“The local debate should take place at Bajour”

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What problem does Bajour solve, and for which target audience?

Unlike in many other cities, media diversity in Basel was – and still is – considerable. There are two major local newspapers, several online publications, and a local TV station. However, these media outlets functioned more like offshoots of major brands, remotely controlled from headquarters in Zurich (Tamedia) and Aargau (CH Media). What was missing, in the founders’ view, was a medium focused on the Basel community that not only speaks about residents but with them, according to Niccolo Brunetti, CEO since 2022. Bajour was meant to become a voice for Basel and, so to speak, rise with the people at the same time. Even today, the briefing is sent out at 6 a.m. This shared moment of reading in the morning also forms the basis for constructive discussion. Bajour sees this as one of its core journalistic missions. To strengthen social cohesion, events centered around local topics were part of the launch package.

What is Bajour’s business model?

Bajour aims for a one-third funding model and is well on its way to achieving it: one-third of revenue is to come from foundation grants, with another third each from supporters and advertising revenue.

By 2025, foundations still contributed around 60 percent of total revenue, supporters 20 percent, and advertising revenue another 20 percent. However, Brunetti says it was also important to first establish a community and corresponding reach before beginning to sell advertising: “We wanted to offer advertising from a position of strength and sell an established product, not a work in progress.”

What Bajour did: a phased launch

Phase 1: Lean launch with foundation funding The team launched in 2019 with a commitment to three years of foundation funding, ten employees, and a daily newsletter. After six months, the daily newsletter was being read by 2,000 Basel residents. The open rate exceeded 50 percent. In addition, Bajour organized events on topics close to the hearts of Basel residents. A website followed five months later, in January 2020.

Phase 2: The COVID-19 Push The pandemic forced the team to pivot. “Journalistically curated events” had originally been a cornerstone of the launch strategy. Now, in-person events were impossible – there had been four before the lockdown. Instead, new opportunities emerged for local media. On March 12, 2020 – when older people were told to stay home immediately - the editorial team founded the Facebook group “Gärn gschee - Basel hilft!” Within a few days, 14,000 members had joined and were shopping for their older neighbors. “Like a rocket,” headlined the competition at the Basler Zeitung upon the launch of Basel’s largest neighborhood assistance platform. Bajour was exactly where it wanted to be: as a reliable mediator and constructive enabler, right at the center of the needs of Basel’s population. People showed their appreciation through rising subscriber numbers for both the newsletter and the website. With original reporting, such as a crowd-sourced land registry investigation into property ownership in Basel, Bajour also made waves in the journalistic world.

Phase 3: New Business Models and Formats In February 2022, a proposal for increased media funding drafted by the Federal Council and Parliament failed in a vote by Swiss citizens. Legally, nothing changed, but several foundations became concerned that supporting media organizations could make them politically vulnerable. Even though Bajour’s own funder showed no signs of withdrawing support, the team wanted to take precautions. From the very beginning, Bajour had given people the option to voluntarily support the outlet. Basel residents could secure a basic membership for 40 CHF per year or show additional support by paying 160 CHF, in which case they became “patrons.” In hindsight, the pricing proved too conservative. Surveys in the newsletter had shown that people were willing to pay more. This was tested with a particularly willing-to-pay target group and then rolled out, Brunetti explains. Today, members pay 90 CHF and patrons pay 360 CHF. Virtually no one canceled due to the price increases.

In addition, Bajour has since pursued advertising and sponsorship. However, clients at Bajour can only advertise in the newsletter and on social media; the website remains ad-free. “We didn’t want to get into the race for clicks,” says Brunetti. The social media presence was also expanded in 2022. While the team initially used social media solely for marketing purposes, the editorial team introduced story-based reports on Instagram, which have been repurposed on TikTok since 2025. The goal was to appeal to younger audiences who prefer consuming news through video. Half of all Instagram users are under 30, while the majority of the total user base is between 34 and 54 years old - figures traditional newspapers can only dream of. In 2025, Bajour reached nearly as many users via Instagram (32.7%) as through the Basel Briefing, its primary distribution channel (36.6%).

Phase 4: Expansion into the Surrounding Area In Basel-Stadt, Bajour has a strong presence and reaches more than 20 percent of the population. In the surrounding municipalities, home to more than 150,000 people, audiences have not yet felt particularly drawn to the city’s offerings. In 2025, Bajour successfully applied for a 400,000-Euro grant from the Media Forward Fund to drive growth beyond Basel. This is to be achieved through hyperlocalized sections in the Basel Briefing featuring daily updates from initially ten suburban communities. Since its launch in April, more than 1,000 new subscribers have signed up for the Basel Briefing with hyperlocalized news from their own communities. This is where the “Rocket” concept comes into play. The Rocket is actually a motorhome and serves as a mobile editorial office. The idea is for several editors to travel to one of the ten suburban communities for a week at a time in order to attract residents’ attention and engage with them directly. Bajour borrowed this concept from the city of Bern. It is a strong example of how a completely analog presence and local roots can still be established in the digital age.

How is the company organized - who makes the decisions?

Bajour operates as a non-profit association. This means the general assembly elects the board of directors. Strategic development is the responsibility of the board and management, but – and this is increasingly rare in the media industry – there is a clear separation between editorial and business functions. While editors-in-chief in other organizations often also take on management responsibilities, Bajour draws a clear line: management does not interfere in editorial matters, and the editor-in-chief – Ina Bullwinkel since 2023 – has final responsibility for content.At the same time, Brunetti considers it important to involve the entire team in business matters. Everyone should understand the financial situation at all times. In terms of staffing, Bajour has grown organically. Today, the team consists of 20 colleagues across 14 full-time positions. Around 70 percent work in editorial roles, while 30 percent focus on business operations. There are no specialists in the newsroom. “Our goal is for everyone to become multimedia editors.”

How does Bajour decide on products?

Bajour’s approach is to try out many ideas while also having the courage to let projects go if they do not achieve the desired effect, says Brunetti. Of course, everything is measured. This also helps identify when something is not working despite broader industry trends suggesting otherwise. This happened, for example, with the read-aloud morning briefing. Although a loyal fan community developed around it, in the end it amounted to only around 100 out of 15,000 subscribers. The lesson: what works as a hit for one provider can remain a niche product for another.

In some cases, however, it is still worth continuing projects even if the audience remains relatively small – such as the newsletter for the local soccer club FCB, launched in 2022. As of May 2026, “only” 2,300 people had subscribed, but the soccer focus proved enormously important for Bajour’s positioning and for attracting new advertising clients.

What journalistic principles apply?

Bajour fully adheres to the Swiss Press Council guidelines and trains its journalists accordingly. This credibility and journalistic reliability are central to Bajour and, according to Brunetti, should extend to the broader public debate as well. Beyond that, active engagement with readers is essential for everyone on the team. Not only does the editorial team receive a great deal of feedback through the newsletter – which is user-friendly and designed for quick responses – but people also stop by the Bajour office every day. An important strategic tool is the “Question of the Day.” Many topics emerge from it, and event and discussion formats are often developed from those conversations as well. Brunetti says: “The local debate should take place at Bajour.” One result has been a recurring local roundtable on drug-related issues in Basel, where constructive solutions are sought for problems associated with drug use in public spaces.

The editorial team has not defined a political orientation for itself, “even if we are certainly perceived from the outside as leaning left,” says Brunetti. That perception is mainly due to Bajour being run by a relatively young, urban-oriented team. They are consciously trying to counterbalance this somewhat and position themselves at the center of society. Bajour is fundamentally fact-oriented. However, there is room for opinion and personal perspective in specific sections – for example, in the newsletter introduction, which is written by different colleagues. There is no place for avatars at Bajour. AI is used to gather and process hyperlocal information. Otherwise, it is not part of day-to-day editorial work, except for proofreading newsletters.

How does Bajour measure success?

Bajour defines business KPIs and manages operations accordingly. These include revenue growth in both the advertising and user markets, as well as growth in newsletters and social media. Goals are set for three- and five-year periods and are regularly reinforced within the team. There are also quality-related goals, such as mentions in other media outlets, references in the Grand Council, and journalism awards.

What has Bajour learned from its successes and mistakes?

Here’s what Niccolo Brunetti says:

• When making strategic decisions, the entire team must be involved from the beginning so that turf wars do not arise in the first place.
• Exchanging ideas with other media organizations helps enormously. For Bajour, this primarily happens within the We.Publish network, which connects all of its clients. Everyone shares mistakes and successes there – and sometimes adopts an idea if it works well elsewhere.
• You have to be willing to look at the KPIs and stop projects if they are not working or have stopped working. Quite a few projects continued for too long.
• In the advertising market, proximity to the customer is the most important factor. Financially, it has paid off for Bajour to “leave no stone unturned” and develop products “outside the box.” One example was a poster featuring local restaurants: restaurant owners could buy space on the poster and be featured on it, and the poster was then distributed to the community. This created visibility for the restaurants while also strengthening Bajour’s own brand awareness.
• When brainstorming – whether editorial or business-related – freedom from hierarchy is essential. The best idea should always win, whether it comes from an intern or from management. That sounds easier than it is in practice and does not apply to every decision. It is important to communicate clearly in advance when hierarchy will not play a role. Precedents matter: if an intern’s idea is approved twice while a manager’s idea is rejected, that motivates others.
• Professionalization is crucial – despite the startup culture. After three years, Bajour took the step toward professionalizing its processes and thereby reached a new stage of growth.
• When making hiring decisions, it is important to ask whether the person brings not only qualifications but also the drive to move things forward. Many other things can be learned.

What would Bajour do differently next time?

This is difficult to answer, says Brunetti. “We’ve made many mistakes, but those mistakes have contributed to how we’ve developed.” One thing that comes to mind: Bajour should have started training its own journalists much earlier instead of trying to recruit experienced journalists from elsewhere. It is easier to instill the Bajour DNA in younger colleagues and help them grow from there.

What surprised the CEO the most?

On the negative side, Brunetti says he was surprised that the read-aloud morning briefing did not resonate with users. He had been convinced it would be worthwhile. On the positive side, he was surprised by developments in the advertising market. “You hear throughout the industry that it’s better not to rely on advertising anymore. We’ve managed to double our revenue every year.” On a smaller scale, he was also surprised by the success of a merchandise idea from the team. Bajour offers bath slippers featuring the numbers of various Basel neighborhoods, and they have already sold 1,000 pairs. “We were apparently able to tap into people’s local pride.”

Top tip for other founders

Brunetti: “You have to dare to leverage the collective intelligence of a creative team and try things out. If something works, you should have the courage to invest in it; if, contrary to expectations, it doesn’t work, you should discontinue it.”

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Author: Alexandra Borchardt, independent media researcher, journalist, and strategy consultant
Photo: Media Forward Fund / Ivo von Mühlenen
Film: Sympathiefilm

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Last updated: June 2, 2026