From the early years right up to the present day – experience the exciting history of Gruner + Jahr, which is also part of the history of the media in Germany.
In August 2021, Bertelsmann announced that G+J will merge with RTL Deutschland. As of January 1, 2022, RTL Germany, together with Gruner + Jahr, is the leading entertainment company in Germany across all media genres: TV and streaming, print and digital, radio and podcast. It unites the strongest media brands from RTL to STERN, from BRIGITTE to VOX, from GEO to ntv.
STERN, RTL and ntv launch the weekday podcast "heute wichtig" ("What’s important today"). Host Michel Abdollahi and his team set topics and initiate debates - with attitude and sometimes uncomfortably. To do this, they talk to the most inspiring people from politics, society and entertainment. They let all voices have their say, the quiet ones and the loud ones. Listening to "heute wichtig" gives you an informed start into the day and allows you to have a substantiated opinion.
What counts in the Covid19 year 2020? Information and entertainment, more than ever. The demand for Gruner + Jahr's journalistic range is high - on all channels. Magazines such as SCHÖNER WOHNEN, GEOLINO or LANDLUST increase their circulation, STERN.de sets reach records.
Audio is booming - and G+J is on board with 17 new podcast formats. In "Die Stunde Null - Deutschlands Weg aus der Krise" with CAPITAL editor-in-chief Horst von Buttlar, the focus is on the effects of the Covid19- pandemic and key economic topics. In the STERN podcast "Die Boss - Macht ist weiblich", presenter Simone Menne, one of the first women on a DAX board, invites female bosses to a talk. And "GEOLINO Spezial" becomes one of Germany's most far-reaching children's podcasts, wow! All podcasts are available on Audio Now.
The self-care apps "Balloon", "Hirschhausen Diet" and "7Sleepers" hit a nerve and quickly record high user numbers. Their recipe for success? Scientifically sound content and tips provided by experts - and easy to use as an audio app at any time. The digital paid services of STERN, STERN CRIME and CAPITAL are also growing.
STERN focuses closely on socially relevant topics and initiates debates: The much-discussed monothematic issue #keinGradweiter on the climate crisis is published in cooperation with Fridays for Future. And the discussion about women in leadership positions receives impetus with the cover story "Ich bin eine Quotenfrau" (I am a token woman).
Within the Bertelsmann Content Alliance (which includes the media group RTL Deutschland, RTL Radio, the TV production company UFA, the publishing group Random House, Gruner + Jahr, and the music company BMG), G+J is taking on a leading role in managing the collaboration among all Bertelsmann content businesses. As one of the first cross-sectoral program formats, the Bertelsmann Content Alliance is covering the Arctic expedition MOSAiC exclusively for German-speaking audiences.
STERN is publishing the podcast "Faking Hitler – The True Story of the Fake Hitler Diaries." Several other G+J publications are also producing new content for listeners: In total, 20 podcasts will be going on air this year. Under the umbrella of the Audio Alliance, all the Bertelsmann Content Alliance partners are working together to develop and produce podcasts and to launch the streaming platform Audio Now.
Dr. Eckart von Hirschhausen is now offering personal advice for those doing intermittent fasting. He provides audio coaching sessions via the new Hirschhausen-Diät ("Hirschhausen Diet") app. Whether you're interested in diet coaching, news, true crime or historical topics, Gruner + Jahr is expanding its digital media program for the first time to include paid content: STERN PLUS is offering expertly produced reports as an expansion of quick news and STERN CRIME PLUS has plenty of thrilling subscriptions, while GEO EPOCHE is launching an online archive.
Birds of a feather flock together: Magazine titles DR. ECKHARDT v. HIRSCHHAUSENS STERN GESUND LEBEN, JWD, and GUIDO have joined BARBARA magazine at newsstands. With its personality magazines, Gruner + Jahr has created a successful new genre in the magazine market, and the publishing house continues its innovation campaign with further new titles such as B-EAT and DIE HÖHLE DER LÖWEN.
With the new magazines CORD, HYGGE and IDEAT, G+J celebrates the cosy sides of life. And because they can best be enjoyed in a stylish ambience, the publishing house launches its SCHÖNER WOHNEN-collection. The selected pieces of furniture bring the beautiful life not only to the newsstand, but directly into your own four walls.
Gruner + Jahr welcomes the heads of state and government to the G20 summit in Hamburg with a campaign on freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Editors-in-chief have themselves displayed behind bars on multilingual poster and social media motifs to draw attention to imprisoned journalists. Their request to the representatives of the G20 countries is: Journalists' rights must not be restricted in any way and their work must not be obstructed or punished anywhere in the world.
G+J's digital business is growing and flourishing. The Greenhouse Innovation Lab, where new ideas are bred and tested, creates the best conditions for this. These ideas include G+J's influencer marketing solution InCircles, which has been attracting increasing attention since 2017, and G+J's social video unit VidClubs, which sets a high standard for reach and coverage with its Social Media Brands CLUB OF COOKS, BAKECLUB, MEALCLUB and KLUB DER KERLE (the guys' club). G+J's start-up AppLike also rockets upwards and becomes the fastest-growing AdTech enterprise in Germany.
Gruner + Jahr establishes Europe’s largest provider for content driven communication with TERRITORY. Jointly with the Landwirtschaftsverlag Münster, G+J creates the Deutsche Medienmanufaktur (DMM) and brings along the first G+J inhabitants under the new roof with ESSEN & TRINKEN, LIVING AT HOME und FLOW. They can make themselves comfortable with SCHÖNER WOHNEN – next to the successful DIY-line the brand now sells selected favourite pieces in the SCHÖNER WOHNEN online-shop.
Courage is to do something special: Gruner + Jahr shakes up the market with new magazines like BARBARA, WALDEN and STERN CRIME – and not only wins over readers but real fans. The publishing house also gives extensive makeovers to established titles like ELTERN, ESSEN & TRINKEN, P.M. and GEO.
DANATO, DELINERO and EMPLOYOUR become new members of the G+J family. The Greenhouse is born – and tests new business ideas of Gruner + Jahr as InnovationLab. The G+J fund Digital Ventures, which is equipped with 50 million Euros, is developedto support innovative digital companies in the early stage market.
50 years, 20 billion produced magazines and countless stories. On July 1st , Gruner + Jahr celebrates its birthday with the employees and like once the three founders with strawberry cake and champagne. On occasion of the anniversary, Hamburg’s first mayor Olaf Scholz invites to a senate reception with 500 guests from media,politics, business and show business in August.
Nothing is steadier than change: Gruner + Jahr invests further in its core business and revises the complete brand portfolio. In this scope, new magazines like SALON are launched on the market. Numerous special issues and line extensions emerge.
In the middle instead on the sidelines: Gruner + Jahr becomes a 100 percent subsidiary of the Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and as a consequence changes its legal form to a Gmbh & Co. KG.
Gruner + Jahr starts a radical strategic new realignment and invests in consisting and new magazines, digitalizes its content and strengthens the development of additional business and marketing.
SCHÖNER WOHNEN celebrates ist 50th anniversary and remembers the topics of the first issue: an interview with the humorist Loriot, the house of former chancellor Ludwig Erhard and the question of how the Danes live.
Gruner + Jahr reaches the next digital level and among others launches the STERN eMag as well as further apps of GALA, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and GEO.
From relegation to top of the league: G+J takes over the football magazine 11FREUNDE. The first issue only finds 200 customers in a distribution campaign. Today it is traded on eBay for up to 600 Euros.
Inspite of difficult market conditions, Gruner + Jahr launches new magazine titles on the market, among others NIDO, GEO MINI, BEEF! and BUSINESS PUNK.
Digital turns viral – and Gruner + Jahr develops the websites of its strong brands with great commitment. Acquisitions like CHEFKOCH.de strengthen the publishing company’s online postion and lay important groundwork in direction digital future.
Honour, where honour is due: 2005 sees Gruner + Jahr presenting the Henri-Nannen-Prize for excellent works in Germanspeaking journalism for the first time. The established Egon-Erwin-Kisch-Prizeis incorporated in it and continued as the so called "King’s category" Reportage. In 2016 the award was renamed Nannen Prize.
NEON starts as a young magazine within the STERN family and passes its trial period with distinction. From 2004 onwards, the title is published monthly and the NEON.de community rapidly increases to be one of the most successful communities in the German media market.
The most ambitious project in recent years: G+J launches FINANCIAL TIMES DEUTSCHLAND on newsstands together with the London media group Pearson. In spite of prizewinning journalistic performances, the magazine has to be discontinued twelve years later due to commercial losses.
Images which tell a story: Gruner + Jahr supports excellent photo journalism and exhibits the prizewinning works of the World Press Photo Award in the Hamburg headquarters at the Baumwall for the first time in 1997. Since then STERN and GEO annually alternate as host of the German premiere, which regulary celebrates record attendances.
Unicef turns 50 – and GEO bestows an idea: GEOLINO, a knowledge magazine for children, with games, instructions and news for small world discoverers.
The Gruner + Jahr brands turn digital: STERN.de, GEO.de, PM-MAGAZIN.de and MOPO.de are launched as the first internet offers of the publishing hosue.
Eye to eye with the stars: In France the G+J subsidiary Prisma Presse launches an innovative magazien concept in the people segment with GALA: One year later sees GALA also conquering the red carpets in Germany.
Gruner + Jahr expands its business and acquires the majority of the Dresdner Druck- und Verlagshaus, among others publisher of the SÄCHSISCHE ZEITUNG.
From the Alster lake to the Elbe river: On September 18th, the foundation stone of the Gruner + Jahr headquarters is laid at the Baumwall. Three years later the employees of all Hamburg locations move in – working together under the same roof for the first time.
The worst case scenario in magazine history. In April 1983 the STERN runs following cover story "Hitler’s diaries discovered". Too late it is realized that the dusty notebooks are not Hitler’s annotations but forgeries. But the editorial team adheres to the principle of journalistic enlightment even in view of its own painfully experienced cause: on May 26th 1983, the STERN exposes all the researched details in a cover story.
Art comes from ability – and G+J is able! With ART and HÄUSER the publishing house not only launches two new magazines on the market, it also underlines its professional expertise and shows a hand for pointed topics and niche readerships.
Heroin, drug-related crime, prostitution – in "Wir Kinder von Bahnhof Zoo" (We children from the Zoo Station) the then 15 year old Christiane F. tells of her life in the West Berlin drug scene. Her report shocks and directs the public’s view towards the fate of drug addicted children and young people in German cities. The book is the most sold nonfiction work in the postwar era. In 1978, parts of it were pre-published in the STERN.
Henri Nannen, founder of the STERN, donates the Egon-Erwin-Kisch-Prize. With this award the magazine honoured the best reportages in the German speaking press for 30 years.
"Here it is now – the 'STERN’s child', very proud of its father and thankful for his initial help but also determined not to be like him. In one word, GEO is not 'a different STERN'. GEO is new in the most true sense of the word", writes founder Rolf Gillhausen in the editorial of the first issue.
Nobody delivers a fresh perspective like the new G+J-magazine ESSEN & TRINKEN. With innovative recipe presentations and the introduction of crème fraîche the magazine meets the taste of the readers from issue 1 onwards.
Gruner + Jahr grows further and acquires 15 percent of the Vereinigte Motor-Verlage ("auto motor sport"). The same year sees the Gruner + Jahr GmbH & Co. becoming the print and publishing company Gruner + Jahr AG & Co.
Gruner + Jahr acquires 24,75 percent of shares of the Spiegel publishing house ("Der Spiegel"). John Jahr and Gerd Bucerius withdraw from the active management of G+J.
This STERN-cover shocks the republic: In June 1971, 374 women declare: "We have aborted!". A courageous confession and moreover a criminal offence. The campaign is the birth of the women's movement in the fight against the restrictively construed German abortion section 218.
Following the integration of "Constanze" one year earlier, BRIGITTE rises to no. 1 in the "supreme discipline" of women’s magazines published fortnightly.
Gruner + Jahr gets a new shareholder. Following Richard Gruner surrendering his shares, Reinhard Mohn (Bertelsmann) now acquires 25 percent of G+J.
The magazine ELTERN sees the light of day. Three years later it is received into the Gruner + Jahr-family.
The magazine publishers John Jahr, Dr. Gerd Bucerius and the printer Richard Gruner founded the Gruner + Jahr GmbH & Co. on June 30th accompanied by strawberry cake and champagne. The following day sees G+J starting work as a print- and publishing company.
The business magazine CAPITAL is launched on the market. It introduces itself to the top managers of German companies with a discreetly indecent cover.
BRIGITTE changes the world of women’s magazines. In place of housekeeping topics and classic role models, it imparts a self-confident and carefree attitude towards life tothe young women in the Federal Republic – and is thus a pioneer in it’s field.
August 1st. The first issue of STERN magazine is published. On the cover: Hildegard Knef, the then icon of German postwar film.http://guj.gjce.de/typo3/#_msocom_1
