What MetroComm AG does

MetroComm AG is an owner-operated, independent publishing house headquartered in St. Gallen, Switzerland, founded by Natal Schnetzer in 2002 (per company history; firmographics indicate 1999). The company specializes in magazine production, operating both an owned portfolio of approximately nine print titles — including LEADER (the Eastern Switzerland business magazine), Wirtschaft, St.Galler Hauseigentümer, Der Hausbauer, Auf Reisen, east#digital, FOKUS IHK Thurgau, and the long-running Unser Rheintal yearbook (published since 1944) — and a corporate publishing service producing roughly 70 customer magazines annually for external partners. It also operates six regional online portals (stgallen24.ch, rheintal24.ch, leaderdigital.ch, eastdigital.ch, aufreisen.ch, who-s-who.ch) that extend the print brands into digital news and advertising inventory.

MetroComm makes money through three primary streams: corporate publishing fees charged to enterprises and associations for full-service or modular magazine production (conception, editing, acquisition, production, distribution); advertising sales within its owned print titles and online portals targeting business decision-makers and consumers across the cantons of St.Gallen, Thurgau, both Appenzell, and the Principality of Liechtenstein; and recurring web management services delivered through wholly-owned subsidiary chrisign gmbh (Weinfelden), which builds responsive websites and online applications on its proprietary admiralCX content management system. Three wholly-owned subsidiaries — chrisign gmbh, B8 Mediaconsulting GmbH, and Context Publishing AG — extend the operating footprint into web services, media consulting, and additional publishing activities.

The company employs approximately 15-20 publishing professionals (editors, layout, photography, advertising, finance) at its St. Gallen headquarters, with around 10 additional staff at the chrisign gmbh subsidiary. No revenue, funding, or AI capability disclosures are present in the source materials. Strategic posture is defensive: positioning as one of the last independent Eastern Swiss publishers, maintaining long-tenure institutional contracts as official publication organs of major regional associations and railways, while gradually shifting select titles from print to digital (notably Swiss Knife, the Swiss College of Surgeons publication, which moved online-only in January 2024).

Name

MetroComm AG

Legal name

MetroComm AG

Website

https://metrocomm.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MetroComm AG is an owner-operated independent publishing house in St. Gallen, Switzerland, producing approximately nine owned regional magazines, around 70 corporate magazines annually for enterprise and association clients across Eastern Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and six regional online news portals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Gallen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Publishing Services: Full publishing services including conception, editing, acquisition, production and distribution of magazines and periodicals. Offers both complete packages and modular services for external partners and own publications.
2. Magazine Advertising: Advertising sales within own publications including LEADER, regional portals, and various specialized magazines reaching business decision-makers and consumers in Eastern Switzerland.
3. Corporate Publishing: Realization of trade journals and special interest publications for private publishers, associations and institutions as general contractor or advertising business partner.
4. Online Portals: Operation of regional online news portals (stgallen24.ch, rheintal24.ch, leaderdigital.ch, etc.) generating advertising revenue and serving as platforms for regional news coverage.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MetroComm AG is an independent publishing house that produces magazines and periodicals end-to-end — from concept, editorial, acquisition, production and prepress to printing and distribution — for both its own regional titles and as a contract/corporate publisher for external partners such as associations, institutions, railways, hospitals, hotels and industry. It also runs complementary regional online news portals and, via subsidiary chrisign gmbh, offers web management services built on its proprietary admiralCX content management system.

Product overview

MetroComm AG operates as a comprehensive publishing house offering both print and digital products. The portfolio consists of owned periodicals (9 owned magazine titles including LEADER, St.Galler Hauseigentümer, Wirtschaft, Der Hausbauer, Auf Reisen, east#digital, FOKUS IHK Thurgau, and Unser Rheintal) and corporate publishing for external clients. The print offerings are complemented by 6 online news portals (stgallen24.ch, rheintal24.ch, leaderdigital.ch, eastdigital.ch, aufreisen.ch, who-s-who.ch) that extend the reach of the print publications into digital formats. Through subsidiary chrisign gmbh, the company also offers web management services including the proprietary admiralCX content management system for clients requiring online presence solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LEADER - das Unternehmermagazin: Entrepreneur magazine serving Eastern Switzerland, published 9x annually plus ~30 special editions
• St.Galler Hauseigentümer
• Wirtschaft - die St.Gallische Gewerbezeitung
• Der Hausbauer
• Auf Reisen
• east#digital
• FOKUS IHK Thurgau
• Unser Rheintal

Products and services

• LEADER - das Unternehmermagazin MetroComm's flagship regional business magazine for executives in economics, politics and administration, published 9x annually plus approximately 30 special editions, serving the cantons of St.Gallen, Thurgau, both Appenzell, and the Principality of Liechtenstein.
• St.Galler Hauseigentümer Official publication of the cantonal and city homeowners' association of St.Gallen, appearing 6x annually, covering topics related to home ownership and targeting property owners and decision-makers in real estate and construction.
• Wirtschaft - die St.Gallische Gewerbezeitung
• Auf Reisen
• Der Hausbauer
• east#digital - für alles, was digital zählt
• FOKUS IHK Thurgau
• Unser Rheintal Annual yearbook for the Rheintal region, published continuously since 1944, serving as a chronicle of the Rheintal featuring stories of local people, associations and companies.
• Glacier Express Bordmagazin (Aktuell: Glacier Express)
• Swiss Knife Official publication of the Swiss College of Surgeons (SCS), originally published 5x annually in print from 2004 through 2023 and now produced online only, serving as a platform for professional policy, education and research-related content in surgery.
• Corporate Publishing Services
• chrisign gmbh Web Management Web management and online solutions delivered through MetroComm's wholly-owned subsidiary chrisign gmbh, offering responsive websites, intelligent web applications and online/social media marketing, powered by the proprietary admiralCX content management system.
• stgallen24.ch
• rheintal24.ch
• leaderdigital.ch
• eastdigital.ch
• aufreisen.ch
• who-s-who.ch
• admiralCX

Quantifiable outcome

• 40,000 Glacier Express on-board magazines distributed annually to all passengers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• chrisign gmbhcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2001Subsidiary company specializing in intelligent web solutions since 2001. Develops responsive websites, intelligent web applications, and online/social media marketing. Operates admiralCX, a self-developed Content Management System enabling flexible and intuitive website management. Located in Weinfelden, Thurgau with ten employees.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• TX Group (Tamedia): Large Swiss media group operating Tamedia newspapers, 20 Minuten, and digital platforms nationwide. Broad incumbent that competes for regional advertising budgets and corporate publishing clients across Switzerland, including MetroComm's home markets.
• Ringier AG: Major Swiss media group with a broad portfolio including Blick, various magazines, and digital marketplaces. Broad incumbent in Swiss publishing and advertising, with much larger scale and diversified revenue beyond MetroComm's regional niche.
• NZZ Mediengruppe: Major Swiss media group operating newspapers, magazines, and digital platforms across German-speaking Switzerland. Broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities in regional periodicals and corporate publishing, but operating at a much larger scale and broader geography.

Direct peers

• CH Regionalmedien AG: Swiss regional media company publishing newspapers and magazines in Eastern Switzerland, including the St. Galler Tagblatt. Direct comparable in regional periodicals publishing, advertising sales, and corporate publishing services within overlapping cantons.
• Appenzeller Verlag AG: Regional publisher in Appenzell producing newspapers and magazines with deep local roots. Comparable as a small, independent Swiss regional publisher whose geographic footprint overlaps with MetroComm's Eastern Switzerland territory.
• Profilwerkstatt GmbH: German corporate publishing and content marketing agency producing customer magazines, white papers, and digital content for enterprise clients. Comparable as a corporate publishing specialist targeting the same buyer profile (associations, transportation, healthcare, hospitality) as MetroComm.
• Südostschweiz Medien Gruppe: Regional media group in Graubünden publishing newspapers, magazines, and online portals. Direct peer in Swiss regional periodicals publishing with overlapping business model and customer segments.
• Kontrapunkt GmbH: Corporate publishing agency specializing in content marketing, customer magazines, and brand publications for B2B clients. Comparable as a specialized corporate publishing service provider competing for the same corporate publishing budgets from enterprises across multiple sectors.
• Somedia Press AG: Regional media publisher in Graubünden operating newspapers, magazines, and online portals. Similar business model combining owned periodicals, corporate publishing, and regional advertising, serving a defined Swiss sub-region.
• ZT Medien AG: Regional publishing house in the Zurich area producing newspapers, magazines, and online portals. Comparable as a Swiss regional publisher combining owned titles with corporate publishing and advertising services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MetroComm AG