Dicand family takes over the Kronen Zeitung: a new departure!

Dicand family takes over the Kronen Zeitung: a new departure!

The media landscape in Austria is facing a significant change: The Funke Mediengruppe sold its 50 percent share at the Kronen Zeitung to the Dichnd family family. This agreement on the owner structure was made last week, but still has to be approved by responsible committees and competition authorities. Christoph Duand, the editor of the Kronen Zeitung, is optimistic and emphasized that this is a new beginning for the company. Julia Becker, the chairwoman of the Funke Mediengruppe, also expressed a positive statement about the return of the crown into the hands of the Dichand family, which the newspaper in 1959 founded Hans Dichand as "Neue Kronen Zeitung".

The Funke Media Group, which has held this proportion since 1987, withdraws to concentrate on the German market. While the owner structure is now clearly defined, Funke will continue to be involved in the Kronen Zeitung until November 2025. Everything remains unchanged in the operational tip of the media house: Michael Tillian, the managing director sent by Funke, and Gerhard Valeskini, who was deployed by the Duand family, run the business. Christoph Dichnd and Klaus Herrmann will continue to lead the editor -in -chief.

media concentration in Austria

The progressive consolidation of the media in Austria is apparently a higher -level topic. The ownership structure of the printing media is strongly concentrated, with the main owners in addition to the Duand family also Raiffeisen and the Catholic Church. Raiffeisen lasts over 50% of the daily newspaper, while Funke and the Signa Group each have half of the shares in the Kronen Zeitung. Signa Group, led by the billionaires Rene Benko and Hans Peter Haselsteiner, could also influence the market.

Austria's tabloid newspapers, including the Kronen Zeitung, face the challenge of asserting their reach in a changing media environment. With a range of 22.3 percent, the Kronen Zeitung leads the ranking of the Austrian daily newspapers. These developments underline the importance of a strong, locally rooted press, which would continue to shape the Austrian media landscape in the future. The editorial team of the Kronen Zeitung plans to continue to expand their position, despite the changes in the ownership structure.

Overall, the media landscape in Austria remains dynamic, and the withdrawal of the Funke media group could open up new perspectives for the Duand family and the Kronen Zeitung. Future cooperation between the two publishers is theoretically possible, but is subject to the reservation of the consent from the competition authorities.

For more information on these developments, see Leadersnet, krone) Contrast.