Mass Media
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Dowdy German Media Aunt Gets a New Suit
Die Zeit's editor aims to regain the paper's status as a forum for lively intellectual debate
Like so many German institutions, Die Zeit, the esteemed liberal weekly newspaper, has become somewhat flabby and complacent. The "old aunt" is certainly still accorded the begrudging respect typically reserved for an ageing relative. But it is also a touch dowdy, too long-winded and not listened to as much as in the past. According to Roger de Weck, the paper's newish, youngish editor, this is about to change. "The old aunt is getting new clothes," says Mr de Weck, who was drafted in by Die Zeit's owners, the publicity-shy Hoitzbrinck group.
His task is to oversee the rejuvenation of a paper which is older than the Federal Republic and which in its 1960s and '70s heyday had a profound impact on political debate in the former West Germany.
Mirroring shifts in German society at large, Die Zeit was caught by surprise by the great changes which accompanied the fall of the Berlin Wall, and never quite regained its sense of purpose. The biggest shock for it has been the way Germany's intellectuals have become increasingly marginalised in public debate.
The paper's new clothes went on display last week. A redesign by the American newspaper designer Mario Garcia has given Die Zeit a lighter look, which means an increase in the type size and a lot more white space between the lines.
A table of contents has been added - a welcome addition to a paper renowned for its bulk and its expanses of text. Splashes of red here and there add a flirtatious touch. And the word "knowledge" has replaced "trade" in the paper's sub-title.
This last change might appear rather slight. But it gives an indication of the Swiss-born, 44-year-old Mr. de Weck's more important plans for Die Zeit: the transformation of the paper's editorial content and tone.
Articles will be shortened and the prose made more terse. But at a time when there is more information available than ever before Mr. de Weck reckons marketing expertise and competence is the best way of earning money and getting more readers.
The 450,000 people who currently buy the paper every Thursday come from Germany's highly-educated classes.
On the commercial side, the paper is the leading carrier of academic recruitment advertisements.
Such company may certainly be civilised. But in recent years the paper has become, as many of Die Zeit's younger journalists admit, and even boring. Mr. de Weck acknowledges this, but says he has started to implement changes to make it a forum for intellectual debate and ideas to reform Germany's ossified institutions.
He has set up a "reform workshop " of journalists drawn from the political, business and "knowledge" departments. Elsewhere, younger journalists have been promoted, with older ones encouraged to try their hands at more regular reporting again. The aim, Mr. de Weck says, is to play a more active role in the parts of society agitating for change in Germany.
On the commercial side, the goal is to boost the circulation of Die Zeit to 470,000 by the end of the year. Currently, it has a turnover of DM 150m (£50m) and makes a small (undisclosed) profit.
While the political, business and social establishment is still inert, Mr. de Weck senses that particularly among the young there is hunger for reform and change.
"There is actually a lot happening on the ground, but it is being held up by ageing institutions. We want to put ourselves at the forefront of reform. "
Die Zeit is a good testing ground for Mr. de Weсk's thesis. In the German newspaper world Die Zeit is known as the place where journalists only ever leave feet first. Many of the staff who helped establish Die Zeit's reputation when both the paper and the country at large faced material hardship unimaginable in affluent Germany today are still on board.
But such age also brings with it experience and respect. One of the journalists most identified with the paper for the last 40 years is Countess Marion Donhoff. The octogenarian scion of an east Prussian aristocratic family, she is one of Germany's best known thinker-scribes and a familiar face on the international policy wonk circuit. Her colleague on the editorial board, Helmut Schmidt, the former chancellor, brings the clout of statesmanship.
The challenge facing Mr de Weck over the next few months is to retain such gravity while ushering in a much needed breath of fresh air. Like the society it claims to mirror, Die Zeit will need to show it has embraced change and embarked on a new and exciting course, and persuade readers that the changes unveiled this week are not a case of too little too late.
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