by Loric Lehmann

Until recently, the atmosphere in the team was good, said a person within the Swiss Regiomedia, who would like to remain undetected, to persoenlich.com. known, were even written in the black before the pandemic. For a print medium of remarkable importance in this day and age.

Then came Corona: In one fell swoop, the Winterthurer Zeitung and Unterland Zeitung lost a certain part of the advertising budget. Short-time work had to be registered. Although 100 percent of the wages were initially paid to the employees, the workforce has now suffered a wage drop of 20 percent.

Exit Alain Isliker

For personal reasons, the managing director Alain Isliker, who had been responsible for the management of the Winterthurer Zeitung, the Unterland Zeitung, the Furttaler and the Rümlanger for three years, decided to resign and to leave the company.

In the course of this innovation, a bad mood in the team has spread more and more. Isliker was popular, as it is said from within the publisher. The future plans announced by the management as well as the successor Isliker had caused uncertainty in the team. As far as the future of newspapers is concerned, one is “in front of a pile of broken glass”, that is to say, the anonymous source.

Domino effect with dismissals

In the meantime, thirteen employees following the example of Isliker, including the editor-in-chief and the sales manager of the Winterthurer Zeitung, have also resigned. Nine of them at the Winterthur site and four in Bülach. The managing director of Swiss Regiomedia, René Furrer, confirms the terminations to persoenlich.com.

Isliker did not want to comment on the exact background of his termination. He affirmed that the team was very strong and that there was good cohesion. Nevertheless, the time was not easy during the pandemic. He was not yet allowed to say where he was going.

Team in Winterthur is complete again

The management of Swiss Regiomedia writes that they have no detailed knowledge of the reasons for the numerous departures. “Half of the workforce remains loyal to the company and will lead the newspapers in a new future with the new managing director, who has already been appointed, and the corresponding editorial teams,” continues Furrer.

The Winterthurer Zeitung team, the editorial team and the advertising area, is already fully and competently set up again. For the Bülach location with the Unterland Zeitung, the Furttaler and the Rümlanger, they are well on their way to supplementing the workforce, “will support the existing, experienced team in editorial and sales,” concludes the Swiss Regiomedia.