Press Concentration : Germany

The number of independent newspapers in Germany has fallen steadily since the mid-1950s. The publishers with the greater financial and technical resources have been able to dominate various regional markets. Most local daily newspapers obtain their material, except for local news, from an outside editorial office or from the press agencies. Restructuring has gone hand in hand with technical change due to the introduction of computers and state-of-the-art printing technology. Although this has cut production costs, newspapers are still primarily dependent on advertising for their economic survival. About 65 percent of revenues are generated by advertising and about 35 percent by distribution and sales.

The major publishing companies. Economic developments have led to the formation of large publishing houses. In the daily press sector, the biggest firm is the Axel