“I had the idea somewhat like that, like a flash, telling myself there was a gap”: This is how Petra Hall created in 1991 Le Riviera-Côte d’Azur Zeitung, a monthly general information publication in German. Initially based in Italy, the editorial office first moved to Menton in 1995 and then to Drap in 2000 in much more spacious premises.
Two “sister monthlies” were born in Drap. First, The Riviera Times, the English-language monthly, and a few months later Il Corriere della Costa Azzurra in Italian. Added to the Riviera-Côte d’Azur Zeitung, they form the Mediterraneum Editions media hub (www.mediterra.com). Two full-time journalists employed in each publication, aided by about thirty freelancers, work to provide quality content. One single requirement: the writing language must be the writer’s native language. “This ensures a similarity of sensitivity and feeling with the reader,” Petra explains. A second point that Petra Hall insists on: it is not a translation. Subjects are sometimes identical but written by different journalists.
“Foreign tourists or residents, to feel at home, must find information in their language. This is the objective of these three monthlies,” says Petra. By browsing through the pages and without necessarily understanding everything written, the publication director’s words are illustrated: comprehensive coverage of the main events on the Côte d’Azur and their presentation, local life presentation and outing ideas grouped in a complete calendar.
Today, Petra Hall directs the three publications. She can be proud of her three “babies”. She started with a flash, and she has seen, year after year, her titles develop. At the end of August, in her comfortable Drap offices, the reward for her many years of work is reflected as she carefully reviews the three new issues she has proofread in the three languages perfectly mastered by this polyglot. Soon, a matter of hours or a few days, the 75,000 copies will be placed in Mediterranean newsstands from Marseille to Genoa, on certain airlines serving the Riviera, in rental cars at airports. 6,000 readers are subscribed.
A well-deserved success. Petra Hall has some projects. With Russians visiting the region more and more, the idea of a Russian-language edition intrigues her. Her lack of understanding of the Cyrillic alphabet holds her back. A matter to follow for this woman eager for projects…
Links:
www.corrierecosta.com
www.rivieratimes.com
www.rczeitung.com
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