Today sees the publication of the last edition of the free newspaper 20Minuten, a popular daily read for thousands of Swiss commuters and others since 1999.
It will be the end of “a ritual that has been part of everyday life since the pre-online era: picking up a copy of 20Minuten from the ubiquitous blue newspaper boxes on the streets, writes the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper.
The last print edition of the paper, which will continue to exist exclusively online, also represents the end of the free newspaper phenomenon that has changed the local press environment in Switzerland.
“Initially greeted with scepticism, the newspaper subsidised solely by advertising has turned the rules of the game upside down, forcing all publishers to rethink their strategies in terms of content, design and finance,” says the Tages-Anzeiger.
“A newspaper that we love to detest say some people,” writes Le Temps, but which “was still read by 400,000 people every day”.
Today’s 20Minuten is a commemorative edition that also contains interviews with distinguished personalities, such as Swiss Federal Railways Director Vincent Ducrot and Swiss Communications Minister Albert Rösti.
At a time when the media are experiencing a crisis, Rösti urges companies to invest indirectly in the media via advertising. The press plays a crucial role in the stability of the Swiss political system, a stability which, in turn, is one of the main reasons Switzerland remains attractive for business.