35NORDWESTDEUTSCHE HEFTE

1946A brilliant move and an early sign of the cross-media use of journalistic content: NORDWESTDEUTSCHE HEFTE was the first product of the new publishing house in 1946 and consisted of reprinted content from radio broadcasters. Axel Springer acquired the license for 1,000 Reichsmarks per issue – even then, copyright protection mattered to the founder, just as it matters to the company today. By the end of 1946, circulation had already reached 100,000 copies. In 1948, Nordwestdeutsche Hefte was renamed Kristall and continued until 1966, with a circulation of around 500,000 copies.