Publishers warn of magazine deaths

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Publishers are sounding the alarm: they see the existence of many magazines threatened

Photo: Manuel Geisser / IMAGO

Magazine publishers are worried about the continued existence of a large number of magazines in Germany due to rising energy and paper prices as well as higher postage costs.

"If the current developments continue, the existence of 30 percent of the magazine titles will be seriously endangered by 2024," said the Media Association of the Free Press (MVFP) in Berlin.

These are more than 2,000 of a total of more than 7,000 magazine titles.

The association, which represents the interests of almost 400 magazine publishers and was formerly called the Association of German Magazine Publishers (VDZ), refers to a representative industry analysis that was carried out around a year ago.

"Because this analysis does not take into account the recent increases in paper prices of up to 150 percent, nor the extent of the increase in the minimum wage in 2022, nor the extremely high energy costs, the specific economic threat to individual titles and entire publishers is much more acute," it said .

The association counts among the endangered magazine titles up to 30 percent of specialist magazines, up to 80 percent of denominational media and up to 20 percent of popular magazines in Germany.

»A healthy democracy needs healthy publishers«

The spokesman for the board of directors of the MVFP and board member for popular media, Philipp Welte, said: "A healthy democracy needs healthy publishers." The free press is indispensable for the stability and diversity of society.

Welte spoke of a “veritable threat scenario”.

»Our industry is experiencing fundamental shocks and economic threats in a way we have never experienced before.«

Welte addressed the paper prices, which rose by up to 150 percent.

There is “total uncertainty in the paper supply situation”.

The problem of paper shortages has occupied newspaper and magazine publishers for a long time, as have postal delivery costs.

Now there are the energy prices, which also affect many other sectors of the economy.

MVFP Federal Managing Director Stephan Scherzer said: »We are in extreme times.

The risk of irreparable damage to press freedom, the diversity of the press in this country is high.«

demand for promotion

The association asked the federal government again for help for the media houses.

MVFP President Rudolf Thiemann said: "It is now more than clear that the Berlin coalition must promote periodical press products in the sense of a non-discriminatory, regulatory policy-friendly promotion of magazines and newspapers - otherwise there is a risk of massive damage to press diversity , for free information and the formation of opinion.« A non-selective, objective benchmark for the promotion that does not distort competition within the press is of the greatest importance.

According to the association, the total turnover of the magazine publishers was 19.4 billion euros last year.

In 2020 it was 18.8 billion euros.

The pre-pandemic level was 20.2 billion euros in 2019 and has not yet been reached again.

The discussion at federal level about millions in aid for press publishers has been going on for years - but so far it has never led to a result.

dpa/nga