20 Minuten is off the newsstands again
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The commuter newspaper 20 Minuten, which was available free of charge at 60 kiosks in Zurich, Basel and Bern for 13 months, has no longer been available there since March 1.Rolf Bollmann, publishing director of 20 Minuten, explains this as follows: Kiosk AG had decided in mid-February to deny 20 Minuten distribution via the 180 selected kiosk outlets until further notice. According to Bollmann, the press wholesaler justified the stop with the need to analyze the last 13 months in greater depth. However, Kiosk AG, which had described the launch of free newspapers as an experiment from the outset, has not given 20 Minuten a definitive rejection. Bollmann will meet with Kiosk AG this month, and Ringier denies putting pressure on Kiosk AG
No statement was available from Kiosk AG, which had announced a decision by the end of February. This behavior after the negative decision and the rather meager justification are surprising, especially since the experiment with the commuter newspapers was initiated by the company. In addition, it was often reported that kiosks with 20 minutes had recorded higher sales despite giving them away for free. Bollmann believes he knows the real reason for the stop: "I have heard that Kiosk AG was put under pressure by Blick to stop the test because sales of Blick copies had fallen massively at the newsstands with 20 Minuten." Ringier Group spokesperson Fridolin Luchsinger denies this, however. Blick had not suffered from the commuter newspapers, nor had any pressure been exerted. At the request of Kiosk AG, Ringier had only negatively assessed the free distribution of 20 Minuten at kiosks. Luchsinger: "As long as the commission regulation does not correspond to that of the titles sold, there is an uneven playing field."
The commuter newspapers on newsstands caused a stir among publishers last February. Initially, the free paper Metropol was also available at some sales outlets, but this was soon withdrawn. Some local free newspapers also showed interest in the experiment. According to publishing director Bollmann, 20 Minuten sold around 100 copies per newsstand per day (mk).
No statement was available from Kiosk AG, which had announced a decision by the end of February. This behavior after the negative decision and the rather meager justification are surprising, especially since the experiment with the commuter newspapers was initiated by the company. In addition, it was often reported that kiosks with 20 minutes had recorded higher sales despite giving them away for free. Bollmann believes he knows the real reason for the stop: "I have heard that Kiosk AG was put under pressure by Blick to stop the test because sales of Blick copies had fallen massively at the newsstands with 20 Minuten." Ringier Group spokesperson Fridolin Luchsinger denies this, however. Blick had not suffered from the commuter newspapers, nor had any pressure been exerted. At the request of Kiosk AG, Ringier had only negatively assessed the free distribution of 20 Minuten at kiosks. Luchsinger: "As long as the commission regulation does not correspond to that of the titles sold, there is an uneven playing field."
The commuter newspapers on newsstands caused a stir among publishers last February. Initially, the free paper Metropol was also available at some sales outlets, but this was soon withdrawn. Some local free newspapers also showed interest in the experiment. According to publishing director Bollmann, 20 Minuten sold around 100 copies per newsstand per day (mk).
