NZZone vs Ringier Medien Schweiz AG

NZZ Appoints Corine Blesi to Executive Board

Swiss media company NZZ is reorganizing its commercial operations by separating the subscription business (user market) from the advertising market. From October 1, Corine Blesi will lead the new 'NZZ Experience' division, which bundles advertising, events, and partnerships, and will join the executive board. The user market, focusing on subscription growth in Switzerland and Germany, will be led by a new hire, with Roman Bretschger serving as interim head. CEO Felix Graf stated the reorganization aims to focus on the different growth opportunities of the two business fields. Blesi, who has led NZZ Connect's conference business since 2021, will also oversee NZZ Academy, NZZ Live, Audienzz, and NZZone.

• NZZ separates subscription business from advertising market.
• Corine Blesi to lead new 'NZZ Experience' division and join executive board from October 1.
• NZZ Experience bundles advertising, events, partnerships, and related commercial activities.

NZZ's Eric Gujer to Step Down as Editor-in-Chief

Eric Gujer, 64, will relinquish his role as editor-in-chief of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) effective 1 February 2027, after nearly twelve years in the post. The NZZ has opened a succession process whose outcome the supervisory board will decide in Q4 2026. Gujer, who has worked at NZZ since 1986 and served as editor-in-chief since March 2015, will remain with the publisher in various roles — notably as Publisher Germany, leading the NZZ Podium events series and continuing to oversee the discussion programme "NZZ Standpunkte" — with the aim of strengthening NZZ's presence in Germany.

• Eric Gujer will step down as NZZ editor-in-chief on 1 February 2027.
• The NZZ has opened a succession process; the supervisory board will decide the successor in Q4 2026.
• Gujer will remain with NZZ in several roles, including Publisher Germany, head of the "NZZ Podium" events series, and responsibility for the programme "NZZ Standpunkte".

NZZ opens bar at Zurich Main Station

The Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) has opened the "NZZ Bar" in Zurich Hauptbahnhof, a rebrand of the former Time Lounge realized jointly with Candrian Hospitality. Located on the first balcony level with views of the tracks, the venue offers around 60 seats, two meeting rooms for business customers, and redesigned furnishings developed with Teo Jakob. According to NZZ, the bar is the first public location to provide free access to the publisher's digital content, expanding NZZ's public presence. Digital-out-of-home (DOOH) screens in the station promote the opening, and NZZ and Candrian Hospitality plan joint events in coming months, including "NZZ Live" sessions and customer events.

• NZZ opened the "NZZ Bar" at Zurich Hauptbahnhof as a rebrand of the Time Lounge.
• The bar was realized in partnership with Candrian Hospitality.
• The venue offers about 60 seats and two meeting rooms for business customers.

Wemf Data: Blick Becomes Top-Selling Newspaper

The new Wemf circulation data, discussed in the persoenlich.com podcast, reveals that the printed Blick newspaper gained approximately 17 percent in readership, making it the most-read daily newspaper in German-speaking Switzerland. Publishers Matthias Ackeret and Christian Beck attribute this success to a long-term trend and the leadership of editor-in-chief Rolf Cavalli. In contrast, nine magazines, including Coopzeitung and Migros-Magazin, experienced significant readership declines. The podcast also covers job cuts at Ringier in Lausanne, where 14 positions are being eliminated. The discussion highlights the challenges facing print media in Switzerland, with magazines struggling against digital competition and changing consumer habits.

• Blick's printed edition gained approximately 17% in readership.
• Blick is now the most-read daily newspaper in German-speaking Switzerland.
• Nine magazines, including Coopzeitung and Migros-Magazin, lost significant readership.

Sandro Brotz Departs SRF, Launches Video Podcast at Blick

Sandro Brotz, the prominent host of Swiss public broadcaster SRF's political talk show 'Arena', is departing after 14 years, with his last show in mid-January 2026 (the end of January 2026). Starting in February 2026, he will join Ringier's 'Blick' media group to host a new high-profile video podcast published several times per week, covering Switzerland's most important political, economic, and social issues with expert guests. The podcast will be distributed across Blick's channels and major social and video platforms, as part of Blick's video and cross-media strategy, following the earlier departure of Jonas Projer, who left Blick TV after it was discontinued. Brotz, who previously worked at Ringier's 'SonntagsBlick' from 2000 to 2008, will not speculate on his successor at SRF. He emphasizes the podcast will prioritize probing questions over political stances, and despite facing harassment during the COVID era, he will maintain work-life balance in the new role.

• Sandro Brotz will leave SRF after 14 years, with his last 'Arena' episode in mid-January 2026, and start at Blick (Ringier) in February 2026.
• He will host a new 'premium video podcast' at Blick, published several times per week, covering politics, economy, and society with guests.
• The podcast will be distributed on Blick's channels and major social and video platforms, supporting Blick's video and cross-media strategy.

Ringier Marketplaces: United Classifieds and Imobiliare join forces to accelerate product innovation and scale

Ringier Marketplaces announces a strategic partnership between United Classifieds and Imobiliare to accelerate product innovation and scale.