BT Holding Takes Over Radio 24 – Espace Media Group Acquires Langenthaler Tagblatt

Media Release

Baden, Berne and Zurich, 12 December 2011 – BT Holding is taking over Radio 24 from Tamedia. Under the umbrella of BT Holding, the leading Swiss private radio network is being created with Radio 24 and Radio Argovia with broadcasting regions in the cantons of Aargau, Glarus, Solothurn and Zurich. Radio 24, the largest private radio in Switzerland with over 300,000 listeners each day (RadioControl 1st half-year 2011, Monday through Friday) is to be continued as an independent station in Zurich. All 33 employees (29.7 full-time positions) of the station will continue to be employed by BT Holding.

The transition of the license from Radio 24 must be approved by the Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communication in accordance with the radio and TV law and will become effective after this agreement has been submitted. The marketing organisation Belcom, in which the sales teams of Radio 24 and TeleZüri are pooled, will go over to AZ Medien on 1 January 2012 with all 27 employees (22.7 full-time positions). BT Holding AG holds a majority in AZ Medien AG. With the sale of Belcom AG, it is ensured that Radio 24 and the TV station TeleZüri will continue to be able to appear together on the advertising market.

The media company Tamedia had decided to consider a sale of its TV stations as well as radio stations and specialist media in April of this year within the framework of the merger with Edipresse Suisse. At the end of August 2011, Tamedia had already announced the sale of TeleBärn and TeleZüri to AZ Medien.

AZ Medien Plans to Hand Over the Majority to Radio 32

At present, AZ Medien AG operates the leading radio station in the Solothurn area with Radio 32. Because the radio and TV law limits the number of private radio franchises controlled by one majority shareholder to two, AZ Medien is planning to start negotiations with possible partners to sell its majority share of currently 61.3 percent in Radio 32.

Espace Media Acquires Langenthaler Tagblatt from AZ Medien

The Espace Media Group, a subsidiary of the media company Tamedia, is taking over the Langenthaler Tagblatt with all 11 employees (9.6 full-time positions) from AZ Medien. This daily newspaper for the Langenthal region reaches about 18,000 readers each day with a circulation of 8,152 copies (Wemf 2011).

The Langenthaler Tagblatt is to be joined with the Oberaargau regional edition of the BZ Berner Zeitung. The new newspaper resulting from this will bear the title Langenthaler Tagblatt. The new daily newspaper will reach more than 50 percent of the inhabitants in Oberaargau. A strong daily newspaper for the Langenthal und Oberaargau region will thus be created following the necessary approval by the Swiss Federal Competition Commission.

It has been agreed upon to maintain silence concerning the details of the contracts.