The program magazine “Hörzu” has seen and participated in the change in German media history like no other: its co-founder was Axel Springer. The publisher who built a media empire a little later. And then there is a hedgehog and the golden camera.
When the program guide with the urgent imperative “Listen!” First published on December 11, 1946, it was just twelve pages thick – because paper was scarce at the time. And yet the thin sheet was both the cornerstone of a media empire and the first TV guide in Germany. That meant at the time: It was the first illustrated magazine to list the program schedule of public radio stations. And it was the first print product that Axel Springer brought onto the market as a publisher. Meanwhile, the now 75-year-old magazine “Hörzu” (the spelling of the title was changed in 1972) offers much more than just radio and television programs – and can therefore keep up with the competition.
In 2019, “Hörzu” was one of the five consumer magazines in Germany that brought in the most sales, according to the industry service “Meedia”. Accordingly, it was able to make up one place in comparison to the previous year despite slightly lower sales and thus place itself behind the “Spiegel”, the “Stern” and the “Bunter”. In the third quarter of 2021, it had a print run of almost 930,000 copies. For comparison: the fortnightly “TV Spielfilm” has a circulation of almost 777,000, the weekly “TV Hören undsehen” has a circulation of a little more than 518,500.
Fixed point in the ensemble “Sofa TV Program Guide”
The “Hörzu” was a natural part of the “Sofa – TV – Program Guide” ensemble for several generations. Already in its early years it opened up and also broadened its offer in terms of content. The program guide turned into a family illustrated with a program. And that’s still the case today. The anniversary edition also outlines the most successful components of the magazine: these include a hedgehog, a television award and a picture puzzle. Because many should also associate the “Hörzu” with Mecki. The prickly cartoon character was part of the program guide for a long time from the early 1950s. Week after week. Thanks to his “haircut”, Mecki even gave his name to a certain hairstyle during the Adenauer period. After a break of several years between 1978 and 1985, Igel Mecki is now back with a comic part of the Friday editions.
With the “Hörzu”, art search images also found their beginning in the “Original and Fake” category and were a model for many other magazines. The caricatures by Wolf-Rüdiger Marunde have also been on the last page of the magazine since 1995. For a long time, the awarding of the Golden Camera, initiated by the magazine, was one of the most important events in the course of the television and film year. According to the publisher, 752 Golden Cameras were awarded to national and international stars between 1966 and 2020. Most recently, the spectacle was always on ZDF. After more than 50 issues, the award ceremony in spring 2020 was canceled due to corona. Like many other galas, the Golden Camera has not taken place since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Even with founder Axel Springer, the magazine only connects the past. In 2014 the “Hörzu” was sold by the Axel Springer publishing house to the Funke media group. At the age of 75, the “Hörzu” continues to focus on the issues of the time, according to the Funke media group. “With ‘Hörzu’ we not only want to provide the best overview of the current TV program, but also provide informative, exciting and illuminating reading material,” says editor-in-chief Christian Hellmann. It is celebrated with a golden anniversary edition, which has been on the kiosks for a few days.