«The paid content audit is credible proof of performance»

Hello Bruno Zürcher. Freiburger Nachrichten was one of the first media companies to have access to paid content audited by WEMF. Why was it important for you to carry out this audit?

At the time of the decision, we were facing a major digital project in which we completely redesigned the website and app to be able to also address purely digitally oriented target groups. It was therefore important for us to be able to officially map future developments in the area of paid content and communicate these to the outside world.

And what were the initial results of this year’s paid content audit?

We started on the basis of our old platform. The new platform was launched after the audit. As a result, the numbers are still small. In recent years, our digital focus has been primarily on replicas, i.e. digital subscriptions with e-paper. When it comes to paid content, future development is very important to us, which is why we wanted to take part in the audit from the outset.

New benchmarks are created by WEMF’s consistent calculation and documentation of paid access. How will you use them?

We welcome the fact that a hard currency is also emerging in the area of purely digital paid use. On the one hand, it is credible proof of performance in the local advertising market. On the other hand, we hope that other publishing houses will also join in, so that we can better understand our own development. Ultimately, we can also use the figures in a targeted manner vis-à-vis other stakeholders, whether at a shareholders’ meeting or in discussions with authorities about media promotion.

And what strategies are you planning to implement to further increase paid access in the future? 

We will continue investing in our new digital presence and have a strict paywall policy. If you want to use content that has been prepared or processed by our editorial team, you require fee-based access (subscription/day pass). Until recently, Radio Freiburg operated a free German-language news platform that competed with our subscription-based news service. The primarily advertising-financed radio offering was not economically successful enough even after several years.

So the radio platform has been discontinued?

No, after brief and intensive discussions, we decided to launch a new central news platform for German-speaking Fribourg together with the local radio station, whereby most news on this platform is subject to a fee. The new app and website went live on 17 September this year under the fresh “wir Freiburg.” brand. Only radio content and services such as marketplaces and event calendars remain free of charge with “wir Freiburg.”. Together, we are now making the region aware that digital news cannot be free in geographically small areas and are showing the role that local journalism plays for a functioning region – be it for associations, businesses, cultural organisers, politicians or authorities. 

What feedback did you receive from users on the new platform and the paid content strategy?

So far, we have received consistently positive feedback on the new platform and app. Critical feedback related to individual, specific applications. We welcome criticism, categorise it as falling under Marketing or Product Management, and decide accordingly whether and in which direction a feature should be developed further. It is ultimately clear that the paid content sector will only grow sustainably if our digital offering creates added value in the daily lives of our users.

Do you believe that the digital offerings of media companies will gain further momentum as a result of this WEMF audit?

Many publishing houses have been investing in digital development for a long time and, in some cases, are already well advanced. I think there is a consensus that the majority of media usage in the future will take place via digital channels. Especially in Switzerland, where there are many local offerings, an audit helps to classify the development in the regions and to communicate it credibly to the outside world. The audit helps if it is accepted in the industry and many publishing houses participate. The effort and costs for this are kept within a manageable range.

How do you see the future of paid online media?

As mentioned, I am sure that current news across all segments will be utilised even more intensively via digital channels in the future. I also firmly believe that people want to stay informed about local and regional events in the long term. Only a local editorial team can deliver such local news in a structured and credible form. We as media providers must now be able to convince people that digital journalism has a price, just as is the undisputed case in print. The journalistic craft is the same, but the tools are different. The effort is higher in the digital realm, as we have to use different channels and formats 24/7 and invest in new technologies on an ongoing basis. So, I believe in the paid content model, including for local media. However, there is still a lot of educational work to be done and we also need to deliver strong products that create added value in the local markets.

Thank you very much for your insightful comments.

About the person

Bruno Zürcher is a qualified marketing manager HF and holds an Executive MBA in Marketing Management from the University of Bern. He has worked at Freiburger Nachrichten AG for seven years, where he is Head of Marketing and Sales and a member of the Executive Board. Together with his teams, he is responsible for the publisher's user and advertising market.