Swiss media company Tamedia to acquire German language daily Basler Zeitung

Zurich-based Swiss media company Tamedia is acquiring Basler Zeitung from Zeitungshaus AG and in return selling their interests in the Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich, Switzerland’s oldest newspaper, and other freesheets to Zeitungshaus AG. Basler Zeitung, literally Basler Newspaper or BaZ, is a German-language regional daily, published in Basel. With the purchase of Basler Zeitung, Tamedia is planning to expand its newspaper portfolio while continuing to pursue its publishing strategy. The company is confident that the incorporation of Basler Zeitung into its network will result in a strong regional editorial office.

After the takeover, Markus Somm will remain editor-in-chief of Basler Zeitung for six months, and will join Tamedia as an author after a sabbatical. Zeitungshaus AG will take over Tamedia’s 65-percent interest in the Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich, which has a circulation of 126,594 copies, according to WEMF. The new owner will continue to operate the Tagblatt with the current editorial team. At the same time, Tamedia is also selling other freesheets to Zeitungshaus AG, which is co-owned by Swiss politician and former Federal Councillor Christoph Blocher.