Funke Mediengruppe#Fernsehen, Hörfunk und Online-Medien

{{Short description|German media and newspaper company}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}

File:WAZDruckhausEssen035.jpg

Funke Mediengruppe (formerly WAZ-Mediengruppe){{cite news|title=Funke Mediengruppe to acquire part of Axel Springer portfolio|url=http://www.euwid-paper.com/news/singlenews/Artikel/funke-mediengruppe-to-acquire-part-of-axel-springer-portfolio.html|access-date=29 March 2015|work=Euwid|date=29 July 2013}} is Germany's third-largest newspaper and magazine publisher with a total of over 500{{Cite news|url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/andrea-nahles-minister-muessen-als-team-funktionieren-15472882.html|title = Andrea Nahles: "SPD-Minister müssen als Team funktionieren"|newspaper = Faz.net}} publications in eight countries. WAZ-Mediengruppe is privately held by the Funke family and is headquartered in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia.

The group's largest paper is Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, the largest newspaper in the Ruhr metropolitan region. Other properties in Germany include the TV magazine Gong{{cite web|title=FUNKE MEDIA GROUP awards complete periodicals logistics to Logwin|url=http://www.logwin-logistics.com/company/news/press-releases/detail/funke-media-group-awards-complete-periodicals-logistics-to-logwin.html|work=Logwin Logistics|access-date=5 June 2016|date=23 September 2014|archivedate=29 June 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629154034/http://www.logwin-logistics.com/company/news/press-releases/detail/funke-media-group-awards-complete-periodicals-logistics-to-logwin.html|url-status=deviated}} and the woman's magazine Die Aktuelle. Besides Germany, Funke Mediengruppe has publications in Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Albania, and Russia. The company formed Media Print Macedonia and owns several newspapers and magazines in North Macedonia.{{cite news|author1=Agnes Handwerk|author2=Harrie Willems|title=WAZ and the Buy-out of the Macedonian Independent Press|url=http://archiv2.medienhilfe.ch/topics/Diversity/WAZinMAC.pdf|access-date=10 February 2016|work=Press Now|date=January 2004|location=Amsterdam|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116040534/http://archiv2.medienhilfe.ch/topics/Diversity/WAZinMAC.pdf|archive-date=16 January 2017|url-status=dead}} It also partially owns the Austrian Kronen Zeitung and Kurier.{{cite web|title=Media Markets: Austria Country Overview|url=http://oldtelecoms.kondrashov.ru/world/austria.html|work=Russian Telecom|access-date=1 January 2015|date=August 2004}}

In December 2010 WAZ Mediagroup sold all its assets in Bulgaria to a joint venture between Austrian investors and local tycoons. Until then the company had owned the two largest daily newspapers Trud and 24 hours, the weekly newspaper 168 hours, and a large portfolio of magazines.

In 2012, the Funke family bought out the shares of the Brost family and renamed the company. In 2013, Funke acquired several papers and magazines, including Berliner Morgenpost, Hamburger Abendblatt, Bild der Frau, and Hörzu, from Axel Springer AG.[https://web.archive.org/web/20130728092434/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-07-25/axel-springer-to-sell-publications-to-funke-for-1-dot-2-billion Axel Springer to Sell Publications to Funke for $1.2 Billion]{{cite news|author1=Stefan Schultz|author2=Vanessa Steinmetz|author3=Christian Teevs|title=Sell-Off: Newspaper Giant Turns Back on Journalism|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/axel-springer-sells-off-clutch-of-newspapers-and-magazines-a-913296.html|access-date=29 March 2015|work=Der Spiegel|date=26 July 2013}}