Pforzheimer Zeitung
Encyclopedia
Pforzheimer Zeitung is an independent local subscription newspaper
with seat in Pforzheim
, which is mainly distributed and read in the city of Pforzheim and the surrounding Enz
district. Its language of publication is German
and it appears daily, from Monday to Saturday. It features in-depth coverage of news on Pforzheim and the surrounding region, as well as reports on major national and international events. News topics are
politics, economy, social issues, and sports. The newspaper has the largest circulation in the region with more than 100,000 copies per day. It has an editorial office in Mühlacker
and publishes special local versions for the Mühlacker and Northern Black Forest
regions.
The Pforzheimer Zeitung was founded in October 1949 by Jakob Esslinger, who had been operating in Pforzheim as a printer and newspaper publisher since 1928. His earlier newspaper was the daily "Pforzheimer Rundschau", a newspaper with a long tradition, which he took over in 1928 and published until March 1, 1943, when it was shut down by the Nazi regime citing "lack of paper" as the reason. But this reason was only a pretense, given the independence of the paper in times when the Nazi regime was aiming at
total control of the media. The PZ was founded in economically difficult times after the end of World War II
and in a town that to a large extent had been destroyed by an area bombardment
.
The bombing raid
had destroyed all printing presses of Esslinger's company. Pforzheimer Zeitung is registered under the company name "J. Esslinger GmbH & Co. KG" and is presently led by the publisher Albert Esslinger-Kiefer (2006).
The Pforzheimer Zeitung operates its own printing shop in the center of Pforzheim and nowadays is one of the most modern and productive independent newspapers in Germany. It utilizes modern techniques such as electronic text and image processing
, digital photography
, computer-to-plate technology, high-quality four-color printing, and large rotary printing press
es which can print up to 35,000 copies per hour. In recent years PZ has established its own internet homepage where it offers a news summary free of charge.
PZ employs about 150 workers, of which 37 employees belong to the
editorial staff. PZ earns roughly 70% of its revenue from advertising and the remaining 30% from subscriptions. (All numbers for 2006.)
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
with seat in Pforzheim
Pforzheim
Pforzheim is a town of nearly 119,000 inhabitants in the state of Baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany at the gate to the Black Forest. It is world-famous for its jewelry and watch-making industry. Until 1565 it was the home to the Margraves of Baden. Because of that it gained the nickname...
, which is mainly distributed and read in the city of Pforzheim and the surrounding Enz
Enz (district)
Enzkreis is a district in the north-west of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Karlsruhe, Heilbronn,Ludwigsburg, Böblingen and Calw...
district. Its language of publication is German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and it appears daily, from Monday to Saturday. It features in-depth coverage of news on Pforzheim and the surrounding region, as well as reports on major national and international events. News topics are
politics, economy, social issues, and sports. The newspaper has the largest circulation in the region with more than 100,000 copies per day. It has an editorial office in Mühlacker
Mühlacker
Mühlacker is a town in the eastern part of the Enz district in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Mühlacker station has direct rail connections with Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Heidelberg, Pforzheim and the Northern Black Forest....
and publishes special local versions for the Mühlacker and Northern Black Forest
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
regions.
The Pforzheimer Zeitung was founded in October 1949 by Jakob Esslinger, who had been operating in Pforzheim as a printer and newspaper publisher since 1928. His earlier newspaper was the daily "Pforzheimer Rundschau", a newspaper with a long tradition, which he took over in 1928 and published until March 1, 1943, when it was shut down by the Nazi regime citing "lack of paper" as the reason. But this reason was only a pretense, given the independence of the paper in times when the Nazi regime was aiming at
total control of the media. The PZ was founded in economically difficult times after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and in a town that to a large extent had been destroyed by an area bombardment
Area bombardment
In military aviation, area bombardment is aerial bombardment targeted indiscriminately at a large area, such as a city block or an entire city.Area bombing is a form of strategic bombing...
.
The bombing raid
Bombing of Pforzheim in World War II
During the latter stages of World War II, Pforzheim, a town in southwestern Germany, was bombed a number of times. The largest raid, and one of the most devastating area bombardments of the war was carried out by the Royal Air Force on the evening of February 23, 1945. As many as 17,600 people,...
had destroyed all printing presses of Esslinger's company. Pforzheimer Zeitung is registered under the company name "J. Esslinger GmbH & Co. KG" and is presently led by the publisher Albert Esslinger-Kiefer (2006).
The Pforzheimer Zeitung operates its own printing shop in the center of Pforzheim and nowadays is one of the most modern and productive independent newspapers in Germany. It utilizes modern techniques such as electronic text and image processing
Image processing
In electrical engineering and computer science, image processing is any form of signal processing for which the input is an image, such as a photograph or video frame; the output of image processing may be either an image or, a set of characteristics or parameters related to the image...
, digital photography
Digital photography
Digital photography is a form of photography that uses an array of light sensitive sensors to capture the image focused by the lens, as opposed to an exposure on light sensitive film...
, computer-to-plate technology, high-quality four-color printing, and large rotary printing press
Rotary printing press
A rotary printing press is a printing press in which the images to be printed are curved around a cylinder. Printing can be done on large number of substrates, including paper, cardboard, and plastic. Substrates can be sheet feed or unwound on a continuous roll through the press to be printed and...
es which can print up to 35,000 copies per hour. In recent years PZ has established its own internet homepage where it offers a news summary free of charge.
PZ employs about 150 workers, of which 37 employees belong to the
editorial staff. PZ earns roughly 70% of its revenue from advertising and the remaining 30% from subscriptions. (All numbers for 2006.)