This article summarizes the firm history citizens of Berlin and Hamburg medium company of the Axel Springer AG. Further information about the company is in the major item and in the article participation of the Axel Springer AG.

Post-war period

The Axel Springer publishing house GmbH is created 1946 by Axel Springer and his father, the publisher Hinrich Springer, in Hamburg. First publications are the and the northwestGerman booklets, in the next years follow picture and that Hamburg evening papers.

In the Jahre1953 Springer acquires the world GmbH and their newspapers the world, from which the world on Sunday and the new sheet develop.

The participation in the Ullstein AG is expanded 1959, so that Springer holds now the stock majority at the citizen of Berlin publishing house (B.Z., citizen of Berlin morning mail).

1966 are referred the publishing house house in Berlin cross mountain, directly at the citizens of Berlin wall, (situation: ).

68er-Bewegung

The Axel Springer company achieved 1968 leg-printing market shares in the year. With a portion with daily papers of 39 % and with supraregional newspapers of approximately 81 % the publishing house was regarded of some, particularly in student circles, as threat for the Pressefreiheit and the liberty of the public forming of an opinion.

The reporting over the Viet Nam war was wrong and partial from view of student groups. The word "Springer press "became the negatively occupied key word. Axel Springer, a convinced anti-communist, increased the radicalization of the student movement with utterances as "one is against communism, as one against cancer is additional ".

Rudi Dutschke organized at the beginning of 1968 student protest actions against the Axel Springer company with slogans like "Springer expropriates! ", which answered with a campaign against Dutschke and the student movement. Headlines like "troublemakers"Â…."use it as means its journalistic power

"Katharina Blum"

The writer Heinrich Boell criticizes handling of the Axel Springer publishing house at that time with students at present student unrests in its narration the lost honour of the Katharina Blum. The fact that the book refers to the reporting of the Axel Springer publishing house makes Boell in the introduction clear: He speaks of "not coincidental, but unavoidable similarities with publications of the Axel Springer publishing house". Boell's drive to write the book were probably also own experiences with the Axel Springer publishing house. After it in the year 1972 the article "wants Ulrike Meinhof grace or free had published, reported the picture newspaper on its son Raimund and its presumed illegal activities. Raimund Boell RAF members is to have handed its passports over. Pikanterweise was reported at that time in the picture newspaper on a house search with Raimund Boell, which had not taken place yet at all at appearance of the respective expenditure of the newspaper. Boell used then the opportunity to critically analyze into the lost honour of the Katharina Blum also the connections between the Axel Springer publishing house and official organs such as public prosecutor's office and police.

Wallraff

Attention excites 1977 the book "the Aufmacher" from Wallraff, which was inkognito 4 months at the picture editorship in Hanover coworker, and then in its book everyday life, methods and conditions of work of a Bild-Reporters described very critically.

Stock exchange course

The publishing house is converted 1970 into a corporation. During the stock exchange course Axel Springer 49% of the publishing house portions sells 1985.

The publisher Axel Springer dies on 22 September 1985.

Reorientations

After the reunification of Germany the publishing house extends its activities abroad European. Subsidiaries and participation in Eastern Europe, Spain, France and Great Britain are created and developed.

With Sat.1 text enters the publishing house 1988 the market for new media. Participation in the Telefondienstleister CompuTel and the TV-transmitters Hamburg 1 and Business TV international follows.

1996 a part of the citizens of Berlin lime tree road renamed in Axel Springer road.

1999 acquire the company participation in the Schwartzkopff TV-Produktionsgesellschaft and Studio Hamburg. After the union of the television stations Pro7 and Sat.1 he involved to the ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG is.

After the notices from 11 September 2001 the publishing house takes up "the support of the transatlantic alliance and the solidarity in the liberal value community with the United States of America" to its enterprise principles. Safety precautions in Hamburg publishing house houses are intensified.

The editorships of the world and citizen of Berlin morning mail are folded up 2001.

In November 2002 Leo Kirch from the supervisory board of the publishing house separates. The participation of its Kirch group was already transferred in October by the German bank and peace Springer.

The shareholding of the German bank is sold to 2003 to the American private Equity group Hellman & Friedman LLC and peace Springer. The widow of the publishing house founder holds thereby the simple majority of the portions of the corporation.

On a general meeting on 16 April 2003 the shareholders decide among other things a Umfirmierung of the enterprise in Axel Springer AG and a new Corporate Design.

Since the assumption of office of chief executive Mathias 2002 follows the Axel Springer AG a hard Sanierungskusrs; up to the year 2006 the number of the coworkers of 14000 to 10000, thus by a third, was reduced.

2005 is busy in Hamburg of 3,490 coworkers.

Assumption of ProSiebenSat.1

On 5 August 2005 the publishing house announces to expand its portion to the ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG substantial. For 4.15 billion euro (according to Financial Time Germany) it will acquire all voters common stock and a quarter of the preference stocks as well as will refinance commitments of approximately 500 million euro.

Thus both companies are to be merged and the TV-commitment of the publishing house to be expanded. The agreement of the Federal Cartel Office is pending so far. After the assumption the company in the TV-market would divide mainly with the Bertelsmann AG, with which it had been received in January 2005 a low pressure Joint venture.

Criticism at the assumption

Already in the planning phase the assumption observer let fear for the variety and independence of the German press. Professor judge, former chairman of the board of the publishing house, expressed itself in the television broadcast report Mainz as follows:

"I see the journalistic dangers if the acting persons (...) openly or covers a political adjustment have that in the publications in the printed media and also in the television broadcasts appears. "

Judge was the opinion that from the publishing house a wished agenda Setting takes place over the arbitrary selection of coworkers. The medium scientist professor Siegfried Weischenberg and the former editor-in-chief that expressed themselves similarly critically picture, Udo

In August 2005 the president of the Federal Cartel Office, announced Ulf an intensive examination of the assumption plans. The publishing house and the Bertelsmann Group would control approximately in each case 40 per cent of the television advertising market after the assumption. Also the reader market for purchase newspapers will be examined.

Springer chairman of the board Mathias saw a strong argument for the permission of the assumption:

"Finally results from the fusion of Axel Springer with ProSiebenSat.1 in Germany for the first time a genuine competitor of the Bertelsmann group, which likewise unites printed media and TV under a roof since the majority assumption to the RTL Group in the year 2001. "

Evaluation by the Federal Cartel Office

On 21 November 2005 the Federal Cartel Office did not judge the planned assumption as "trust-legal (sic) permissionable ". In particular the following three points of criticism were called as relevant:

1. on the television advertising market prevail between Springer and Bertelsmann already "a competitionless duo pole "and the union with ProSiebenSat.1 to a further involving of the two companies by subsidiaries would lead, which out-continues to border competitors
2. the strong operational readiness level of Springer in the reader market for street sale newspapers (PICTURE, the world) would create a large platform for CROSS mediale graduation after the union
3. by the union for Springer the possibility for CROSS medialer publicity by means of advertisements would be offered.

At present the companies have the possibility of expressing itself to this evaluation the final decision of the Federal Cartel Office are still before the year end planned.

Articles in category "History of the Axel Springer AG"

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