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Hubert Burda Media
Hubert Burda Media Holding is a German media group with headquarters in Offenburg. It originated as a small printing business, founded by Franz Burda Snr in Philippsburg, in 1903.
In 1986, the corporate group was divided up between Franz Jnr, Frieder and Hubert Burda. In the 1980s and 1990s, the company developed into a major corporation; it is now one of Germany's largest media companies. Its best-known media brands include the magazines Bunte and Superillu, the German edition of Playboy, the news magazine Focus, as well as HuffPost Germany, HolidayCheck and XING. The company also owned Immediate Media, a British magazine publishing company.
From 1903, Franz Burda ("I"), the father of Franz Burda Sr ("II") and grandfather of Franz Burda Jr ("III") ran a small printing business in Philippsburg. The venture was largely unsuccessful, prompting Burda to start a new company in Offenburg, in 1908.
In 1927, the company produced Germany's first radio listings magazine, "Die Sürag", (subtitle "The Large Radio Magazine"). Its name sounded like a short form of Süddeutscher Rundfunk. Its initial circulation was 3,000 copies. In 1929, Franz Burda Sr took over the business from his father, along with the editorial duties for Sürag. He expanded the business significantly. In the early 1930s, the magazine achieved a circulation of over 85,000, and the staff grew from three to roughly 100. A second and larger phase of growth began in 1934, with the acquisition and development of new printing operations and the conversion to gravure printing.
In 1938 Franz Burda and partners acquired a major printing facility, Großdruckerei, Papiergroßhandlung und Papierwarenwerk Akademiestraße Gebrüder Bauer in Mannheim. It was one of the largest and most modern printing companies in the German Reich, with some 250 employees. Its owner Berthold Reiss and fellow shareholders were Jews, meaning that they were forced to sell the business under the "Aryanization" laws relating to all Jewish-owned businesses in Nazi Germany.
As a forced seller, Berthold Reiss was obliged to find a buyer for the firm or face the appropriation of its assets and his personal destitution. Reiss pitched unsuccessfully to several potential buyers before a mutual contact told him of Franz Burda's interest. At the time Burda did not have sufficient capital to buy the business outright, so he paired with Karl Fritz, owner of Südwestdruck. One of Fritz's contacts, Robert Wagner, had the high-level political and banking contacts necessary to approve the deal and secure finance for the acquisition.
After the acquisition, Burda invited Reiss to stay on at the company to help manage the transition of ownership. Reiss's son Hans would later write that the pair established a good working relationship, despite the circumstances of the acquisition, with Reiss mentoring Burda's transition to managing a much larger business and Burda enjoying the firm's more informal culture. Burda interjected on Reiss' behalf when the latter was interned as part of Kristallnacht. The Burda and Reiss families developed a friendship after 1945, with Hans Reiss contributing to later Burda projects.
Despite his cordial relationship with Reiss, Franz Burda was a member of the Nazi Party from 1938 onwards. In 1933 he declared that his company had no Jewish employees or shareholders, although, preceding this statement in Sürag, advertisers of the National Socialist program guides NS-Funk and Der Deutsche Sender had claimed Burda did employ Jews. In reality, Burda knowingly employed a Jewish woman and rejected calls for her dismissal; this may explain why the company was never designated a "model National Socialist company". Burda also intervened against the deportation of an employee's Jewish wife, which led to Burda being reported to the Gestapo. An unauthorised biography of the family, Die Burdas, characterised Franz's membership of the Nazi party as more financial expediency than political ideology. In later official hearings Franz was held to be a Mitläufer, referring to those who were not charged with Nazi crimes but whose involvement with the Party was such that they could not be wholly exonerated.
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Hubert Burda Media
Hubert Burda Media Holding is a German media group with headquarters in Offenburg. It originated as a small printing business, founded by Franz Burda Snr in Philippsburg, in 1903.
In 1986, the corporate group was divided up between Franz Jnr, Frieder and Hubert Burda. In the 1980s and 1990s, the company developed into a major corporation; it is now one of Germany's largest media companies. Its best-known media brands include the magazines Bunte and Superillu, the German edition of Playboy, the news magazine Focus, as well as HuffPost Germany, HolidayCheck and XING. The company also owned Immediate Media, a British magazine publishing company.
From 1903, Franz Burda ("I"), the father of Franz Burda Sr ("II") and grandfather of Franz Burda Jr ("III") ran a small printing business in Philippsburg. The venture was largely unsuccessful, prompting Burda to start a new company in Offenburg, in 1908.
In 1927, the company produced Germany's first radio listings magazine, "Die Sürag", (subtitle "The Large Radio Magazine"). Its name sounded like a short form of Süddeutscher Rundfunk. Its initial circulation was 3,000 copies. In 1929, Franz Burda Sr took over the business from his father, along with the editorial duties for Sürag. He expanded the business significantly. In the early 1930s, the magazine achieved a circulation of over 85,000, and the staff grew from three to roughly 100. A second and larger phase of growth began in 1934, with the acquisition and development of new printing operations and the conversion to gravure printing.
In 1938 Franz Burda and partners acquired a major printing facility, Großdruckerei, Papiergroßhandlung und Papierwarenwerk Akademiestraße Gebrüder Bauer in Mannheim. It was one of the largest and most modern printing companies in the German Reich, with some 250 employees. Its owner Berthold Reiss and fellow shareholders were Jews, meaning that they were forced to sell the business under the "Aryanization" laws relating to all Jewish-owned businesses in Nazi Germany.
As a forced seller, Berthold Reiss was obliged to find a buyer for the firm or face the appropriation of its assets and his personal destitution. Reiss pitched unsuccessfully to several potential buyers before a mutual contact told him of Franz Burda's interest. At the time Burda did not have sufficient capital to buy the business outright, so he paired with Karl Fritz, owner of Südwestdruck. One of Fritz's contacts, Robert Wagner, had the high-level political and banking contacts necessary to approve the deal and secure finance for the acquisition.
After the acquisition, Burda invited Reiss to stay on at the company to help manage the transition of ownership. Reiss's son Hans would later write that the pair established a good working relationship, despite the circumstances of the acquisition, with Reiss mentoring Burda's transition to managing a much larger business and Burda enjoying the firm's more informal culture. Burda interjected on Reiss' behalf when the latter was interned as part of Kristallnacht. The Burda and Reiss families developed a friendship after 1945, with Hans Reiss contributing to later Burda projects.
Despite his cordial relationship with Reiss, Franz Burda was a member of the Nazi Party from 1938 onwards. In 1933 he declared that his company had no Jewish employees or shareholders, although, preceding this statement in Sürag, advertisers of the National Socialist program guides NS-Funk and Der Deutsche Sender had claimed Burda did employ Jews. In reality, Burda knowingly employed a Jewish woman and rejected calls for her dismissal; this may explain why the company was never designated a "model National Socialist company". Burda also intervened against the deportation of an employee's Jewish wife, which led to Burda being reported to the Gestapo. An unauthorised biography of the family, Die Burdas, characterised Franz's membership of the Nazi party as more financial expediency than political ideology. In later official hearings Franz was held to be a Mitläufer, referring to those who were not charged with Nazi crimes but whose involvement with the Party was such that they could not be wholly exonerated.