified once again. Daniel Ettlinger, who was Managing Director of Buchs Medien from 2005 to 2007, will also be involved in the operational management of Buchs in future as CEO of the Galledia Group. The established Rhine Valley alliance enables maximum proximity to the region, the readership and partners from the public and private sectors. The partnership with CH Media, which we have built up over the years, also strengthens us - from the journalistic shell and advertising pools to newspaper printing and services of all kinds, which represent a decisive success factor," adds Roland Stump, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Buchs Medien.