Generational change at Wanner

Generational change at Wanner: After his two sons, Michael and Florian Wanner, took over the operational management of CH Media two and a half years ago, publisher Peter Wanner (81) decided to sell the media company to his two sons and daughter Anna as part of an early succession plan. All three of the publisher's children hold positions of responsibility within the company. His daughter Caroline, who is a practicing physician, has declined to take a stake in the company.

The parties have agreed not to disclose the sale price. Publisher Peter Wanner will remain Chairman of the Board of Directors. To enable clear decision-making among the new owners, Michael Wanner, currently CEO of CH Media, will receive the majority of votes.

Fifth generation takes over

With this succession, the fifth generation of publishers is now taking over responsibility for the media company. The founder of the Aargauer Zeitung (1836) and its first publisher was Josef Zehnder (1810-1896), who was also mayor of Baden (1863-1881). Two years before his death, the newspaper company passed to his grandson Otto Wanner Sr. In 1938, his sons Eugen and Otto Wanner took over, and from 1956 Otto Wanner ran the company alone. With the merger of AT and BT to form the Aargauer Zeitung in 1996, Peter Wanner, who had previously been in charge of operations at the Baden newspaper company, took over the management and responsibility.

Amicable solution

The division of the estate was agreed upon amicably. Publisher Peter Wanner: «I am particularly proud of this. Over a period of several months, we held discussions within the family, supported by external expert advice, and discussed various options. In the end, all four children agreed to the solution that was reached. What more could a father want?»

CEO Michael Wanner: «My father built up the company and led it to its current size. We owe him a debt of gratitude. We are aware of the special responsibility he has now entrusted to us. We look forward to running the company together with him and will continue to rely on his experience and advice.»

The media company CH Media, in which NZZ holds a 35 percent stake, comprises 18 daily newspapers and their online portals, including the Aargauer Zeitung, Luzerner Zeitung, and St. Galler Tagblatt, the weekend newspaper Schweiz am Wochenende, 10 advertising journals, 12 radio stations, three regional TV stations, eight national TV stations, and three printing plants. It also owns the news portal watson. The entire media company has a turnover of around CHF 400 million. In terms of market share, CH Media is number one in German-speaking Switzerland for newspapers, number one for private radio stations and private TV stations, and number three for private news portals.