Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Le Temps, the main serious newspaper in French-speaking Switzerland, is making several changes to cope with a sharp drop in advertising revenue, cutting 7.5 percent of its editorial staff (10 jobs). It says the subscription price will be raised for 2010.  The newspaper says that the advertising revenue decline, which has hit the entire industry, is the worst in 60 years and requires dramatic action. GenevaLunch spoke with another newspaper editor from the region Monday, who said more cuts can be expected at other newspapers in the region in the next two months. Le Temps notes that it was able to keep the job cuts at this level because of offers by several staff to reduce the number of hours they work.

Le Temps editor Jean Jacques Roth explains in a lengthy editorial that subscriptions and newsstand sales rarely cover more than one-third of a newspaper’s revenues but in the past few years costs have risen due to competition from free newspapers’, readers’ rising expectations for coverage, development of web sites, and in the case of Le Temps, good growth in readership.

The newspaper, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, now has a daily readership of 148,000. “Unlike many of its fellow newspapers around the world, Le Temps has not been hurt by the double blow of falling advertising revenue and falling readership,” Roth points out.

Nevertheless, the paper was obliged to make several cuts to, or to reduce, content earlier this summer, moves that were often unpopular with readers: stock market prices,  TV and radio programme listings, weather, cinema programmes, sudoku and crosswords were all cut, and its going out magazine, Sortir, was reduced to a bi-monthly publication. The newsstand price rose to CHF3 and CHF4.30 for the Saturday edition, and subscriptions were raised.

Roth says the team is determined to focus on continuing to provide strong reporting, particularly in areas such as science and climate, where there is growing reader interest.

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