119-515: Reinhard Mohn (29 June 1921 – 3 October 2009) was a German billionaire businessman and philanthropist. Under his leadership, Bertelsmann , once a medium-sized printing and publishing house, established in 1835, developed into a global media conglomerate. In 1977, he founded the non-profit Bertelsmann Stiftung , which is today one of the largest foundations in Germany, with worldwide reach. Mohn received numerous domestic and international awards, including
238-512: A joint stock corporation . In this way, he created another structural prerequisite for Bertelsmann's rise to one of the world's leading media groups. Mohn became chairman of the executive board, and in this position continued a corporate culture based on partnership, the essential component of which involves dialogue between management and employees. In 1976, he had a new corporate headquarters built, where Bertelsmann's home offices are still located today. During this time, Mohn also began an entry into
357-549: A joint-stock company (" Aktiengesellschaft " or "AG"), renamed Bertelsmann AG. The increasingly diversifying book publishers were bundled in the Verlagsgruppe Bertelsmann publishing group at the end of the 1960s. In 1972, this company moved from Gütersloh to Munich. Key divisions remained in Gütersloh, for which a new office building was built in 1976 at the group's official location. To this day, it has remained
476-459: A partnership limited by shares (" Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien " or "KGaA"), with the general partner being a European stock corporation (" Societas Europaea " or "SE"). Also, since 2012, Thomas Rabe has been chairman and chief executive officer of Bertelsmann. In 2013, Bertelsmann floated part of its shares in the RTL Group on the stock exchange, in order to finance additional growth from
595-532: A trial in 1944. After World War II, the company portrayed itself to the Allied Control Authority as a Christian publisher that was part of the resistance to Nazism and allegedly persecuted. Ties to National Socialist organizations were initially denied. After it became known that erroneous, or at least inadequate, statements had been made, Heinrich Mohn stepped down as the head of the publishing house. Reinhard Mohn , one of his three sons, took over
714-440: A $ 635.7 million offer by Axel for leading French real estate website operator seloger.com caused seloger shares to rise as much as 32%, the most since it went public. Within 3 days Axel increased its offer 15.6% to $ 735 million after shareholders rejected the deal. In 2012, Axel Springer formed a joint venture (Axel Springer Digital Classified) with global growth equity firm General Atlantic . The company also bought TotalJobs in
833-587: A 51% majority stake in the American television production company GRB Entertainment , but was later divested in 2002. In 2001, Axel Springer and T-Online established a joint subsidiary Bild.de/T-Online AG. A year later in 2002, the launch of immonet.de took place, and Mathias Doepfner, former editor-in-chief of Die Welt , became CEO of Axel Springer AG. Then in 2003, the name was changed to Axel Springer AG. In 2009, Axel Springer AG acquired affiliate marketers Zanox and Digital Window as well as StepStone ASA. In 2010
952-497: A TV magazine as well. In 1948, the afternoon and evening newspaper Hamburger Abendblatt was launched, the first daily newspaper created by Axel Springer. The year 1952 saw the launch of the popular daily newspaper Bild . The paper was based on the British tabloid Daily Mirror and peaked at a circulation of 5 million in the 1980s. The Sunday paper Bild am Sonntag was launched in 1956. In 1953, Axel Springer Verlag bought
1071-454: A businessman, Mohn was consistent in his efforts to grow the traditional publishing business into a media conglomerate: Thus, he entered music and film production, invested in the magazine business, and promoted international expansion. A merger of Bertelsmann with the Axel Springer group planned in the years 1969/70 did not come to fruition. In 1971, Mohn transformed the family company into
1190-546: A commercial success. Heinrich Mohn belonged to the patrons' circle of the SS and sought to turn his company into a National Socialist model enterprise. During World War II , the C. Bertelsmann Verlag became a leading supplier to the Wehrmacht , even surpassing Franz Eher , the central publishing house of the Nazi Party . Especially in the years between 1939 and 1941, the revenues of
1309-623: A company established in 1958 to manufacture records, was not part of the Bertelsmann Music Group, rather it was assigned to the print and industrial division. With Doubleday , another well-known publishing house was acquired. As a result, the group ascended to become a well-known international company, and Bertelsmann was temporarily the world's largest media group. In the financial year of 1990/1991, Bertelsmann had over 45,000 employees and reached sales of 14.5 billion Deutsche Mark annually. 63% involved business outside of Germany, and
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#17328698233041428-541: A full range of products and services for creative professionals. On 25 November 2020, it was reported that Bertelsmann will acquire the American publisher Simon & Schuster from ViacomCBS for more than $ 2 billion. On 14 December 2020, Bertelsmann entered talks to sell the French magazine publisher Prisma Media, a division of Gruner + Jahr, to Vivendi . The sale was completed on 31 May 2021. On 29 January 2021, Bertelsmann began to explore selling its controlling stake in
1547-470: A fully privately owned and operated media company. In September 2015, Axel Springer acquired Business Insider at a $ 442 million valuation. It purchased an additional 88% of the company for $ 343 million, bringing its total ownership to 97%. In October 2020, Axel Springer and Insider Inc. acquired Morning Brew, a media startup that focuses on business newsletters and podcasts, for around $ 75 million. The Morning Brew brand remains fully intact post-deal, and
1666-490: A mass medium, as well as changes to the ownership structure. In 1993, Reinhard Mohn transferred the majority of capital shares to the Bertelsmann Stiftung and assumed its chairmanship. The foundation itself was financed by profits of the company. In 1994, Gruner + Jahr acquired the magazines of The New York Times , whereby Bertelsmann was once again able to expand its presence in foreign markets. From 1995, there
1785-408: A modern organizational structure . "An Age of New Possibilities" from 2001, defined a regulatory framework, which at its core is defined by entrepreneurship . In 2008, his last work was published as "A Global Lesson", in which Mohn provided an autobiographical account of the formative elements of his own life. It was written with author Andrea Stoll [ de ] , who also wrote the script to
1904-487: A news report which doxed and discredited several pro-Palestinian student protesters. Major competitors in the German publishing market include Bauer Media Group , Bertelsmann , Hubert Burda Media , and Holtzbrinck . On a global scale, some of the key competitors of Axel Springer include other large multinational media companies such as News Corporation, Time Warner, and The New York Times Company. These companies operate in
2023-534: A pledge. He also insists that journalistic integrity remains paramount, clarifying that the company's stance does not equate to uncritical support of Israel, but recognizes its right to exist in light of historical threats. In 2017, Mark Dekan of Ringier Axel Springer Polska expressed support for European unity and the role of free media in a letter to employees, amidst political debates in Poland. His comments, which included criticism of Jarosław Kaczyński , and highlighted
2142-541: A pro-American stance, often omitting criticism of US foreign policy. This observation is then backed by allegations made by two former CIA officers in an interview with The Nation , claiming that Axel Springer received $ 7 million from the CIA. The purpose of this funding, they allege, was to influence the publisher to align its editorial content with American geopolitical interests. Although no conclusive evidence has come to light, Springer's admission in his autobiography regarding
2261-531: A publishing company for the resistance could not be substantiated. On the contrary, Bertelsmann was the largest book producer for the Wehrmacht . In 2010, author and journalist Thomas Schuler [ de ] criticized a "tax-saving interrelationship" between Bertelsmann and the foundation Bertelsmann Stiftung. The structures set up by Mohn were alleged to have saved his family billions in inheritance tax . However, this tax would not have been owed, according to
2380-505: A total of approximately €1 billion. The company, including its subsidiaries, joint ventures, and licenses, operates in more than 40 countries. The company was started in 1946 by journalist Axel Springer . Mathias Döpfner became its CEO in 2002. In 2004, Axel Springer company, the largest publishing house in Europe at that time, controlled the largest German market share for daily newspapers; 23.6%, largely because its flagship tabloid Bild
2499-574: A united Europe, "reconciliation between Germans and Jews" and Israel's right to exist and a free-market economy, and that staff who disagree with the principles "should not work for Axel Springer, very clearly". In an interview with New York Magazine, Döpfner emphasized that Axel Springer's commitment to these core principles, particularly the right of Israel to exist, stems from Germany's historical context rather than activism. He claimed that while Springer employees in Germany are required to support these values, American employees are not asked to sign such
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#17328698233042618-416: A variety of different media sectors, including print, television, and digital, and are all major players in the global media industry. In addition to traditional media companies, Axel Springer also competes with a number of digital media platforms and companies, such as Google, Facebook, and Apple, which have become increasingly influential in the media industry in recent years. These companies have disrupted
2737-542: A whole. Mark Wössner brought the subsidiaries closer to headquarters in Gütersloh. In particular, this involved business development and controlling. Under the leadership of Mark Wössner, Bertelsmann also took a stake in RTL plus , the first private TV broadcaster in Germany. In 1986, Bertelsmann acquired a majority in RCA Records and merged its activities in the music market with the new Bertelsmann Music Group . Sonopress ,
2856-453: Is Europe's largest player in the industry. The corporate group is located in Gütersloh. Bertelsmann Printing Group includes not only GGP Media, Mohn Media, Prinovis, Sonopress, Vogel Druck and several other companies, but also Be Printers . Be Printers is in turn a spin-off of Arvato, created in 2012, in order to consolidate the group's printing business. The business has been under pressure for years due to declining print editions. In 2022,
2975-456: Is a German multinational mass and online media company, based in Berlin, Germany. The company offers printing and publishing of advertisements, digital classifieds portfolio, marketing models and related services. Axel Springer's operations are segmented into News Media, Classifieds Media, and Marketing Media. The company is organized as a societas Europaea (SE) publishing house and is one of
3094-522: Is a leading European entertainment provider, based in Luxembourg . The company runs a commercial private television and radio channels in several countries, including RTL and VOX in Germany. In 2015, with the RTL Digital Hub , the company launched a dedicated unit for web videos . In addition, production companies, such as Fremantle , are part of the RTL Group. In January 1997, Bertelsmann merged
3213-500: Is an international service provider. In its current form, the company originated in the year 1999. At that time, the print and industry sectors at Bertelsmann were restructured, whereby services received a higher priority than the print and machinery sector. Since the 1950s, Bertelsmann has been an active service provider, delivering books for other publishing companies, for example. To this day, Vereinigte Verlagsauslieferung (VVA) has belonged to Arvato. Arvato also offers services in
3332-558: Is focused on growth in the e-commerce sector, among others. In the 1990s, critical questions arose as to the role of Bertelsmann in Nazi Germany . They were precipitated by a speech given by the chairman and chief executive officer, Thomas Middelhoff , on the occasion of his receiving the Vernon A. Walters Award 1998 in New York City . Thomas Middelhoff portrayed Bertelsmann as one of
3451-476: Is managed by the Bertelsmann Management SE. The chairman of the executive board of Bertelsmann Management SE is Thomas Rabe. Other members of the executive board include Markus Dohle , Immanuel Hermreck, Bernd Hirsch and Anke Schäferkordt. In 2012, Bertelsmann created the additional so-called Group Management Committee , in order to advise the executive board in important matters. Some members of
3570-675: Is not part of Penguin Random House, yet it does belong to the same division at Bertelsmann. Penguin Random House has its main headquarters in the Penguin Random House Tower in New York City . Since 2020, Bertelsmann owns 100% of the company. In 2022, the company achieved sales of €4.2 billion. BMG is a music publishing company based in Berlin . The BMG catalog encompasses rights to works by artists such as Céline Dion , Jennifer Lopez , Ronan Keating and Britney Spears . In 2008,
3689-566: Is the Ad Alliance , launched in 2017, in which Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland and Gruner + Jahr bundled the marketing of their advertising platforms. The marketing arms of the Spiegel publishing house, Axel Springer , and Funke Mediengruppe have since joined the Ad Alliance as well; its portfolio reaches over 99 percent of the German population. In 2019, Bertelsmann also boosted cooperation in
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3808-438: Is the highest-circulation newspaper in Europe with a daily readership exceeding 12 million. By 2022, the company got 10.6% of the market share in Germany. October 2022 data indicates that Axel Springer's BILD brands attract approximately six million unique users daily, totaling up to 40 million unique users per month. IVW 's data from June 2023 shows BILD receiving 504 million monthly visits and WELT achieving 127 million. In
3927-777: Is the largest classifieds site in Israel. The website publishes real estate listings across Israel, including rental apartments and sales in Israeli settlements that are considered illegal under international law. While private users can use the website for free, business users have to pay and many a times these real estate brokers and agents are selling or renting properties in illegal settlements. German public broadcasting criticized Axel Springer in 2024 for taking their pro-Israel mission too far and that they therefore believe Palestinians and anyone who expresses criticism of Israel “must be discredited and then written against”, especially criticizing it for
4046-694: Is the world's largest book publishing company. The company was created in 2013 through the merger of the publishing businesses of Bertelsmann and Pearson . With the acquisition of Random House in 1998, Bertelsmann already became the largest book publisher in the English-speaking world . 250 publishing houses on five continents are part of the company, including Random House and Penguin Books , but also Doubleday , Knopf and Viking . The German Verlagsgruppe Random House ( Goldmann , Heyne and others), based in Munich,
4165-710: The Bertelsmann Building in New York City and located its North American headquarters there. The building was re-sold in 2004. The Berlin representative office was opened in 2003 in the Kommandantenhaus in the historic center of Berlin. As part of international activities, Bertelsmann established additional locations at the corporate level (Corporate Centers) in Beijing (2006), New Delhi (2012) and São Paulo (2012). Worldwide, with all divisions, Bertelsmann has almost 350 locations. The majority are in Europe, where
4284-592: The Bertelsmann Printing Group , the Bertelsmann Education Group and Bertelsmann Investments. Bertelsmann is an unlisted and capital market-oriented company, which remains primarily controlled by the Mohn family . The nucleus of the corporation is the C. Bertelsmann Verlag , a publishing house established on 1 July 1835 by Carl Bertelsmann in Gütersloh. Carl Bertelsmann was a representative of
4403-511: The Luftwaffe , originally with the aim of becoming a pilot. After serving in an air-base command on the Western Front, Mohn was stationed with an anti-aircraft unit, advancing in rank from private to sergeant, and in 1942 achieving the rank of lieutenant. From France, via Italy, his regiment was moved to Tunisia. On 5 May 1943, Mohn became a U.S. prisoner of war, and in mid-June, he was taken across
4522-668: The Vereinigte Verlagsauslieferung (VVA) emerged, Bertelsmann laid the cornerstone for its service business. In 1964, Bertelsmann purchased the already broken-up UFA from the Deutsche Bank and built on its presence in cinema and television. In 1969, Bertelsmann acquired shares in the magazine publisher Gruner + Jahr . A merger with Axel Springer , also planned at the time, for which a loan for millions had been taken out temporarily from Westdeutsche Landesbank , failed in 1970. Starting in 1971, Bertelsmann operated as
4641-489: The service sector and education . Bertelsmann was founded as a publishing house by Carl Bertelsmann in 1835. After World War II , Bertelsmann, under the leadership of Reinhard Mohn , went from being a medium-sized enterprise to a major conglomerate, offering not only books but also television, radio, music, magazines and services. Its principal divisions include the RTL Group , Penguin Random House , BMG , Arvato ,
4760-560: The statutes , he remained a member of the Board of Trustees until he died in 2009. From the late 1980s on, Reinhard Mohn was also involved in journalistic activities as an essayist and nonfiction book author. He wrote several books and magazine articles in which he dealt with topics concerning society and business. In 1985, he published an essay on "Vanity in the Life of the Executive", in which he decried
4879-567: The " Minden-Ravensberger Erweckungsbewegung", a Protestant revival movement, whose writings he published. The C. Bertelsmann Verlag, originally specialized in theological literature, expanded its publications to include school and textbooks and in the 1920s and 1930s increasingly entered into the field of light fiction. In Nazi Germany , the publishing house gained a prominent position with its affordable Bertelsmann Volksausgaben ("people's editions"). In particular, war adventure books such as Werner von Langsdorff's Fliegerbuch on aviation were
Reinhard Mohn - Misplaced Pages Continue
4998-635: The 1950s and 1960s, Bertelsmann expanded its activities into new business areas. In 1956, the company entered the music market with the Bertelsmann Schallplattenring (record club). Two years later, Ariola, one of the most successful German record labels was launched, and virtually at the same time, the Sonopress record pressing plant was established. With the Kommissionshaus Buch & Ton (book and audio commissioning company), from which
5117-522: The 1970s, the Bertelsmann headquarters have been in the Gütersloh district of Avenwedde, and its layout encompasses some 26,100 square meters. The office buildings were erected in 1976 and expanded in 1990. In addition to the typical facilities, the headquarters in Gütersloh also feature the Bertelsmann University , an academic institution for Bertelsmann executives. In 1992, Bertelsmann purchased
5236-876: The 1990s. In addition to projects in Germany, he supported projects in Spain, such as the Fundació Biblioteca d'Alcúdia Can Torró on Mallorca. In 1995, he founded the Fundación Bertelsmann [ es ] , now based in Barcelona and Madrid , as an independent subsidiary foundation that works to promote dual training to reduce youth unemployment . Founded in 2008, the Bertelsmann Foundation North America , headquartered in Washington, D.C. , deals with transatlantic cooperation, among other issues. In
5355-517: The Atlantic to Camp Concordia , an internment center in Kansas for German prisoners of war. According to Mohn's accounts, he was profoundly influenced by this experience; as one example, he began reading American management literature for the first time. In January 1946, Reinhard Mohn returned to Gütersloh . His oldest brother, Hans Heinrich Mohn, had died in 1939, and Sigbert Mohn, his second-oldest brother,
5474-654: The Bertelsmann Executive Board ever since. The company weighed its strategic options for the Customer Relationship Management business, and in 2018 established a CRM company in cooperation with the Saham Group : The new company, Majorel , enjoys a leading market position in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The growing education business was strengthened in 2018 through the acquisition of
5593-547: The Bertelsmann Printing Group achieved sales of €1.4 billion. The Bertelsmann Education Group is dedicated to the education sector. It was established in 2015 and has its headquarters in New York City . It includes, for example, the Alliant International University and Relias Learning. The acquisition of Relias Learning in 2014 formed the cornerstone for the Bertelsmann Education Group and
5712-531: The Bertelsmann headquarters, referred to as the Bertelsmann Corporate Center . The rapid growth of Bertelsmann led to structural and financial problems. In the 1970s, financing requirements reached their peak. From 1975 to 1980, for example, the return on sales fell below one percent. Bertelsmann also encountered new regulatory rules in its home market, in particular through laws governing mergers. Larger acquisitions became practically impossible. At
5831-552: The C. Bertelsmann Verlag skyrocketed. Jewish slave laborers were not forced to work in Gütersloh, but in printing plants in Lithuania with which the C. Bertelsmann Verlag cooperated. In 1944, the Reichsschrifttumskammer (Reich Chamber of Literature) closed the publishing house to "mobilize all powers for victory". Another essential reason for this was criminal paper racketeering by some publisher's employees, which led to
5950-666: The C. Bertelsmann Verlag, as Hans Heinrich Mohn had been killed in the war and Sigbert Mohn was still a prisoner of war. In 1947, the Allies finally granted the company a publishing license. After currency reform in 1948, there was a market slump in the book trade that also led to the next existential crisis for the C. Bertelsmann Verlag. Under these conditions, in 1950 Bertelsmann launched the Lesering (book club) to stimulate sales. Customers ordered books via subscription and in return received discounted prices. The business increasingly shifted from
6069-647: The Chairman of the Advisory Board. As a result of several structural and personnel changes, Mohn held the interim chairmanship of both Bertelsmann Stiftung executive bodies again from the end of 2000 until mid-2001, when he was succeeded by Gunter Thielen as Chairman of the Executive Board. In 2004, he permanently stepped down from the Executive Board of the Bertelsmann Stiftung, but as the founder, according to
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#17328698233046188-561: The French television channel M6 . Bertelsmann is a decentralized organization . This means that the divisions largely work independently. The holding handles central tasks, in the field of corporate finance , for example. In 2016, Bertelsmann introduced a new structure of eight divisions: RTL Group (television and radio), Penguin Random House (book publishing), BMG (music rights), Arvato (services), Bertelsmann Education Group (education), Bertelsmann Printing Group (printing) and Bertelsmann Investments (investments). RTL Group
6307-576: The German content market by establishing the Content Alliance , headed up by Julia Jäkel . The key players in this initiative involve the television and radio broadcasting networks of the Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, UFA TV production company, Random House publishing company, Gruner + Jahr, as well as the BMG music company. The Bertelsmann Content Alliance develops joint formats and delivers
6426-611: The IPO of Axel Springer. Later that year, Axel Springer died; control of the company was transferred to his widow Friede Springer . In 1986, the first licensed edition of Auto Bild came out, in Italy. Other licensed editions and joint venture publications later appeared in twenty European countries, Indonesia and Thailand. In 1993, there was the official opening of the offset printing works in Berlin-Spandau. In May 1999, Axel Springer bought
6545-565: The Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany , and Spain's Prince of Asturias Award . Born in 1921 as the fifth child of Agnes Mohn (née Seippel) and Heinrich Mohn [ de ] , Reinhard represented the fifth generation of the shareholding families of Bertelsmann. In 1887, his grandfather, Johannes Mohn [ de ] , had taken over
6664-513: The New York Times in October 2021. These allegations were investigated by Axel Springer, which initially supported Reichelt. However, following further scrutiny, the company ultimately decided to dismiss him. Liz Fekete criticized Axel Springer-owned Welt and Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner in 2024 for their anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian bias, suggesting falsely that Muslim immigrants are
6783-635: The Politico Europe partnership launched in 2014, as well as the technology news site Protocol, which was launched in 2020. The company previously held shares in aufeminin.com and buy.at . It was also a significant investor in the American digital media company Group Nine Media , before it was acquired by Vox Media. Gudrun Kruip, a scholar associated with the Stiftung Bundespräsident-Theodor-Heuss-Haus , has claimed that Axel Springer SE, along with its subsidiaries, exhibits
6902-669: The Reinhard Mohn Institute of Management. It also houses the Reinhard Mohn Chair of Management, endowed in 1991, and two professorships, one for strategy and organization and one for research. In 2011, the Bertelsmann Stiftung awarded the first Reinhard Mohn Prize , which upholds and advances the tradition of the Carl Bertelsmann Prize. This award honors internationally renowned individuals for forward-looking solutions to societal and political challenges. Mohn
7021-724: The U.S. provider OnCourse Learning , one of the Group's biggest deals in the U.S. market. OnCourse Learning offers continuing education and professional development by providing digital courses for healthcare and financial services clients. Bertelsmann, itself a strong advocate of lifelong learning, donated tens of thousands of Udacity scholarships in 2017 and 2019 to enable the advanced training of talented participants, in fields including Big Data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Bertelsmann has promoted stronger cooperation among its corporate divisions and has also opened up towards collaboration with other media houses. One such example
7140-517: The U.S. publishing business, of vital importance to Bertelsmann. The acquisition of Bantam Books (1977/1980) and Doubleday (1986) created the largest trade-book publishing group in the United States, at the time. In 1981, Mohn moved from the executive board to the supervisory board, which he chaired for another ten years, still remaining involved in business operations. At 70, he finally stepped down from his duties, and remained honorary chairman of
7259-472: The UFA film and television company with Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion (CLT). The merger of CLT-UFA with Pearson TV in the year 2000 marked the beginning of the RTL Group. The company is listed on the stock exchange and has been majority-owned by Bertelsmann since 2001. Following the sale of shares in 2013, the stake is 75.1%. In 2022, sales of the RTL Group were € 7.2 billion. Penguin Random House
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#17328698233047378-535: The UK from Reed Elsevier that year. In 2013, Springer sold its regional newspapers, women's magazines, and television magazines to Funke Mediengruppe for €920 million That same year, Publications Grand Public, a French magazine publisher owned by Springer, was sold to Reworld Media . The German television newsbroadcaster N24 was acquired by Axel Springer SE and combined with Die Welt . In 2020, Friede Springer transferred $ 1.5 billion of Axel Springer shares to CEO Mathias Dopfner, effectively making him heir of
7497-404: The United States was the most important foreign market. After the German reunification and the end of the Cold War , Bertelsmann also expanded to East Germany , as well as into Central and Eastern Europe . For example, in 1989 the first branch outlet of the Club Bertelsmann opened in Dresden . The later development of Bertelsmann in the 1990s was marked by the spread of the Internet as
7616-433: The United States, Axel Springer is ranked among the top four digital publishers, alongside USA Today, News Corp, and The New York Times. In 1946, publisher Hinrich Springer (age 66) and his son Axel Springer (age 34) established the limited company Axel Springer Verlag GmbH. That year saw the launch of the Nordwestdeutsche Hefte and the radio and Hörzu , which was originally launched as a radio broadcast but later became
7735-427: The United States, a location was established for Ariola and, in 1979, Arista Records was acquired from Columbia Pictures . In the period of the 1979–1980 recession , there was discussion concerning the succession of Reinhard Mohn. In 1981, he finally moved over to the supervisory board . Dr. Juergen Kraemer, former Finance Minister of West Germany, who had previously headed up management of Gruner + Jahr, became
7854-421: The United States. With Bertelsmann Asia Investments , Bertelsmann Brazil Investments and Bertelsmann India Investments , three additional funds exist that are active in the growth regions defined by the holding. Bertelsmann Investments holds equity positions in a total of over 100 startup companies , almost all from the digital economy. In 2022, sales reached €535 million. From 1971 to 2012, Bertelsmann
7973-407: The archetype of a self-centered managerial class . With his statements on this topic, Mohn's perspectives repeatedly drew controversy. In 1986, with the worldwide publication of his book "Success through Partnership", he laid out the principles of corporate culture at Bertelsmann. In "Humanity Wins", published in 2000, he strongly advocated an executive style in a spirit of partnership as a paradigm of
8092-435: The areas of Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Supply Chain Management (SCM) and finance, as well as information technology . The main headquarters of Arvato is Gütersloh, and additional locations exist in 22 countries. In 2022, sales of Arvato reached a volume of €5.6 billion. In January 2016, Bertelsmann bundled its printing activities in digital , offset and gravure in the Bertelsmann Printing Group . It
8211-492: The attack on the student leader Rudi Dutschke on 11 April 1968, the APO (Extra-Parliamentary Opposition) began acts of violence against the company. The APO had a history of animosity with the Springer Group's allegedly biased coverage of the student movement. For instance, in the wake of the killing of Benno Ohnesorg by the police at a student demonstration against the Shah, one Springer paper reported that "what happened yesterday in Berlin had nothing to do with politics …. It
8330-410: The business will operate completely independently with Insider Inc. The company’s co-founders retain a sizeable minority stake and have an earn-out clause built into the deal. In October 2021, the firm announced that it had completed the acquisition of Politico for over $ 1 billion, after announcing its intention to do so in late August 2021. Along with the deal, Axel Springer took full control of
8449-467: The company was created after the group divested from the music market. Following the sale of Sony BMG , Bertelsmann had retained the rights to 200, mainly European, artists. In 2009, KKR came on board with BMG, retaining a 51% majority in the company, and Bertelsmann held 49%. Since 2013, BMG has once again become a fully owned subsidiary of Bertelsmann. In 2016, BMG became a division of Bertelsmann. In 2022, BMG had revenues of €866 million. Arvato
8568-526: The company's perceived alignment with American interests. Furthermore, an article in Foreign Policy has critiqued Axel Springer SE for a history of compromising journalistic ethics to support right-wing causes, implying a longstanding pattern of bias in its publications. Upon acquisition of Insider in 2015, and again in 2021 with Politico, Mathias Döpfner allegedly stated that staff would need to adhere to Axel Springer's principles, including support for
8687-411: The company's values and the importance of European integration, especially among younger Poles, was interpreted by critics as editorial interference. In March 2021, Der Spiegel reported accusations that the editor of Bild, Julian Reichelt , had promoted several young female employees in exchange for sex and sought to buy their silence before dismissing them. This was followed up by a similar report in
8806-409: The early years, the founder was the sole Executive Board member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung. In 1979, a managing director was hired; from 1983, Mohn was supported by an Advisory Board , and in 1993, the Executive Board was also expanded. After 1998, Mohn withdrew from executive management: Initially, he stepped down from his position as Chairman of the Executive Board, and a year later also withdrew as
8925-581: The few non-Jewish media companies shut down by the National Socialists because it allegedly published subversive literature. This interpretation was severely criticized, for example, by publicist Hersch Fischler. The speech led to a broad public debate and ultimately in 1998 to the establishment of an independent historical commission (IHC) by the group. This was headed by Saul Friedländer , and additional members were Norbert Frei, Trutz Rendtorff and Reinhard Wittmann. The IHC presented an interim report in
9044-401: The film "Es müssen mehr Köpfe ans Denken kommen" (More minds need to start thinking) from Roland Suso Richter . This film was the gift from the Bertelsmann Executive Board to Mohn on his 85th birthday in 2006. In 1991, on the 70th birthday of Reinhard Mohn, the Bertelsmann Executive Board established a Reinhard Mohn Endowed Chair for Corporate Governance, Business Ethics and Social Evolution at
9163-539: The financial challenges faced at the outset of his publishing venture, suggesting the necessity of external funding for the company's rapid growth led Kruip to believe that the allegations of CIA financial support are credible. As of 2001, the Axel Springer SE names "solidarity with the libertarian values of the United States of America" as one of its core principles on its website. This explicit stance has led to critiques from scholars and independent observers regarding
9282-487: The financing of additional growth. The media commented the change of the legal structure "the turn of an era", as it essentially also enables the company to go public. This move was not ultimately implemented, however. Today, Bertelsmann is a company active in capital markets , issuing bonds , for example. Since 2001, the company has prepared its financial statements according to International Financial Reporting Standards . The new legal entity does not change any of
9401-448: The group earns the largest share of its revenues. Over the past years, the group has increasingly focused on the newly industrialized nations of Brazil, China and India. In Brazil, efforts have been aimed at expanding activities above all in the field of education. Bertelsmann has already been involved in China since 1992, and today all divisions are represented there. In India, Bertelsmann
9520-580: The largest mass media publishers in the European Union , with numerous multimedia news brands , such as Bild , Die Welt , Fakt , and the US political news site Politico , which Axel Springer acquired in 2021. The company generated total revenues of about €3.93 billion and an EBITDA increase of 12.8% in the first half of 2023. Following US private-equity firm KKR 's majority-stake acquisition in 2020, Axel Springer’s revenues have increased by
9639-581: The main source of antisemitism , ignoring that the majority of antisemitic incidents are actually caused by the far-right . She also criticized the company for uncritically adopting Israel's talking points on the Middle East conflict , to the disadvantage of Palestinians . Axel Springer has also been accused of making profits from illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Axel Springer’s Israeli classified ads website Yad2
9758-404: The majority of shareholdings in Bertelsmann was transferred to the foundation, making the Bertelsmann Stiftung the largest shareholder in the group. Capital shares and voting rights were strictly separated in the gift agreement, so that neither the foundation nor the group can exert any significant controlling influence over the other. Mohn massively increased the Bertelsmann Stiftung's budget in
9877-654: The majority of the shares in RTL through a share swap with the Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (GBL), which as a result owned 25.1% of Bertelsmann. Under the leadership of Thomas Middelhoff, Bertelsmann increased its involvement in the Internet, whereby above all the investment in Napster received major media attention. The aim of the acquisition, among other things, was to stem the illegal spread of copyrighted material. In 2001,
9996-576: The management of the C. Bertelsmann publishing company, which had been largely destroyed by bombing raids during World War II. In 1950, he established the Bertelsmann Lesering [ de ] book club, which formed the basis for the fast growth of the company in the decades that followed. From the beginning, he closely involved employees, e.g. through the loan participation program introduced in 1951. In 1969, he launched an employee profit-sharing model, viewed as exemplary throughout Germany. As
10115-585: The management of the printing and publishing house from his father-in-law, Heinrich Bertelsmann [ de ] , son of Carl Bertelsmann . Raised in a strict Protestant family, Mohn earned his German baccalaureate ( Abitur ) at the Evangelisch Stiftische Gymnasium Gütersloh in 1939 and went on to complete his Reichsarbeitsdienst , the official labor service of the Third Reich . Afterwards, he volunteered for military service with
10234-543: The management-driven concept of an operating foundation, independently developing and managing projects. He directed the Bertelsmann Stiftung to help fund the improvement of the Gütersloh City Library [ de ] and established the Carl Bertelsmann Prize (today the Reinhard Mohn Prize ). In the 1980s, the Bertelsmann Stiftung became the key focus of Mohn's corporate citizenship activities. In 1993,
10353-433: The market leader for mathematics and physics. In the year 2000, Bertelsmann dissolved its joint venture with AOL Europe. The sale of the shares in the joint venture to America Online yielded billions to Bertelsmann. In the same year, Bertelsmann and Pearson formed the RTL Group from their TV subsidiaries. Bertelsmann initially owned a minority in the company, and gradually built up its share. Later, Bertelsmann secured
10472-758: The media group. Under the arrangement, Friede Springer sold a 4.1% stake to Dopfner and gifted him 15% more- bringing Dopfner’s direct stake of the company to 22%. She also transferred voting rights to Dopfner for her remaining 22% in the business. In October of the same year, the company expanded its Berlin headquarters with the completion of the Axel Springer Campus, a cube-shaped office building designed by Rem Koolhaas and OMA . In October 2021, an article in The New York Times reported accusations of sexual misconduct, sexual discrimination and questionable business practices at Axel Springer SE. A day later,
10591-486: The media noted that a relatively large number of women have been appointed to the Group Management Committee. Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Bertelsmann Management SE each have a supervisory board that oversees the management. In 2013, Christoph Mohn assumed the chairmanship of both bodies. From the family, Liz Mohn and Brigitte Mohn are also members of the supervisory boards of both companies. Since
10710-482: The media viewed the change critically. A consolidation phase followed, in order to solve the problems with the core business. For example, Bertelsmann sold unprofitable e-commerce firms like the online shop of Barnes & Noble , among others. Gruner + Jahr sold the Berliner Zeitung , and the scientific publisher, BertelsmannSpringer , was spun off. In the 2003 financial year, Bertelsmann announced that it
10829-528: The name of Sony Music Entertainment . In 2008, Bertelsmann acquired the rights to the Brockhaus Encyclopedia , and from that time on, this reference work was published by the Wissen Media Verlag . At the end of 2011, Hartmut Ostrowski suddenly announced that he was leaving Bertelsmann for unspecified personal reasons. In 2012, Bertelsmann went from being an AG to its current incorporation as
10948-424: The new chairman and chief executive officer . With this move, Bertelsmann, for the first time, was led by a manager who was not a member of the owner family. Mark Wössner became Fischer's successor as chairman and chief executive officer of Bertelsmann in 1983. The affair concerning the forged Hitler diaries occurred at the beginning of his tenure, which damaged the reputation of Gruner + Jahr and Bertelsmann as
11067-458: The ownership of Bertelsmann. As early as the 1970s and 1980s, the Mohn family built up the Bertelsmann Stiftung , which has owned the majority of shares in Bertelsmann since 1993. In addition to social responsibility, tax considerations played a role in this. Moreover, this strategy was intended to preserve the continuity of the company. Today, according to Bertelsmann, the Mohn family holds 19.1% of
11186-431: The partial withdrawal of Pearson , Bertelsmann secured a strategic three-quarters majority in the world's leading trade publishing group. Penguin Random House's publications include the memoirs of Michelle and Barack Obama . Arvato was aligned more closely with the Group through changes in management, among other measures. The heads of the division's individual "Solution Groups" have reported directly to members of
11305-450: The prevailing legal view at that time. Bertelsmann The Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA , commonly known as Bertelsmann ( German pronunciation: [ˈbɛʁtl̩sˌman] ), is a German private multinational conglomerate corporation based in Gütersloh , North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany . It is one of the world's largest media conglomerates and is also active in
11424-641: The private University of Witten/Herdecke . In 2006, Mohn created the Reinhard Mohn Foundation [ de ] , an eponymous foundation bearing his name, which has been run since 2010 by his son, Christoph Mohn . After the senior Mohn's death, the foundation gained shareholdings in Bertelsmann, which Reinhard Mohn had held via an intermediary company. In 2010, the University of Witten/Herdecke honored Mohn by establishing an Institute for Corporate Management and Corporate Governance , today known as
11543-521: The proceeds of the sale. In the year 2013, Penguin Random House became the world's largest publishing company. Gruner + Jahr was taken over completely by Bertelsmann in 2014. Furthermore, under the leadership of Thomas Rabe, Bertelsmann increasingly invested in the education sector: In 2014, for example, Relias Learning was acquired. The company belongs to the Bertelsmann Education Group , established in 2015. The Club Bertelsmann
11662-498: The publisher fired the editor-in-chief of Bild . In July 2024, reports emerged that Axel Springer and private equity group KKR were in talks to potentially split the media conglomerate. The proposed deal would separate the group's media assets, including Politico, Business Insider, Bild, and Die Welt, from its digital classifieds operations such as StepStone and Aviv. The split was confirmed in September 2024 and Axel Springer became
11781-468: The publishing business from then on. In 1948, Mohn married Magdalene Raßfeld, whom he knew from his school days. The couple had three children: Johannes, Susanne and Christiane; they divorced in 1982. Later that year, Mohn married Elisabeth Scholz , with whom he had had an affair since the 1950s and fathered three children in the 1960s. After the wedding, Mohn adopted their three mutual children: Brigitte , Christoph and Andreas . In 1947, Mohn took over
11900-623: The publishing house Die Welt, including the daily paper Die Welt and the Sunday paper Welt am Sonntag . Construction on the company headquarters in Hamburg began in 1950 and was completed in 1956. In 1956, Axel Springer secured a blocking minority in Ullstein Verlag , and three years later he took over the company completely. ullstein bild is a brand for the photo collection (since 1877), now under Axel Springer Syndication GmbH. This
12019-630: The publishing house to the sale of books, which was decisive to further growth. In 1959, the C. Bertelsmann Verlag underwent a restructuring. From that point forward, theological literature was published by the newly established Gütersloher Verlagshaus, which was consolidated with the Rufer Verlag. Fiction, poetry, and art publications were placed under the Sigbert Mohn Verlag. The C. Bertelsmann Verlag focused on nonfiction books, in particular dictionaries, guidebooks, reference books and journals. In
12138-553: The same time, there was an increasing saturation of the German market for the Bertelsmann Lesering, whereas the foreign book clubs earned the lion's share of revenues in this corporate division. The internationalization of Bertelsmann, initiated in the 1960s, was taken further: Among other things, Bertelsmann acquired shares in the publishing houses Plaza & Janés based in Barcelona and Bantam Books from New York City. In
12257-419: The service nonetheless had to be shut down due to legal disputes. Bertelsmann faced several claims for damages by the music industry. In order to finance additional growth of Bertelsmann, Thomas Middelhoff raised the idea of going public, which led to fundamental disagreement with the Mohn family. In 2002, Gunter Thielen became the new chairman and chief executive officer of Bertelsmann, and some members of
12376-496: The shares. The three foundations, Bertelsmann Stiftung, Reinhard Mohn Stiftung and BVG Stiftung, together own 80.9%. The Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH (BVG) has key influence on the whole group: It bundles all the voting rights of the Mohn family and foundations with ownership shares. Together, they own 100 percent in the general assemblies of the group company (Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA) and its general partner (Bertelsmann Management SE). Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA
12495-534: The supervisory board. From then on, he dedicated his efforts primarily to the Bertelsmann Stiftung foundation. In 1999, Mohn transferred his sole control over the voting rights of roughly 90% of Bertelsmann shares to the Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft, a move designed to ensure the continuity of his company. In 1977, Mohn established the non-profit Bertelsmann Stiftung , initially endowed with capital of 100,000 Deutsche Mark . Mohn supported
12614-401: The takeover of Random House . With this, the group advanced to become the largest publishing group in the English-speaking world . Random House was merged with Bantam Doubleday Dell , and the global headquarters of all Bertelsmann publishing houses were relocated to New York City. In 1999, Bertelsmann acquired the publisher Springer Science+Business Media , which, among other things, was
12733-403: The year 2000 and issued a final report in 2002. It stated, for example, that the suggestion that the C. Bertelsmann Verlag mounted resistance against National Socialism was clearly not accurate. The company's "shut-down as a publisher of the resistance" could not be proven. Historian Volker Ullrich said in the weekly Die Zeit that the notion of the company's being "a resistance publisher"
12852-401: Was a joint stock company under German law ( Aktiengesellschaft ). Subsequently, the company was transformed into a partnership limited by shares ( Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien ). The general partner is a European stock corporation ( Societas Europaea ). Bertelsmann's rationale for this move, among others, was the aim of opening up for investors, thus enabling them to participate in
12971-517: Was a new business division of multimedia at Bertelsmann. Its centerpiece was AOL Europe , a joint venture of America Online and Bertelsmann. Prior to that, Bertelsmann had already acquired a direct share in America Online. The multimedia division also included mediaWays and Pixelpark . In 1997, UFA merged with Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion (CLT) to become a joint entertainment group based in Luxembourg . With CLT-UFA, Bertelsmann
13090-565: Was able to decisively diversify its business. In 1998, Thomas Middelhoff succeeded Mark Wössner as Bertelsmann's chairman and chief executive officer. Thomas Middelhoff had previously already been a member of the management board of the multimedia division. Mark Wössner joined the supervisory board of the company and also became chairman of the Bertelsmann Stiftung. In March 1998, Bertelsmann sold its video game publisher, BMG Interactive, to Take-Two Interactive in exchange for 16 percent of Take Two's stock. This management change coincided with
13209-425: Was also financed with the sale of the music publishing business to Vivendi 's Universal Music Publishing Group . During the tenure of Gunter Thielen, the number of employees at Bertelsmann exceeded 100,000 for the first time. In 2008, Hartmut Ostrowski was appointed chairman and chief executive officer. Bertelsmann sold its shares of the record label Sony BMG , and since then the company has operated under
13328-595: Was clearly baseless. The files of the IHC have been publicly available in the company archives of Bertelsmann in Gütersloh since 2003. In October 2002 the Bertelsmann conglomerate publicly expressed regret for its "conduct under the Nazis, and for later efforts to cover it up". 51°54′29″N 8°25′09″E / 51.90806°N 8.41917°E / 51.90806; 8.41917 Axel Springer SE Axel Springer SE ( German pronunciation: [ˈaksl̩ ˈʃpʁɪŋɐ ɛsˈeː] )
13447-548: Was criminal in the most sickening way." In fact, Ohnesorg, who had never attended a demonstration before, had been shot in the back while trying to leave the demonstration. The years 1972 and 1973 saw the building of the offset-printing plant in Essen-Kettwig. 1984 witnessed the official opening of the offset printing facility in Ahrensburg near Hamburg. In 1985, 49% of the company was offered for public subscription, marking
13566-595: Was criticized for how he dealt with the National Socialist past of Bertelsmann. After questions arose in the 1990s as to the company's role in the Third Reich, Bertelsmann, with the support of Mohn, established an independent historical commission, seeking to come to terms with its involvement in the Nazi era. The commission presented its final report in 2002 and found that the decades-long account of its alleged involvement in
13685-577: Was followed in 1959 by the purchase of the newspaper Berliner Morgenpost . When Springer took over the Ullstein publishing house in December 1959, the B.Z. also became its property. Two days before the end of the Soviet ultimatum in Berlin , Axel Springer laid the foundation stone for the new publishing headquarters on 25 May 1959. The official opening of the Berlin headquarters took place in 1966. After
13804-405: Was investing its music business in a joint venture with Sony . Bertelsmann and Sony each owned half the shares. With this transaction, the stakeholders sought to respond to declining sales in the music market . In addition, Gunter Thielen initiated the buyback of the shares from Groupe Bruxelles Lambert, so that the Mohn family regained complete control of Bertelsmann from 2006. This measure
13923-482: Was still a prisoner of war. Reinhard initially took an apprenticeship as a bookseller, and later joined his father's business. His father, Heinrich Mohn, had come under the scrutiny of British occupation authorities because he was a supporting member of the SS , because he had donated to other Nazi organizations, and for other reasons. In April 1947, Heinrich Mohn transferred his publishing license to his son Reinhard, who managed
14042-411: Was the largest acquisition by Bertelsmann since the purchase of Random House. In 2016, Relias acquired AHC Media, which was renamed Relias Media. In 2022, the Bertelsmann Education Group generated sales of €622 million. The Bertelsmann Investments division bundles Bertelsmann's startup investments. Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments is based in Gütersloh and since 2014 has concentrated mainly on
14161-516: Was wound up, and individual distribution partners are taking legal action against it. In 2016, the printing business was bundled in the Bertelsmann Printing Group . Bertelsmann diversified its base in 2016 by introducing a structure consisting of eight divisions. In 2017, Bertelsmann also undertook moves to further strengthen its core business, among other things increasing its share in Penguin Random House from 53 to 75 percent. Through
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