The Past, Present and Future of the Süddeutsche Zeitung

Amongst the whirring sound of the printing press and the thick smell of ink, a sense of order and certainty could be felt. There was a job to be done, a deadline to meet. Anticipation hung in the air. This was the atmosphere of Munich’s Süddeutsche Zeitung Printery last Thursday evening as it pumped out its Friday issue, ready to hit newsstands and mailboxes across the country the following morning. It was clear the place was a well-oiled machine.

Despite the ever-developing challenges to the media industry, catastrophic historical events, and even simply the task of publishing and printing a daily newspaper to deadline, the newspaper has managed to establish a strong foothold in not just the German media market, but internationally as well. The Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) is recognised as the largest quality daily newspaper in Germany, circulating almost 255,000 paid copies from Monday to Friday, and over 350,000 on Saturdays. SZ has maintained a steady readership since its inception, with something for everyone in its paper, from news and business, to culture and sport.

As we were expertly guided through the premises by Sales Consultant, Michael Stengl, I couldn’t help but wonder how the newspaper became what it is today. So, I decided to find out.

THE PAST
Emerging from the rubble of the disastrous Second World War, Süddeutsche Zeitung published its inaugural issue on the 6th of October 1945. This was an important time for journalism and media in Germany.

“You were free. You could publish your opinions,” Stengl explained, referencing the reinstatement of the free press in the country, following the end of Hitler’s rule. “Of course, people had to learn at that time to use it. People were happy to write what they really think.”

This sentiment of free speech is still echoed in the paper’s ethos today. “There are readers who appreciate when they have their prejudices confirmed,” Stengl said. “But at the Süddeutsche Zeitung, you won’t get that experience, because we have a wide range of opinions.”

Something else I found fascinating is that the printing plates used in the publication of Hitler’s Mein Kampf actually – and perhaps ironically – were melted down and used as the basis of the production of the first free paper in Germany. The symbolism of this action is intrinsic with the belief that media is a function of democracy.

And so, the foundations for the paper had been laid. As Stengl said, SZ was to be a quality paper that was more than “a business model” but rather “key to democratic engagement.”

THE PRESENT
The paper has skillfully adapted to today’s media climate and combatted its associated challenges, such as digitisation and concerns over the printing industry’s environmental impact.

Stengl said that it was around the mid 1980s that Germany began to see a need for greater environmental consciousness, and so the SZ printery began to take measures to modernise its practices to create a greener future. This has included ensuring that a minimum of 95% of the printery’s paper is recycled and from trees that were only planted for the production of newsprint, using ink made of water and plant oil rather than mineral oil, and being powered by green energy by way of water tanks located under the floors of the printery.

Arguably, the greatest change to the media industry since the turn of the millennium has been the rise of the digital world. Walking through the rows of massive machinery, we passed only a handful of workers. It was a sign of the times, and as Stengl pointed out to us, the printing process is largely computerised. Still, he noted that the toil of humans is still very necessary in the printing process. “Although many things run computerised, the quality relies on the people who regulate the colours,” Stengl commented.

To support the print version of the paper, SZ also offers digital news, in what Stengl referred to as “the white app and the green app.” The white app is SZ’s home page and allows for ten articles to be read each week free of charge, while the green app is a paid subscription, with full access to the paper in a convenient digital format.

One of the most clear benefits of the digital edition of the paper is that it can report on news as it happens, and can be updated as it changes without needing to wait until the next day to inform the public.

In establishing the digital versions of the paper, SZ also have found a way to expand their readership to the younger generation. A full digital subscription is also significantly cheaper than a print subscription, coming in at €319 annually, compared to roughly €1000 for physical copies.

With this in mind, I was shocked to learn that there are actually even more subscribers to the printed edition. 70% of those who consume SZ are subscribers to the physical edition, and 65% of the sold circulation is printed.

What surprised me even more however, was when Stengl revealed that today, SZ makes only 40% of its revenue from ads, and the remaining 60% is from paid circulation. It perplexed me even further that this is different from the past. 25 years ago, he said, 70% of the turnover came from ads and 30% from sales. This is a stark contrast to the media of my home country Australia, where typically the most revenue comes from advertising, particularly in the digital age.

Maybe this is simply because of the audience of the SZ, a demographic that is typically well-educated and are willing to spend their money on quality journalism. But more than this, it seems to me there is also a cultural difference with Germany and other parts of the world in how they consume their media, and Stengl agreed. “There is a sense of tradition, and people appreciate the printed word and the work that goes into it.”

In modern day Germany, print is preferred. But will it stay this way?

THE FUTURE
The global media landscape has transformed rapidly over the last decade or two, so much so that it is almost difficult to predict how it may look in even the next five years. While “print is losing circulation and there’s a dynamic increase in digital circulation,” Stengl does not believe this is the end of the printed press in Germany. “This place will not be a museum in five to ten years as some people may think.”

The Germans have shown a dedication to print media, seen not only in impressive circulation numbers, but also through an appreciation for the process of production, as well as tradition.