WAZ Mediengruppe
Media Press Summit 2010
WAZ Mediengruppe
April 3rd, 1948: First publication of the Westdeutsche Allgemeine (WAZ) newspaper with a circulation of 312,000 copies.
Publishers of this first edition and founders of the WAZ Media Group were:
Erich Brost and Jakob Funke
Overview
WAZ Mediengruppe
Overview
Today the WAZ Media Group is one of the largestGerman publishing companies.
With approx. 29 daily and 19 weekly newspapers, 186 special-interest and trade magazines, 99 advertising papers and approx. 400 customer magazines in nine countries and 17,000 employees, the WAZ Media Group is also internationally one of the major media companies. In addition, the group owns14 printing works in Germany and abroad.
The foreign activities in the newspaper and magazine business focus in South-East Europe on Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Russia, Albania and in Central Europe on Austria.
WAZ Mediengruppe
WAZ Business Model
Four daily newspapers in North-Rhine Westfalia
- Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ)- Neue Ruhr / Neue Rhein Zeitung (NRZ)- Westfälische Rundschau (WR)- Westfalenpost (WP)
– Reach: a total of 2.14 million readers
WAZ Mediengruppe
WAZ Business Model
- newspapers share the administration function in
- logistics- advertising business- purchasing- general administration- IT- Printing
- editorial independence and autonomy
WAZ Mediengruppe
WAZ Business Model
„Only newspapers which are financially independentare editorially independent.“
Bodo Hombach
Managing Director, WAZ Media Group
WAZ Mediengruppe
WAZ Business Model in South Eastern Europe
WAZ has been successful with its business modelin South Eastern Europe as well
e. g. - Hungary
Pannon Lapok Társasága reaching more than200,000 readers with five regional daily newspapers
- Bulgariatwo largest daily newspapers in the country,‘Dneven Trud’ and ‘24 Chasa’ and various magazines
WAZ Mediengruppe
WAZ Business Model in South Eastern Europe
- CroatiaEurope Press Holding EPH publishes the second-largest daily newspaperin the country, ‘Jutarnji List’,and a large number of journals
- MacedoniaMedia Print Macedonia
- Albaniaparticipation in TV-broadcaster ‘Vizion+’
WAZ Mediengruppe
Crisis in global economy
- Challenges in South Eastern Europe and Germany
• drop in the volume of advertisements• structural adjustment
- New strategy in North-Rhine Westfalia
• Content Desk• editors-in-chief are still independent
WAZ Mediengruppe
Producing Journalism
The WAZ Media Group regards itselfas a producer of quality journalism
leave the distribution channelup to the customer
printed matter / online / mobile / TV / radio
WAZ Mediengruppe
Journalistic Principles
The founders of the WAZ Media Group, Erich Brost and Jakob Funke, were always completely and consciously committed to
a free and independent journalism.
By signing their Code of Conduct in Essen
in 2007, the WAZ Media Group created
a positive stir across the whole
of Germany. This type of self-regulation
is still a rarity in the German
media industry.
WAZ Mediengruppe
Journalistic Principles
In July 2003, the WAZ Media Group and the OSCE agreed on the
“Principles for Guaranteeing Editorial Independence”
WAZ Media Group signed a ‘Framework Agreement on the Defence and Promotion of Press Freedom, Quality Journalism and Sound Industrial Relations’ with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
The WAZ Media Group and the IFJ also award the ‘WAZ/IFJ Award for Courageous Journalism’ to reward journalism that demonstrates exemplary courage and professionalism in the investigation of corruption and abuse of power despite intimidation and pressure.
WAZ Mediengruppe
Media Market in South Eastern Europe
Oligarchs buy media businesses to acquire political influence,to push their economical interests and not to make money
This threads the freedom of the press and underminesquality journalism
WAZ Mediengruppe
Concluding Statement
Only media which is independentcan supply quality journalism