Saarbrücker Zeitung
Saarbrücker Zeitung is the dominant daily newspaper in Saarland, located in the historically significant border region between Germany and France. At its first edition in 1761, the newspaper was called Nassau-Saarbrückisches Wochenblatt, initiated by Prince Wilhelm Heinrich of Nassau-Saarbrücken and founded by Bernhard Gottfried Hofer, owner of the court printing press.
Following a series of name changes and periods during which the newspaper was under French ownership (and partly published in French), it received its current name in 1861. From that time forward, Saarbrücker Zeitung operated as a daily newspaper appearing on weekdays. In 1935, the newspaper was coordinated under Nazi control, fully integrated into the regime's media system, and operated as a state-controlled news organ.
After the Second World War, Saarbrücker Zeitung was initially controlled by the French state until Saarlanders voted in a referendum in October 1955 in favor of joining the Federal Republic. Following negotiations, agreement was reached on a purchase price of 110 million francs. Final privatization occurred in February 1970 when the purchase contract between Saarland and France was signed. The private holding company was initially designated Saarbrücker Zeitung Verlag und Druckerei and was renamed Saarbrücker Zeitung Medienhaus in 2021.
The 1970 privatization involved a competitive bidding process. Publisher Georg von Holtzbrinck (Stuttgart) acquired a 49% stake, prevailing over competing bidders including the Essen-based WAZ Group. Party-affiliated foundations (CDU, SPD, FDP) received 26% of shares, while 15% of share capital was allocated to SZ employees. The remaining 10% was divided equally among the previous state trustees: Saarländische Kreditbank, Landesbank and Girozentrale, and Bank für Gemeinwirtschaft.
In the first quarter of 2025, Saarbrücker Zeitung's circulation (Mon-Sat) according to IVW was 103,270 copies.
Saarbrücker Zeitung Medienhaus GmbH currently publishes additional daily newspapers: Trierischer Volksfreund and Pfälzischer Merkur, as well as the magazine WOCHENSPIEGEL and the advertising publication DIE WOCH. It holds 100% of N49 Agentur für Strategie und Performance GmbH, which operates the news portal SOL.DE – Saarland Online. Additional holdings include a 10% stake in Radio Salü, a regional private broadcasting service based in Saarbrücken.
Key Facts
| Audience Share | 82.20% |
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| Ownership Type | Private |
| Content Type | Paid |
| Data Publicly Available | ownership data is easily available from other sources, e. g. public registries etc. |
| Media Companies / Groups | Saarbrücker Zeitung Medienhaus GmbH legal_identifier: Limited Liability Company Saarbücken Local Court HRB 4032 VAT ID NO: DE138112873 |
Ownership
| Ownership Structure | Saarbrücker Zeitung is published by Saarbrücker Zeitung Medienhaus GmbH, which is 56% owned by Rheinische Post Mediengruppe (Düsseldorf). Rheinische Post Mediengruppe, one of Germany's five largest newspaper publishers and publisher of Rheinische Post (100%), acquired the 56% majority stake in Saarbrücker Zeitung from the Georg von Holtzbrinck publishing group in early 2013. The purchase price was not disclosed. Rheinische Post Mediengruppe exercises significant influence over strategic and economic decisions at Saarbrücker Zeitung Medienhaus GmbH. Gesellschaft für staatsbürgerliche Bildung Saar mbH (GSB), a locally-based organization with party affiliations, holds 28% of shares. GSB is owned by the CDU-affiliated Union Stiftung (40% of GSB), Villa Lessing – Liberale Stiftung, FDP-affiliated (20% of GSB), and Stiftung Demokratie Saarland, SPD-affiliated (40% of GSB). GSB operates as a non-commercial institution; its influence is characterized as politically oriented but operationally limited. Saarbrücker Zeitung GbR, a partnership company, holds the remaining 16%. Through this structure, employees of the media company hold direct stakes in the firm. Saarbrücker Zeitung GbR is a financial stakeholder but does not exercise dominant control. |
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Facts
| Founding Year | 1761 In 1761, Prince Wilhelm Heinrich of Nassau-Saarbrücken learned of advertising publications emerging at that time and decided to establish one of his own. The "Nassau-Saarbrückisches Wochenblatt," as it was called, was initially a pure advertising publication featuring notices of "items for sale" and "weekly food prices." |
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| Contact | Gutenbergstraße 11-23 66117 Saarbrücken Germany red-sz-service@sz-sb.de +49 (0) 681 502-0 www.saarbruecker-zeitung.de/ |
| Revenue | Missing Data |
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| Advertising (in % of total funding) | Missing Data |
| Market Share | Missing Data |