What Westfälischer Anzeiger Verlagsgesellschaft does

Mediengruppe Westfälischer Anzeiger is a regional multi-platform media company headquartered in Hamm, Germany, founded in 1820 and operating as part of Ippen Gruppe, Germany's fifth-largest newspaper publishing group. The group publishes eight daily newspapers, four weekly advertiser newspapers, four regional news portals (wa.de, soester-anzeiger.de, come-on.de, sauerlandkurier.de) generating 47+ million monthly page views, and three local radio stations (Radio Lippewelle Hamm, Hellweg Radio, Radio MK) reaching 247,000 daily listeners. Aggregate reach across channels approaches one million people per day in the Westphalia region. Operations are vertically integrated through a wholly owned offset printing facility (Druckzentrum Hamm), two logistics subsidiaries (WA Logistik GmbH, Südwestfalen Logistik GmbH), and a digital agency (creandi) that delivers web, e-commerce, and online marketing services.

Revenue is generated through print and digital advertising, radio advertising, newspaper subscriptions and single-copy sales, agency services via creandi, and third-party distribution contracts. Sales are executed through WA Crossmedia, a unified cross-channel sales division that packages print, online, and radio inventory into bespoke media plans for advertisers. Pricing is quote-based with custom cross-media packages tailored to client objectives; customer base spans regional SMBs (primary segment), national enterprise advertisers (e.g., Brauerei Veltins, RADTOP, Gesundheitshaus Heiden & Dömer), employers/recruiters, and consumer readers across the Westphalia market. The group is privately held under the leadership of managing directors Hans Sahl and Daniel Schöningh, with approximately 567–600 employees plus 3,000+ contracted delivery personnel and 150+ vehicles supporting a guaranteed before-6-a.m. morning delivery service.

The group operates a workforce of approximately 567–600 employees plus 3,000+ contracted delivery personnel, with distribution executed via 150+ vehicles under a guaranteed before-6-a.m. morning delivery standard. The technology backbone consists of conventional regional media infrastructure: content management for the four news portals, Salesforce CRM for advertising sales, and offset printing at Druckzentrum Hamm; there is no disclosed proprietary AI, data, or platform technology differentiating the stack from peers.

Name

Westfälischer Anzeiger Verlagsgesellschaft

Legal name

Westfälischer Anzeiger Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG

Website

https://wa-mediengruppe.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1820

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Mediengruppe Westfälischer Anzeiger is a regional German media company headquartered in Hamm, operating eight daily newspapers, four weekly advertiser papers, four news portals, three local radio stations, a digital agency (creandi), printing facilities, and last-mile distribution logistics serving advertisers and consumers across the Westphalia region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Media Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311), Periodical Publishers (513120), Book, Periodical, and Newspaper Merchant Wholesalers (42492), Direct Mail Advertising (54186)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Commercial Printing (2750), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Subscription & Fulfillment Services (Print & Digital) (MPAJAKAB), Periodicals, Magazines & Newspapers Distribution (CRAOALAB)

Keywords

• Regional newspaper publishing
• Crossmedia advertising services
• Local radio broadcasting
• Newspaper printing logistics
• Digital news portals

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamm

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Print Advertising: Sale of print advertising space in daily newspapers and advertiser newspapers (Anzeigenblätter) to regional businesses and national corporations. Advertisements include display ads, advertorials, inserts, and special formats such as bus advertising and cover stickers.
2. Digital Advertising: Online advertising on news portals and thematic portals including display advertising, Google Ads, PR articles and advertorials. Also includes online job board (localjob.de) and ePaper subscriptions.
3. Audio Advertising: Radio advertising spots on local radio stations Radio Lippewelle Hamm, Hellweg Radio, and Radio MK reaching approximately 247,000 daily listeners. Also includes audio production services (AudioService Plus).
4. Newspaper Sales: Daily newspaper sales through home delivery ( Zustellung) and retail. Daily circulation of approximately 90,000 newspapers across eight daily newspapers. Subscription and single-copy sales.
5. Digital Agency Services: creandi digital agency provides web design, programming, online marketing, video production, and e-commerce solutions to external clients as a media-near service.
6. Logistics and Distribution Services: Delivery and logistics services including in-house newspaper delivery, distribution of third-party newspapers, magazines, telephone directories, and other publisher-independent distribution contracts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Westfälischer Anzeiger Verlagsgesellschaft operates a regional media group publishing eight daily newspapers, four weekly advertiser newspapers (Anzeigenblätter), multiple magazines, and operating four news portals and three local radio stations across the Westphalia region in Germany. The company sells crossmedia advertising solutions through its WA Crossmedia platform combining print, digital, audio and special advertising formats. Supporting services include in-house offset printing (Druckzentrum Hamm), last-mile delivery logistics through subsidiaries WA Logistik GmbH and Südwestfalen Logistik GmbH, and a digital agency (creandi) offering web development, online marketing, and e-commerce solutions.

Product overview

The Mediengruppe Westfälischer Anzeiger is a multi-platform regional media company operating a diversified portfolio of print, digital, and broadcast products. The core offering consists of eight daily newspapers (Tageszeitungen) including Westfälischer Anzeiger, Soester Anzeiger, and Lüdenscheider Nachrichten, complemented by four weekly advertiser newspapers (Anzeigenblätter) reaching 483,000 households. Digital operations span four news portals (wa.de, soester-anzeiger.de, come-on.de, sauerlandkurier.de) with 47+ million monthly page views, specialized topic portals including localjob.de for jobs and trauer.nrw for funeral notices, plus three local radio stations (Radio Lippewelle Hamm, Hellweg Radio, Radio MK) reaching 247,000 daily listeners. Supporting services include in-house printing facilities (Druckzentrum Hamm), distribution logistics (WA Logistik GmbH, Südwestfalen Logistik GmbH), and the creandi digital agency for web/marketing services. WA Crossmedia serves as the unified advertising sales division offering cross-channel marketing solutions combining print, digital, audio, and special advertising formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• creandi: Digital agency providing web design, online marketing, programming, video production, and shop system solutions.
• WA Crossmedia
• Radio Lippewelle Hamm
• Hellweg Radio
• Radio MK
• localjob.de

Products and services

• Daily Newspapers (Tageszeitungen) Eight daily newspapers serving Westphalia regions including Westfälischer Anzeiger (23,549 copies), Soester Anzeiger (24,835 copies), and Lüdenscheider Nachrichten (22,803 copies), with combined total circulation of 71,187 weekday copies. Sold via home delivery subscriptions and single-copy retail.
• Advertiser Newspapers (Anzeigenblätter)

Quantifiable outcome

• 73,000 daily newspaper readers reached
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Madsack Mediengruppe: German regional media group publishing daily newspapers (e.g., Hannoversche Allgemeine, Leipziger Volkszeitung) and digital portals across northern and eastern Germany. Comparable structure of regional dailies plus advertiser papers and digital channels.
• Funke Mediengruppe: One of Germany's largest regional newspaper and advertising groups operating dailies, advertiser papers, magazines, and digital portals across multiple regions. Directly comparable as a multi-title regional media group with crossmedia advertising sales.
• Rheinische Post Mediengruppe: Regional newspaper group based in Düsseldorf operating dailies, digital portals, and local advertising across North Rhine-Westphalia. Highly comparable given overlapping NRW geography and similar newspaper/advertiser-paper model.

Direct peers

• Verlagsgruppe Rhein Main (VRM): Regional newspaper publisher in Hesse/Rhineland-Palatinate operating multiple dailies, advertiser papers, and digital portals. Comparable structure of multi-title regional publishing with crossmedia advertising sales.
• NOZ Medien (Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung): Privately held German regional media company publishing daily newspapers, advertiser papers, and digital portals in Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. Closely mirrors WA's regional dailies-plus-Anzeigenblätter-plus-digital model with comparable scale.
• Medienhaus Süd (Südkurier Medienhaus): Family-owned regional media group operating the Südkurier daily, advertiser papers, and digital portals around Lake Constance/Baden-Württemberg. Comparable regional publisher with integrated crossmedia advertising model.
• Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger Medien (KStA Medien): Regional newspaper publisher of the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger and Express in Cologne/Bonn area with strong digital operations. Comparable NRW regional daily operator with overlapping audience and advertiser base.

Regional players

• Verlag D. Holzwarth GmbH (Die Gegenwart): Smaller German regional newspaper and advertiser-paper publisher. Comparable as an owner-operated regional newspaper group with print+digital+advertising model, though at a smaller scale.

Others

• Ippen Gruppe: Parent company of WA and the 5th-largest newspaper group in Germany, operating titles including Münchner Merkur, Frankfurter Neue Presse, and Berliner Morgenpost. Provides scale benchmarking and group-level strategy context for the WA operating unit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wa.mediengruppe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Westfälischer Anzeiger Verlagsgesellschaft