The name Wort appeared to be too Luxembourgish and in any case incapable of embodying the new dynamic that Mediahuis wants to infuse into its French-language media. (Photo: Matic Zorman/Maison Moderne)

The name Wort appeared to be too Luxembourgish and in any case incapable of embodying the new dynamic that Mediahuis wants to infuse into its French-language media. (Photo: Matic Zorman/Maison Moderne)

On Tuesday 20 September, Mediahuis will unveil the new identity and editorial strategy of the French-language Wort.lu which will become Virgule.lu.

Changes have been happening progressively at Wort in April 2020. The next one will consist of a change of identity and editorial strategy of the French-language Wort.lu website, which will become Virgule.lu, according to information gathered by Delano's sister publication Paperjam. And this domain name indeed belongs to Saint-Paul. This change will be made public on Tuesday 20 September, notably during a barbecue to which the site's subscribers have been invited, but the information has obviously not been slow to circulate.

Mediahuis seems to want to relaunch its digital information portfolio in French. The editorial team has been partly renewed for this purpose. According to Paperjam's information, the name Wort appeared to the group's decision-makers to be a bit "old-fashioned", a real handicap for embodying the desired new dynamic, and certainly too "Luxembourgish". Changing the name also shows a desire to mark a break with the past. The desire to maintain the "specific identity and local roots of Luxembourg's leading press group" mentioned two years ago appears to have faded away.

Restructuring and voluntary departures

The name change also marks a new stage in the facelift process initiated by the Belgian owners in 2020. However, it soon became clear to him that the venerable media outlet was in urgent need of a thorough reorganisation. A first restructuring--the fourth in 20 years--led to the s. Internally, the giving rise to strong tensions and provoking several voluntary departures, particularly in the editorial offices deserted by and experienced journalists.

The long-awaited  seemed to be a respite, but only for a short time, as the building is said to be suffering from various problems to the point that another move is being considered. In the meantime, Mediahuis has also announced the closure of the historic Gasperich printing works and the transfer of this work to Belgium, resulting in 26 job losses. This will all make the Wort a little less Luxembourgish.

This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.