CH Media is discontinuing the six regional Today portals, which are financed exclusively through advertising, with immediate effect. “The news platforms were unable to achieve the advertising sales required to cover their costs,” the company said in a statement. A social plan is used for employees.
FM1Today launched in 2015 as a news platform in eastern Switzerland, and in the following years additional Today portals were added in the regions of Central Switzerland, Aargau, Zurich, Bern and Solothurn. The six regional news platforms are now ceasing operations immediately due to lack of profitability and perspective.
The Today portals recorded increasing reach, but were unable to achieve the necessary sales in the highly competitive online market, it is said. «Sales development is declining and we see no way of operating the Today portals in a cost-covering manner in the foreseeable future. That’s why we had to make the very difficult, strategic but essential decision together with the board of directors to close the six news platforms,” explains CH Media CEO Michael Wanner. “In our regional digital strategy, we will focus more closely on our newspaper, TV and radio brands that are firmly anchored in the user and advertising markets.”
Due to the discontinuation of the six regional news platforms, 34 layoffs must be made in the Today editorial team and in marketing. Following consultation with the Human Resources Commission, 22 employees can be offered follow-up solutions at CH Media. The consultation process has been completed. “Of course we did everything we could to have to lay off as few colleagues as possible. We very much regret that painful personnel measures are unavoidable,” says Florian Wanner, Head of Regional Electronic Media at CH Media. A social plan is applied for the terminated employees. The volunteers in tri-media journalism training as part of the CH Media Academy are exempt from the workforce reduction.
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