Bunte

After the end of World War II, the French authorities commissioned ex-Nazi publisher Franz Burda to come up with an illustrated magazine and, following their request, he released the first edition in 1948 under the name Das Ufer.{{citation|periodical=Die Zeit|title=Macht und Pracht der bunten Bilder|date=26 November 1982|language=German|url=http://www.zeit.de/1982/48/macht-und-pracht-der-bunten-bilder/komplettansicht|access-date= 6 January 2017

}} Whereas the editorial section was initially provided by the French authorities, an independent editorial team emerged at the end of the 1950s. From the beginning, the magazine reported on a wide variety of events in society. In 1953, marking the coronation of Elisabeth II, a special issue was produced with a circulation of 100,000 copies. Franz Burda had previously taken out a loan to purchase the photo copyrights (against the will of his family).{{citation|periodical=Kress Report|title=Hasardeur Burda|page=34|date=3 September 2010|language=German

}} In 1954, Das Ufer changed its name to Bunte Illustrierte, reflecting a key element of large-format photo series in the center of the publication, which were already printed in color.{{citation|surname1=Peter Köpf|periodical=Die Tageszeitung|title=Der herrliche Franz|page=6|date=22 February 2003|language=German

}}

In the 1950s and 1960s, Bunte developed into one of the most widely distributed German popular magazines.{{citation|surname1=Insa Sjurts|title=Die deutsche Medienbranche: Eine unternehmensstrategische Analyse|publisher=Springer Gabler|publication-place=Wiesbaden|page=87|isbn=978-3-322-96462-5|date=1996|language=German

}} Acquisitions also played a role in the expansion of the magazine: In 1958, the Deutsche Illustrierte was taken over. In 1960, the Münchner Illustrierte, with a circulation of some 500,000 copies, was added to the portfolio, so that the Bunte Münchner Illustrierte first surpassed the one million mark at the beginning of 1961. In addition, the publishing company bought the traditional Frankfurter Illustrierte in 1963, which was also merged into the Bunte.{{citation|surname1=Gisela Freisinger|title=Hubert Burda: Der Medienfürst|publisher=Campus|publication-place=Frankfurt am Main|page=416|isbn=978-3-593-40087-7|date=2005|language=German

}} From then on, the publication was called Bunte Münchner Frankfurter Illustrierte.{{citation|periodical=Der Spiegel|title=Lieber Farah|date=26 December 1962|language=German|url=http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-45125376.html|access-date= 6 January 2017

}} Beyond focus on high Society, in the 1960s the Bunte more and more frequently featured topics such as post-War rebuilding, cinema films and music. The magazine attracted major attention, for example, with a photo series about the Iron Curtain.{{citation|surname1=Sabine Hilgenstock|title=Die Geschichte der Bunten (1948–1988): Die Entwicklung einer illustrierten Wochenzeitschrift mit einer Chronik dieser Zeitschriftengattung|year=1993|publisher=Peter Lang|publication-place=Frankfurt am Main|page=136|isbn=3-631-45216-0|language=German

}}

In July 1972, the Bunte Illustrierte first appeared under the abbreviated name of the Bunte.{{citation|surname1=Gisela Freisinger|title=Hubert Burda: Der Medienfürst|publisher=Campus|publication-place=Frankfurt am Main|page=418|isbn=978-3-593-40087-7|date=2005|language=German

}} In the years that followed, the magazine was shaped above all by Hubert Burda, who started out in 1974 as an editor at the Bunte. Two years later, he took over the position as Editor-in-Chief from Bernd Ruland.{{citation|periodical=Badische Zeitung|title=Widersprüchliche Welten in Balance gehalten|date=9 November 2012|language=German|url=http://www.badische-zeitung.de/offenburg/widerspruechliche-welten-in-balance-gehalten--65457862.html|access-date= 6 January 2017

}} Under his management, the magazine developed into a modern popular magazine for middle class society,{{cite web|title=Ein Leben zwischen Verlag, Kunst und Innovation|trans-title=|periodical=Focus Online|publisher=|url=http://www.focus.de/finanzen/news/hubert-burda/75-jahre-dr-hubert-burda-ein-leben-zwischen-kunst-medien-und-innovation_id_4452734.html|accessdate=6 January 2017|archiveurl=|archivedate=|author=Stephan Sattler|date=|year=|language=German|pages=|quote=}}{{cite web|title=That's new, Pussycat|trans-title=|periodical=Süddeutsche Zeitung|publisher=|url=http://www.sueddeutsche.de/medien/hubert-burda-die-bunte-story-thats-new-pussycat-1.1517590|format=|accessdate=6 January 2017|archiveurl=|archivedate=|author=Hans-Jürgen Jakobs|date=8 November 2012|language=German|pages=|quote=}} and by the mid-1970s, the Bunte had grown to become Germany's bestselling magazine. In 1983, Burda-Verlag unveiled its new headquarters at Arabellapark in Munich.{{citation|surname1=Sabine Hilgenstock|title=Die Geschichte der Bunten (1948–1988): Die Entwicklung einer illustrierten Wochenzeitschrift mit einer Chronik dieser Zeitschriftengattung|year=1993|publisher=Peter Lang|publication-place=Frankfurt am Main|page=171|isbn=3-631-45216-0|language=German

}} That same year, various editorial teams, including the Bunte, moved from main headquarters in Offenburg to the Bavarian state capital.{{citation|surname1=Markus Plate, Torsten Groth, Volker Ackermann, Arist von Schlippe|title=Große deutsche Familienunternehmen: Generationenfolge, Familienstrategie und Unternehmensentwicklung|publisher=Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht|publication-place=Göttingen|page=307|isbn=978-3-525-40338-9|date=2011|language=German

}}

In 1985, Burda-Verlag purchased from Rolf Mengele the handwritten notes of his father, Josef Mengele, which consisted of several thousand pages, for one million Deutsche Marks,{{citation|surname1=Hermann G. Abmayr|periodical=Kontext|title=Der lange Schatten des KZ-Arztes|date=21 January 2015|language=German|url=http://www.kontextwochenzeitung.de/zeitgeschehen/199/der-lange-schatten-des-kz-arztes-2679.html|access-date= 6 January 2017

}} which resulted in the Bunte's publishing a series of articles on the notorious doctor from the Auschwitz concentration camp,{{citation|surname1=Volker Hage|periodical=Die Zeit|title=Plagiat?|date=20 March 1987|language=German|url=http://www.zeit.de/1987/13/plagiat/komplettansicht|access-date= 6 January 2017}} who was among the perpetrators of gruesome medical experiments on live human beings. The Burda-Verlag did not pay royalties from reprints to Rolf Mengele, instead they went to the survivors of Auschwitz and their dependents.{{citation|periodical=Bonner General-Anzeiger|title=Nachrichten und Berichte|page=29|date=19 June 1985|language=German}}

After the death of Franz Burda in the year 1986, the Burda Group was reorganized.{{citation|periodical=WirtschaftsWoche|title=Teile und herrsche|page=80|date=9 January 1987|language=German

}} Hubert Burda transitioned from Editor-in-Chief of the Bunte into the position of publisher.{{citation|periodical=Der Spiegel|title=Aus dem Schatten|date=29 December 1986|language=German|url=http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-13522738.html|access-date= 6 January 2017

}} His designated successor was initially Peter Boenisch,{{citation|surname1=Gisela Freisinger|title=Hubert Burda: Der Medienfürst|publisher=Campus|publication-place=Frankfurt am Main|page=215|isbn=978-3-593-40087-7|date=2005|language=German

}} who, however, already had to relinquish this position at the end of 1986,{{citation|periodical=Handelsblatt|title=Personalien|page=14|date=19 June 1986|language=German

}}{{citation|periodical=Handelsblatt|title=Personalien|page=16|date=8 December 1986|language=German

}} among other reasons, owing to differences concerning the future direction of the publication and the losses into the millions incurred by the Bunte.{{citation|surname1=Gisela Freisinger|title=Hubert Burda: Der Medienfürst|publisher=Campus|publication-place=Frankfurt am Main|page=220|isbn=978-3-593-40087-7|date=2005|language=German

}} At the end of 1986, Lothar Strobach was ultimately appointed as the magazine's new Editor-in-Chief, and Franz Josef Wagner took on the role as co-editor in 1989.{{citation|periodical=Handelsblatt|title=Namen und Nachrichten|page=19|date=21 June 1989|language=German

}} After Strobach left the Burda-Verlag in 1994, Wagner remained Editor-in-Chief until the end of 1996.{{citation|periodical=Horizont|title=Strobachs verlassen Burda|page=81|date=30 September 1994|language=German

}} His tenure was only interrupted by an intermezzo of Editor-in-Chief Beate Wedekind, who only lasted one year from 1992/1993 as editorial head of the Bunte, however.{{citation|surname1=Oliver Gehrs|periodical=Die Tageszeitung|title=Das Krachpaket|page=20|date=21 September 1996|language=German

}}

After Wagner was forced to step down due to faltering circulation,{{citation|periodical=Horizont|title=Wagner nimmt Hut bei Burda|page=14|date=9 October 1997|language=German

}} Axel Thorer was initially under consideration for Editor-in-Chief at the Bunte. Finally, however, Patricia Riekel took over the management of the magazine in January 1997,{{citation|periodical=Horizont|title=Patricia Riekel wird neue Chefredakteurin der Bunten|page=1|date=18 October 1996|language=German

}} and with the beginning of her tenure, the cover of the Bunte for the first time featured a politician, Gerhard Schröder. From then on, politics became an integral part of the publication.{{cite web|title=Patricia Riekel gibt Bunte-Chefredaktion ab|trans-title=|periodical=Der Tagesspiegel |publisher=|url=http://www.tagesspiegel.de/medien/nach-20-jahren-patricia-riekel-gibt-bunte-chefredaktion-ab/13404870.html|accessdate=6 January 2017|archiveurl=|archivedate=|author=Kurt Sagatz|date=5 April 2016|language=German|pages=|quote=}} An additional example for this is the publication of Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping's vacation photos at a time shortly before Germany's armed forces, the Bundeswehr, faced a deployment abroad.{{cite web|title=Einfach nur peinlich!|trans-title=|periodical=Spiegel Online|publisher=|url=http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/reaktion-auf-scharpings-wasserspiele-einfach-nur-peinlich-a-151775.html|accessdate=6 January 2017 |archiveurl=|archivedate=|author1=Matthias Gebauer |author2=Christoph Schult|date=24 August 2001 |language=German|pages=|quote=}} Instead of nobility, Riekel put a spotlight on the so-called "new elites",{{citation|surname1=Sabine Letz|periodical=Die Welt|title=Wenn Prinzen prügeln|page=35|date=15 December 1999|language=German

}} positioning the Bunte as a magazine for women with "time, money and a desire for high-end gossip."{{citation|surname1=Adolf Theobald|periodical=Horizont|title=Renaissance der Illustrierten?|page=88|date=29 March 2001|language=German

}} The circulation of the Bunte stabilized and in 2001 even reached a new record.{{citation|surname1=Christian Ickstadt|periodical=Horizont|title=Die Bunte wird geradezu zum Kult|page=42|date=26 February 1998|language=German

}}{{citation|surname1=Sabine Letz|periodical=Die Welt|title=Die Gruppentherapeutin der Society|page=33|date=8 August 2001|language=German

}}

Under the leadership of Riekel, the magazine developed into one of Germany's most "enigmatic media brands".{{citation|surname1=Heidi Radvilas|periodical=Horizont|title=Die Ikone des People-Journalismus|page=30|date=19 December 2002|language=German

}} In 2001, the Berlin daily, Der Tagesspiegel, declared that the Bunte was the new "key medium of our Republic".{{citation|surname1=Barbara Nolte|periodical=Der Tagesspiegel|title=Das Zentralorgan der Liebe|page=30|date=7 October 2001|language=German

}} Whereas other magazines were struggling to make ends meet, the Bunte was able to expand its market share.{{citation|periodical=Handelsblatt|title=Mit Klatsch und Tratsch durch die Krise|page=17|date=29 July 2002|language=German

}} The publication moved into the center of the so-called "Burda People Group",{{citation|surname1=Christian Ickstadt, Santiago Campillo-Lundbeck|periodical=Horizont|title=Familienplanung in der High Society|page=34|date=25 July 2002|language=German

}} which later also included the magazines Amica and Tomorrow.{{citation|surname1=Ralf Wegner|periodical=Horizont|title=Burda schlägt die Pflöcke ein|page=6|date=17 February 2005|language=German

}} In 2002, the Bunte launched its first website in cooperation with T-Online.{{citation|periodical=Handelsblatt|title=T-Online und Bunte gründen Klatschportal|page=19|date=21 November 2002|language=German

}} By contrast, "Bunte TV" was unsuccessful: The magazine aired on ARD was cancelled after only six shows due to low ratings.{{citation|periodical=Die Welt|title=Zu wenig Zuschauer: ARD stellt Bunte TV wieder ein|page=32|date=13 December 2003|language=German

}}{{citation|periodical=Der Tagesspiegel|title=ARD kann vorerst ohne Bunte TV leben|page=31|date=13 December 2003|language=German

}} In 2003, Burda-Verlag invested several million in the relaunch of the Bunte, including better paper quality and a more modern layout.{{citation|periodical=Der Tagesspiegel|title=Relaunch für Bunte|page=31|date=9 May 2003|language=German

}} Despite declining circulation, the Bunte was a business success in the years that followed. Together with Focus, the Bunte achieved the lion's share of its publisher's profits.{{citation|periodical=Frankfurter Rundschau|title=Focus und Bunte treiben Gewinn in die Höhe|page=10|date=9 June 2005|language=German

}}

In 2016, Patricia Riekel left the publication after 1,000 issues of the Bunte.{{cite web|title=Nach mehr als 1000 Ausgaben: Bunte ohne Patricia Riekel|trans-title=|periodical=Werben & Verkaufen|publisher=|url=http://www.wuv.de/medien/nach_mehr_als_1000_ausgaben_bunte_ohne_patricia_riekel|format=|accessdate=6 January 2017|archiveurl=|archivedate=|last=|date=7 January 2016|language=German|pages=|quote=}} Since then Editor-in-chief Robert Pölzer has been at the helm of the people magazine.{{cite web|title=Bunte: Robert Pölzer soll Nachfolger von Patricia Riekel werden|trans-title=|periodical=Meedia|publisher=|url=http://meedia.de/2016/03/04/bunte-robert-poelzer-soll-nachfolger-von-patricia-riekel-werden/|format=|accessdate=3 January 2017|archiveurl=|archivedate=|last=|date=4 March 2016|language=German|pages=|quote=}}{{Dead link|date=March 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

The Bunte is one of the most popular media brands of Hubert Burda Media.{{cite web|title=Marken|trans-title=|publisher=Hubert Burda Media|url=https://www.burda.com/de/marken/|format=|accessdate=6 January 2017|archiveurl=|archivedate=|last=|date=|year=|language=German|pages=|quote=}} Like other magazines, however, it saw its reach diminished in recent years. Paid circulation has declined by 31.3 percent since 1998 and is currently{{When|date=January 2022}} 468,710 copies. The share of subscriptions is at around 19.1 percent.Informationsgemeinschaft zur Feststellung der Verbreitung von Werbeträgern

The Bunte was repeatedly embroiled in court cases with celebrities. In 1995, for example, Caroline, Princess of Hanover, won what up to that time was the largest-ever award for damages for pain and suffering in the history of the German press before the Higher Regional Court of Hamburg, because the Bunte had published a totally fabricated interview with her.{{citation|periodical=Der Spiegel|title=So viel wie möglich |page=70 |date=29 July 1996|language=German}} The interview contained numerous untruthful details on her private life.{{citation|surname1=Adolf Theobald|periodical=Die Zeit|title=Zwischenzeilen|date=2 August 1996 |language=German}} The Bunte's chief editorial staff's counterargument was that they had been duped by an outside agency, which had sold the interview to the publication.{{citation |periodical=Handelsblatt |title=Prinzessin erhält hohe Entschädigung|page=4|date=26 July 2006|language=German}}{{citation |periodical=Nürnberger Nachrichten|title=Rekordsumme für Caroline: Burda-Verlag muß für ein erfundenes Interview bezahlen|date=26 July 1996|language=German}} In 1996, Tom Cruise sued the Bunte for damages because it wrongly quoted him in an interview as allegedly being "sterile".{{citation|periodical=Nürnberger Nachrichten|title=Filmstar will 60 Millionen Dollar: Tom Cruise hat Zeitschrift Bunte auf Schadensersatz verklagt|date=2 August 1996|language=German}} The Deputy Editor-in-chief Günter Stampf, who had manipulated the interview, was then forced to leave the publishing company.{{citation|surname1=Dietmar Klostermann|periodical=Saarbrücker Zeitung|title=Ein Interview, das in die Hose ging|date=13 August 1996|language=German}} The Bunte apologized to Cruise, who subsequently dropped the lawsuit.{{citation|periodical=Neue Zürcher Zeitung|title=Tom Cruise zieht Klage gegen Bunte zurück|page=20|date=15 August 1996|language=German}}

In 2008, the German Press Council reprimanded the Bunte due to a violation of the German Press Code.{{cite web|title=Pressemitteilungen|trans-title=|publisher=Trägerverein des Deutschen Presserats|url=http://www.presserat.de/presserat/news/pressemitteilungen/datum/2008/|format=|accessdate=6 January 2017|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420073745/http://www.presserat.de/presserat/news/pressemitteilungen/datum/2008/|archivedate=20 April 2016|last=|date=|year=|language=German|pages=|quote=|url-status=dead}} The publication had run an article on a new car model and, as the German Press Council determined, exceeded the bounds of hidden advertising for the new product.{{cite web|title=Presserat rügt Werbeverstöße in Magazinen|trans-title=|periodical=New Business|publisher=|url=http://www.new-business.de/medien/detail.php?nr=579123|format=|accessdate=6 January 2017|archiveurl=|archivedate=|author=Volker Scharninghausen |date=19 September 2008|language=German|pages=|quote=}} In 2010, the magazine Stern published an exposé reporting that the Bunte had hired an external agency to spy on the private lives of certain politicians.{{cite web|title=Die falschen Dementis der CMK|trans-title=|publisher=|url=http://www.stern.de/politik/deutschland/spitzeleien-bei-muentefering-und-lafontaine-die-falschen-dementis-der-cmk-1546777.html|accessdate=6 January 2017 |archiveurl=|archivedate=|author1=Johannes Röhrig |author2=Hans-Martin Tillack|date=26 February 2010 |language=German}} As a result, one of the persons affected, the former SPD Chairman Franz Müntefering, publicly reprimanded the Bunte for its working practices.{{citation|surname1=Sonia Shinde, Hans-Peter Siebenhaar|periodical=Handelsblatt|title=Müntefering rügt die Bunte|page=19|date=26 February 2010|language=German}} In 2011, prior to the beginning of the Kachelmann trial, the Bunte published an interview with the moderator's ex-girlfriend, who in exchange is said to have received remuneration of 50,000 Euros.{{cite news|title=Kachelmanns Ex-Geliebte bekam 50.000 Euro für Interview|trans-title=|periodical=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung |publisher= |url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/menschen/zeitschrift-bunte-kachelmanns-ex-geliebte-bekam-50-000-euro-fuer-interview-1606646.html|accessdate=6 January 2017 |archiveurl=|archivedate=|last=|date=23 March 2011 |language=German|pages=|quote=}}{{citation|surname1=Ursula Knapp|periodical=Reutlinger General-Anzeiger|title=Rekordsumme für eine Story|date=24 March 2011|language=German}} While Kachelmann's defense lawyer raised the topic of the agreement before court, Burda-Verlag rejected the criticism. In 2013, the former German Federal President Christian Wulff filed for a preliminary injunction against the Bunte.{{cite web|title=Kachelmann: Ex-Geliebte erhielt 50.000 Euro für Interview|trans-title=|periodical=Spiegel Online |publisher=|url=http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/kachelmann-ex-geliebte-erhielt-50-000-euro-fuer-interview-a-752708.html|accessdate=6 January 2017|archiveurl=|archivedate=|last=|date=23 March 2011 |language=German|pages=|quote=}} The District Court of Cologne forbade the magazine to create the impression that Wulff allegedly had a relationship with a music manager.{{citation |periodical=Berliner Zeitung|title=Wulff erwirkt Verfügung gegen Zeitschrift Bunte: Ex-Bundespräsident geht gegen Berichte vor|page=25|date=10 June 2013|language=German}}{{citation|periodical=Der Spiegel|title=Wulff geht gegen Bunte vor|page=135|date=10 June 2013|language=German}}

The Bunte, in turn, did manage to come up on top in some court cases. In 2010, for example, Charlotte Casiraghi lost a case against the publication. The daughter of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, had originally taken action against the publication of party photos.{{citation|periodical=Leipziger-Volkszeitung|title=Erfolg für Pressefreiheit|page=15|date=20 October 2010|language=German

}}{{cite news|title=Gericht erlaubt Artikel über Prinzessin Charlotte|trans-title=|periodical=Die Welt|publisher=|url=https://www.welt.de/vermischtes/prominente/article10999271/Gericht-erlaubt-Artikel-ueber-Prinzessin-Charlotte.html|accessdate=6 January 2017|archiveurl=|archivedate=|last=|date=17 November 2010|language=German|pages=|quote=}} In 2016, Günther Jauch lost a legal dispute in the last instance concerning the Bunte's reporting on his wedding.{{citation|periodical=Wiesbadener Kurier|title=Jauch verliert Streit um Hochzeitsfotos|page=36|date=17 June 2016|language=German

}} Günther Jauch's lawyer alleged that the television host's privacy had been violated.{{cite web|title=Privatsphäre: Jauch verklagt Bunte auf 300.000 Euro|trans-title=|periodical=Stern|publisher=|url=http://www.stern.de/lifestyle/leute/privatsphaere-jauch-verklagt--bunte--auf-300-000-euro-3326656.html|accessdate=6 January 2017|archiveurl=|archivedate=|last=|date=25 October 2006|language=German|pages=|quote=}}{{cite web|title=Hochzeits-Schnappschuss Jauch verklagt Bunte|trans-title=|periodical=Spiegel Online|publisher=|url=http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/gesellschaft/hochzeits-schnappschuss-jauch-verklagt-bunte-a-444743.html|accessdate=6 January 2017|archiveurl=|archivedate=|last=|date=25 October 2006|language=German|pages=|quote=}} The European Court of Human Rights could discover no violation of rights, however. It held that the German courts had carefully weighed the right to privacy against the informational interest of the public.{{cite web|title=Günther Jauch verliert Streit um Hochzeitsfotos in Bunte|trans-title=|periodical=Hamburger Abendblatt|publisher=|url=http://www.abendblatt.de/vermischtes/promi-news/article207691523/Guenther-Jauch-verliert-Streit-um-Hochzeitsfotos-in-Bunte.html|accessdate=6 January 2017|archiveurl=|archivedate=|last=|date=16 June 2016|language=German|pages=|quote=}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{citation|surname1=Sabine Hilgenstock|title=Die Geschichte der Bunten (1948–1988): Die Entwicklung einer illustrierten Wochenzeitschrift mit einer Chronik dieser Zeitschriftengattung|publisher=Peter Lang|publication-place=Frankfurt am Main|isbn=3-631-45216-0|date=1993|language=German

}}

• {{citation|surname1=Hubert Burda|title=Die Bunte-Story: Ein People-Magazin in Zeiten des Umbruchs|publisher=Pantheon|publication-place=München|isbn=978-3-570-55221-6|date=2012|language=German|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/diebuntestoryein0000burd}}

{{Commons category}}

• [http://www.bunte.de/ Official website]
• [https://uebermedien.de/tag/bunte/ Coverage of Bunte] in the media journalism magazine Übermedien (in German)

{{German women's magazines}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1948 establishments in Germany

Category:Celebrity magazines

Category:German-language magazines

Category:German news websites

Category:Women's magazines published in Germany

Category:Weekly magazines published in Germany

Category:Magazines established in 1948

Category:Magazines published in Munich