Bremer Tageszeitungen AG

Logo of Bremer Tageszeitungen AG

Bremer Tageszeitungen AG (BTAG) publishes WESER-KURIER, one of Germany's highest-circulation metropolitan newspapers and the leading regional media company in Bremen and surrounding areas. The company also publishes Bremer Nachrichten, Verdener Nachrichten, seven regional editions, and four local editions under the BTAG umbrella.

The media group maintains a strong market presence in print, online, and digital offerings and holds a significant economic position in the region. Bremer Tageszeitungen AG is controlled by Hackmack, Meyer KG, which is owned 50% each by Christian Güssow and Ulrich Hackmack.Beyond journalism, the company offers services in IT, logistics, mail delivery, multimedia marketing, and corporate publishing. These activities strengthen economic stability and may indirectly influence editorial decisions. Over its more than 75-year history, the media group has modernized and expanded digitally. Management and editorial leadership shape strategic direction and maintain journalistic independence.


In the late 2000s and early 2010s, BTAG experienced a series of legal and internal disputes. During Ulrich Hackmack's tenure as board chair of Bremer Tageszeitungen AG, internal conflicts arose, including with an editor-in-chief he appointed whose management style caused significant discontent in the newsroom. The German Journalists Association (DJV) also criticized the internal conflicts with staff.

Additionally, BTAG's workforce pursued legal action against the outsourcing of positions and the absence of contractual wage increases. It became standard practice to fill editorial positions through subcontractors who paid significantly below union-agreed and customary editorial salaries. Some editorial positions were filled by 100% subsidiaries of Hackmack, Meyer KG—the parent company owned by Hackmack and Güssow—such as the in-house "Pressedienst Nord." The DJV criticized this practice as "union avoidance" and the workforce successfully secured a company-wide works council representing all publications and service providers controlled by Hackmack, Meyer KG.

During Hackmack's tenure, internal disputes between him and co-owner Güssow escalated. In 2011, the Bremen Court of Appeal ruled that Ulrich Hackmack's contract extension from 2009 was formally null and void—a decision later confirmed by the Federal Court of Justice. The lawsuit was filed by co-owner Christian Güssow, who controlled the other 50% of the company alongside Hackmack and sought to remove his co-owner from operational management. Despite the ruling, the supervisory board initially retained Hackmack in office. Güssow subsequently filed for a preliminary injunction, which failed in court but was expected to succeed on appeal. To avoid further court proceedings, BTAG dismissed Hackmack on April 25, 2013. He agreed to resign "in the company's interest." The board thanked him for his contributions but made no public statement regarding underlying internal conflicts. His departure marked the culmination of a long-standing power struggle between the owners.

Despite the controversies, Hackmack remained active in supervisory roles within BTAG and Weser-Kurier Media Group and retained influence over the company's strategic direction.

Key Facts

Business FormCommercial / For-profit
Legal FormJoint-Stock company (AG) Bremen local court HRB 8834 HB
Business SectorsCulture and event services, job board operations and job placement

Ownership

Individual Owner

Media Outlets

Other Media Outlets

Other TV Outlets

RADIO 21 TV

Other Radio Outlets

80s80s Radio (national)
80s80s Radio (Hamburg)
80s80s Radio (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania)
90s90s Radio
90s90s Sachsen
94,3 rs2 Berlin-Brandenburg
barba radio
Berliner Rundfunk 91.4
delta radio
Energy Bremen
Energy Bremen (national)
ffn Comedy
ffn digital
ffn jack
ffn young
Hamburg 2
LandesWelle Thüringen
NRW1
R.SA
R.SH Gold
R.SH Radio Schleswig-Holstein
RADIO 21
Radio 21 - Bester Rock'n Pop für Hamburg
Radio 21 - Bester Rock'n Pop für Schleswig-Holstein
Radio 21 - NRWs bester ROCK'N POP
Radio BOB!
Radio BOB! Schleswig-Holstein
Radio Bollerwagen (Saxony)
Radio Erzgebirge 107,7
radio ffn
Radio PSR
Radio Roland
Radio Roland (national)
Radio SAW
Radio The WOLF Hamburg
Radio The WOLF Schleswig-Holstein
ROCKLAND (Saxony)
Schlagerplanet Radio (national)
SchlagerPlanet Radio (Saxony)
SUNSHINE LIVE
sunshine live

Other Online Outlets

www.80s80s.de
www.90s90s.de
www.berliner-rundfunk.de
www.bremer-nchrichten.de
www.deichstube.de
www.deltaradio.de
www.energy.de/bremen
www.ffn.de
www.hamburg-zwei.de
www.landeswelle.de
www.nrw1.de
www.prisma.de
www.radio21.de
www.radio21.de/nrw
www.radiobob.de
www.radiobollerwagen.de
www.radiopsr.de
www.radioroland.de
www.radiosaw.de
www.rockland.fm
www.rs2.de
www.rsa-sachsen.de
www.rsh.de
www.schlagerplanetradio.com
www.sunshine-live.de
www.the-wolf.de
www.verdener-nachrichten.de
www.weser-kurier.de

Other Print Outlets

Bremer Nachrichten
Die Wirtschaft (Bremen & Bremerhaven)
Handwerk in Bremen
Verdener Nachrichten
Weser-Kurier Kinderzeitung

Facts

Other Media Businesses

Newspapers & Publishing:
Weser-Kurier / Bremer Nachrichten: Bremer Tageszeitungen AG (100.0%)
PRISMA-Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Düsseldorf (1.8%)
Radio & Broadcasting:
PBR Privater Bremer Rundfunk GmbH & Co. KG, Bremen (16.0%)
Funk und Fernsehen Nordwestdeutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Hannover (10.1%)
Media Management & Administration:
Medien Hub Bremen-Nordwest GmbH, Oldenburg (50.0%)
Medienmanagement Bremen-Nordwest GmbH & Co. KG, Oldenburg (50.0%)
Medienmanagement Bremen-Nordwest Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Oldenburg (50.0%)
MVD Medienvertrieb Delmenhorst GmbH, Delmenhorst (25.0%)
Other:
MSP Systempartner GmbH & Co. KG, Bremen (50.0%)
BO-Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Bremen (50.0%)
Deichstube GmbH, Bremen (50.0%)

Other Domestic Businesses

Culture / Events:
Musikfest Bremen GmbH, Bremen (20.0%)
Nordwest Ticket GmbH, Bremen (33.1%)
Job Board:
Kimeta GmbH, Darmstadt (5.7%)
Other:
RWV Bündelgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, Münster (5.6%)

Founding Year1945
Founder
  • Hans Hackmack

    The founder of the Weser-Kurier was Hans Hackmack, a journalist and publisher from Bremen. In 1945, he received a license from the US military government to establish the first free daily newspaper in post-war Germany. Hackmack had previously worked as a journalist and was committed to independent, democratic journalism. There is no reliable public information available about family holdings in other media companies or political or religious affiliations.

Employees284
ContactMartinistr. 43
28195 Bremen
Germany
info@weser-kurier.de
+49 421 3671-0
http://www.weser-kurier.de
Tax / ID NumberJoint-Stock company (AG) Bremen local court HRB 8834 HB
RevenueEUR 67,952,480.90 / USD 73,388,679.37 (2023)
Operating ProfitEUR 1,458,609.58 / USD 1,575,298.34 (2023)
Advertising (in % of total funding)Missing Data
Executive Board
  • David  Koopmann

    David Koopman has more than 27 years of management experience in the media industry. He has been a member of the Executive Board of Bremer Tageszeitungen AG since 2019, where he previously headed the Markets, Reader Market & Marketing divisions and the Marketing department, among other things. At the same time, he has been Managing Director of Osterholzer Zeitungsverlag since 2016 and Managing Director of DeichStube GmbH since 2021.
    He began his professional career in 1990 as a project manager at B&P GmbH before moving to Bremer Tageszeitungen AG in 1997. His work focuses on sales management, marketing strategy, and corporate communications.
    Koopman is chairman of the Zeitungsverleger- und Digital Publisher Verband Bremen e.V. (Bremen Newspaper Publishers and Digital Publishers Association) and a member of the board of the BDZV (German Newspaper Publishers Association).
    He is also involved in voluntary work, including as chairman of the Bremen Media Mile Interest Group, as a board member of the Christmas Aid fundraising campaign, and as treasurer of Bremer Leselust e.V.
    He is also a member of the administrative board of the Information Community for Determining the Distribution of Advertising Media e. V. His activities combine in-depth knowledge of the regional media landscape with strategic management experience.

Supervisory Board
  • Bernhard Gätjen

    Bernhard Gätjen is a notary and lawyer from Bremen and holds the position of Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Bremer Tageszeitungen AG. He has been Chairman of the Supervisory Board at the publishing house since August 2017 and is therefore responsible for controlling and strategically monitoring the company's management.

  • Jochen Becker

    Jochen Becker is deputy chairman of the supervisory board of Bremer Tageszeitungen AG. He was elected to the supervisory board in August 2014 and was re-elected in subsequent years, serving until at least 2016. Prior to this, he was managing director of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ).

  • Ulrich Hackmack

    Ulrich Hackmack is a member of the supervisory board of Bremer Tageszeitungen AG. He served as board chair from 1999 to April 2013. As the grandson of Weser-Kurier founder Hans Hackmack, he holds 50% ownership of the company through Hackmack, Meyer KG, alongside co-owner Christian Güssow.
    Following his departure from the board chair position in 2013 due to legal disputes with co-owner Güssow, Hackmack has remained active in supervisory roles and retains influence over the company's strategic direction.

  • Christian Güssow

    Christian Güssow is one of two principal owners of Bremer Tageszeitungen AG, holding 50% of company shares through family structures. He is also a member of the company's supervisory board. Güssow and the Hackmack family jointly control the company through Hackmack, Meyer KG, the parent holding company.
    During the tenure of co-owner Ulrich Hackmack as board chair, Güssow initiated legal proceedings that resulted in the court ruling Hackmack's contract extension void in 2011. This legal action contributed to Hackmack's removal from operational management in 2013.

  • Stephan Marzen

    Stephan Marzen is a member of the supervisory board of Bremer Tageszeitungen AG since June 2024. He brings extensive experience from the media and publishing sector. Previously, Marzen served for 14 years as managing director of Rheinische Post Verlagsgesellschaft and RP Digital.
    Limited additional biographical information is publicly available regarding his education, other board positions, or business affiliations beyond his media sector experience.

Headlines
Data Publicly Available
ownership data is easily available from other sources, e. g. public registries etc.
Meta Data

The average exchange rate of the US dollar against the euro in 2024 was approximately 0.92 euros per US dollar.

Information on Jochen Becker and other members of the Supervisory board was compiled from publicly available corporate documents and shareholder meeting records of Bremer Tageszeitungen AG. In some cases, biographical details beyond their supervisory board role at BTAG are not publicly available.

 

Sources
Documents (PDF)
  • Konzernabschluss 2023, Bremer Tageszeitungen AG, HRB 8834
    File
  • Wiedergabe des aktuellen Registerinhalts, Bremer Tageszeitungen AG, HRB 8834
    File
  • Ausdruck Handelsregister A, Bremer Tageszeitungen AG, HRB 8834
    File
  • Historischer Abrduck, Bremer Tageszeitungen AG, HRB 8834
    File
  • Wiedergabe des aktuellen Registerinhalts, Hackmack, Meyer KG, HRA 19474 HB
    File
  • Ausdruck Handelsregister A, Hackmack, Meyer KG, HRA 19474 HB
    File
  • Historischer Abdruck, Hackmack, Meyer KG, HRA 19474 HB
    File