Media Cooperations
In the field of print media, Linz09 entered into strategic partnerships with the most significant regional and national papers. The Kronen Zeitung OÖ introduced a column from 2007 entitled “Die 2 von 09”, which gave Martin Heller and Ulrich Fuchs a platform for regular contact with the readership. With the initiatives of Linz09 Pass (from December 08) and “Komm nach Linz!” [Come to Linz!] in spring 09 the Kronen Zeitung threw its weight behind a campaign to mobilize Linzers to take an active part in Culture Capital Year. 9,500 people purchased the pass, which enabled them to document how many Linz09 events they had attended. This in turn gave them access to a number of benefits, such as discounts on Linz09 merchandising articles, tickets, goods sold at the shop, free guided tours, tickets for rehearsals, talks with artists, etc. In its outward appearance the pass looked like a passport and was designed to end up as souvenir. It also contained a list of recommended Linz09 events for each month, a list of venues, recommendations for Linz09 gift articles and information concerning Linz09 tickets and passes. The Kronen Zeitung promoted the Linz09 Pass and featured individual Pass purchasers on its pages. (Further information to the Linz09 Pass)
“Komm nach Linz!” sought to ecourage Linzers to persuade friends to pay Linz a visit during Culture Capital Year (further information). Persons participating in this scheme and Linz09 Pass owners were eligible for a prize, a weekend trip for two to Culture Capital Ruhr.2010, which was raffled off in late 2009. Both schemes reached groups not necessarily considered to be traditionally close to high culture.
As regards event calendars the Kronen Zeitung carried a separate column for Linz09. All editorial contributions were marked with a Linz09 motif. On the project level the Kronen Zeitung sponsored YES09, dem LINZFEST09, I LIKE TO MOVE IT MOVE IT, PURIMSPIL, PFLASTERSPEKTAKEL, LINZ EUROPA HAFENFEST and DAS GRÜNE BAND EUROPAS.
Another significant media partner was Oberösterreichische Nachrichten (OÖN). In the series of articles “Ist Linz schön?” [Is Linz beautiful] Linz09 and the OÖN set out in November 2007 to explore the capital city’s aesthetic strong and weak points in order to boost the Linzers’ sense of identity and to create a basis for urban development. The question kept resurfacing in the OÖN for many weeks in the form of reports, interviews and features submitted by the papers different desks, which were also accessible online at www.nachrichten.at and linz09.at. Both here and in the print editions a specially developed logo was used. The OÖN was also instrumental in enabling the distribution of the Linz09 programme guide Neuner across Upper Austria. They were the media partner for the projects KEPLER SALON, CIRCUS, STADTKINO, KULTURHAUPSTADTTEIL DES MONATS, HÖHEN¬RAUSCH, PFLASTERSPEKTAKEL, LINZFEST09, CROSSING EUROPE, SCHÄXPIR and MEGA¬HERTZ. Many of its articles were branded with a Linz09 motif.
On the regional level Linz09 entered into partnerships with Tips (CIRCUS, STADTKINO, KULTUR¬HAUPSTADTTEIL DES MONATS, KULTURBADEN), Oberösterreichische Rundschau (SONNTAGMORGEN, HOLZ&BLECH, SELTSAME JUBILÄEN, SONUS LOCI; “Product of the Month”), Chefinfo and Spotsz.
Die Presse, Der Standard and Falter were Linz09’s media partner on the national level. Die Presse sponsored the festivals THEATERLUST1, EXTRA EUROPA, DOPPELGÄNGER and the theatrical intervention DIE ANDERE SEITE and devised a number of special offers for its club members. For Christmas 2008 Falter included a 24.page Linz09 supplement. All three print media regularly realised Linz09 special pages during Culture Capital Year, some of which were made available at the Linz09 Infocenter and at events.
As regards German-language travel publications, Linz09 likewise entered into successful cooperations with the publishers Merian, Falter citywalks and Geo Saison. The well-known travel magazine Merian devoted an exclusive issue to Culture Capital and its environs, which turned into a best-seller, with 100,000 copies sold and 800,000 readers. Geo Saison featured Linz09 in a supplement. The Falter citywalks series published a new city guide, which presented Linz in its revamped form. It outlines five walks that showcase Linz’s architectural, historical and cultural sights and its restaurants.
In the field of electronic media, the ORF was Linz09’s exclusive electronic media partner and covered the events of Culture Capital exhaustively in all its media: on TV and radio, online, ORF TELETEXT, ORF OK MultiText and on 3sat.
The ORF Regional Studio Upper Austria made a great number of significant contributions to Linz09. TV programmes ranged from the film in the interval of the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year Concert to Universum documentaries, more than 50 cultural reports that were aired nationwide, a Kulturmontag Spezial, 120 Oberösterreich heute reports, seven TV documentaries, including three Österreich-Bilder produced by the ORF Regional Studio Upper Austria; the Konzert für Österreich [Concert for Austria] from Brucknerhaus to a Tatort sequel. Almost five million spectators watched programmes on Linz09 nationwide – that is roughly 70% of Austria’s TV population.
Linz09 was featured regularly on the radio, particularly in the so-called Journale − with more than 150 reports in Ö1 Kulturjournal, Leporello, various magazines and panel discussions. The radio also broadcast concerts from Linz. Radio Oberösterreich devoted hundreds of reports to Linz09, ooe.ORF.at roughly 280. Topical newscasts on ORF.at amounted to more than one hundred Ö1 reports, with ORF TELETEXT and ORF OK MultiText supplementing what was on offer on the radio.
As for promotion, Linz09 benefited from its status as Ö1’s exclusive cultural partner. The so-called Ö1 Clubmobil, a Linz09 co-branded multipurpose vehicle, toured Austria from April 2008 and served as a base for Linz09 marketing actitivites at more than 30 major cultural events per year. Wherever it went it had information material on Culture Capital Year on board. Members of Ö1 Club regularly received recommendations and/or special offers via programmes, the newsletter or the magazine. Linz09’s last major event, the farewell party on New Year’s Eve 2010, was also realised in cooperation with ORF OÖ.
LT1, Linz’s commercial television station, also joined in and established a slot for Culture Capital on Sunday night. LT1 supplied TRP1 (Tele Regional Passau) with ready-to-screen footage so that south-east Bavaria also received regular information on Linz09. FM4 tagged all its online reports with the Linz09 logo and its on-air reports with an acoustic signature associated with the Culture Capital. Hitradio Ö3 concentrated on promoting LINZ EUROPA HAFENFEST.
At an early stage in the development of Linz 2009 GmbH, Radio Frech became Linz09’s youth media partner and distinguished itself through its playful treatment of Linz09 in a variety of media (video clips, films, blog at www.nachrichten.at).
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