Germany's biggest regional newspaper

Intrinsically tied to the developments in the Ruhr region is the success story of Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung. Since the day it first appeared, on 3 April 1948, it helped shape the region of Ruhr, Emscher and Lippe as no other medium.

Licensee and publisher Erich Brost created a newspaper along Anglo-Saxon lines. It always has been and remains independent and non-party.

Together with the co-publisher Jakob Funke, he created the most successful newspaper since the war.

Today, WAZ is Germany's biggest regional magazine, with a weekly issue of around 580.000 copies.

Its area of circulation stretches from southern Münsterland to the Lower Bergian area and from the Lower Rhine to the Unna region; the total area being approx. 4.450 km².

320 full time editors work for the "voice of the Ruhr region" in the Essen central editorial office and 23 local editorial offices.

WAZ is the leading daily newspaper in each of the metropolises Essen, Bochum, Gelsenkirchen, Duisburg, Oberhausen and Mülheim an der Ruhr. The newspaper of the Ruhr region always has an open ear for its citizens. The voices of the people in its beat are echoed in its pages. The city is happening in its pages. WAZ reports for its readers and is uninfluenced in its comments. It is a sophisticated daily newspaper with a global correspondent network.