Working Group Catholic Press

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The Arbeitsgemeinschaft Katholischer Presse (AKP) was a German business association based in Bonn , in which Catholic newspaper and magazine publishers and editorial offices had come together. In 2000 it merged with the Association of Catholic Publishers and Booksellers (VKB) to form the Catholic Media Association (KM.)

history

According to its self-image, the AKP was from the beginning a voluntary and independent association of Catholic publishing companies and essentially performed the tasks of the previously existing literature and press department of the Fulda Bishops' Conference . Since 1953 the AKP existed in the legal form of a registered association. As part of the new version of the statutes of 1970 - to emphasize the Catholic character - the name was changed to "Arbeitsgemeinschaft Katholische Presse".

In the statutes of November 5, 1970, the main tasks are defined as follows:

  1. Protects the interests of the Catholic press in public (especially through cooperation with the relevant church and other institutions in the journalistic field at national and international level)
  2. Promotion of cooperation between members (especially through the exchange of experiences and advice in all areas of publishing and editorial work) and
  3. Promotion of the professional and social concerns of all those working in the Catholic press.

With regard to its structure, the AKP presented itself as an association of companies that publish Catholic periodicals (such as diocese newspapers, Sunday press and magazines as well as mission and religious magazines). The Catholic News Agency (KNA) and the Catholic Institute for Media Information were also members of the working group. In 1998 - shortly before the merger with the VKB - the AKP had around 90 publishers as members, who published more than 130 titles with a total circulation of over seven million copies. This made the Catholic church press one of the largest press groups in Germany.

Especially in the early 1970s, the AKP was involved in efforts to redesign the journalistic work of the Catholic Church in Germany. In 1972, at an extraordinary general meeting, ideas on church press work and concrete suggestions for increasing its performance were formulated in the “principles for a framework plan for the church press”. Essential suggestions made by the AKP within the framework of this were subsequently implemented, such as the expansion of the Catholic News Agency (KNA) and the so-called "field survey". It was a nationwide investigation of the communication and information expectations of the Catholic population in relation to the church press.

The AKP was also able to set accents with regard to ecumenism. In association with the joint venture of Protestant journalism (GEP), the specialist group “Confessional Journals” was founded in the Association of German Magazine Publishers (VDZ). The founding of Konpress -Anzüge eGmbH was of particular importance , in which 20 Catholic and four Protestant weekly newspapers with a total circulation of 2.4 million were merged into an advertising ring as early as 1973. In addition, a joint annual conference of the denominational press has been held every three years since 1984.

Chairperson

executive Director

  • 1949 to 1958: Theodor Hüpgens
  • 1958 to 1963: Paul Lochs
  • 1963 to 1968: Paul Dahm
  • 1968 to 1984: Bruno Geuter
  • 1984 to 1999: Theo Hell
  • 1999 to 2000: Pit Stenmans (+2002)

literature

  • AKP from A to Z: 40 Years of the Catholic Press Working Group, 1948-1988 , ed. from the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Katholische Presse e. V., Frankfurt a. M. 1988.
  • Theo Hell: Working Group Catholic Press (AKP): More than a working group , in: Günther Mees / Ferdinand Oertel (ed.): Germany's pious press. An interim balance sheet by Catholic journalists. Frankfurt a. M. 1996, pp. 39-47.
  • Ferdinand Oertel: Dialogue forum for the church press. Reorientation in church and community. Limburg 1972.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Arbeitsgemeinschaft Katholische Presse e. V., statutes. New version, decided at the general meeting on November 5, 1970
  2. ↑ HELL, Theo; HILLEBRECHT, Steffen: The development of a marketing concept for the denominational press, in: Communicatio Socialis, Mainz, 29th year, 1996, No. 4, pp. 460–466.
  3. ↑ cf. Ferdinand Oertel, Christian Frevel, Gerhard Eberts: Solidarity, advanced training, exchange among themselves and international contacts, in: COmmunicatio Socialis, 31st year, No. 3/1998, pp. 296–312.
  4. ↑ Bruno Geuter: A press for people. 33 years in the service of religious journalism , in: Börsenblatt No. 73 (September 1, 1982)
  5. ↑ cf. Adolf Theobald: Heiko Kling e- higher, faster, and so on, in: Communicatio Socialis, 38 Jg., No. 2/20005, pp. 174-179