Commuter newspaper News concentrates on the Tages-Anzeiger edition - Discontinuation of the editions in Basel and Berne

Press Release 

Basel, Berne and Zurich, 24 August 2009 - Starting Monday, 31 August 2009, the commuter newspaper News will concentrate on the Tages-Anzeiger edition. Therewith, News will be integrated further in the Tages-Anzeiger media network, which, besides its subscription newspaper with regional editions, comprises the news platform tagesanzeiger.ch. With its compact news and focus on a young and urban readership, the commuter newspaper intends to win additional readers for the media group and increase its coverage in the large agglomeration of Zurich.

The editions News Basler Zeitung and News Berner Zeitung will be discontinued and appear for the last time on Friday, 28 August 2009. In the framework of cost examinations, Basler Zeitung Media newly assessed its participation in the NP News Print AG and decided to hand over its share to Tamedia. Espace Media will also hand over its participation in the NP News Print AG to Tamedia. Through continued publication of the daily newspaper Der Bund, Espace Media is already present in Berne with two daily newspapers. Together, the Berner Zeitung and Der Bund share an extensive coverage of over 45 per cent in the Berne region.

With a circulation of 100,000 copies, News Tages-Anzeiger will be distributed in the canton of Zurich, as well as in major stations of the S-Bahn network in the neighbouring cantons. In the medium term, News Tages-Anzeiger targets a readership of 150'000 to 200'000 people. According to readership research of the WEMF AG for advertising-media research, News achieved readership figures of 276,000 with all three editions during the first months after the launch (Mach Basic 2009-1).

No reduction in editorial staff results from this concentration on News Tages-Anzeiger. Stefan Regez, who, with his News team advanced the step-by-step build up of News during the past months, remains Editor-in-Chief. The editorial team of the commuter newspaper News will move into a joint newsroom with the editorial team of Newsnetz at the beginning of September 2009, as already announced. Cooperation between the editorial teams, which however remain independent, will then gradually be expanded.