Wiener Zeitung, the world’s oldest national newspaper, on June 30, printed its final daily edition after almost 320 years in circulation, as the Austrian publisher prepares to cease publishing daily editions due to a recent law change that rendered it unprofitable as a print product.
The newspaper publishing is being discontinued to shift its focus to digital media.
The law, passed in April by Austria’s coalition government, eliminated the requirement for companies to pay for public announcements in the print edition of Wiener Zeitung, thus ending its role as an official gazette.
“116,840 days, 3839 months, 320 years, 12 presidents, 10 Kaisers, 2 republics, 1 newspaper”, the paper’s final front page read in simple large black text.
In its final daily print edition, the Vienna-based Wiener Zeitung attributed the end of its print run to the government’s new law.
“These are stormy times for quality journalism … On more and more platforms, serious content vies for attention with fake news, cat videos and conspiracy theories,” it said.
During weekdays in April, the circulation of Wiener Zeitung stood at a modest 20,000 copies. However, it experienced a significant surge over the weekends, with circulation doubling during those days.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and the former Austrian chancellors Franz Vranitzky and Wolfgang Schüssel were one of its final interviewees.
Downsizing – The legal modification resulted in an estimated €18 million (£15 million) loss of income for the publisher, leading to significant job cuts. The newspaper had to reduce its editorial staff from 55 to 20, resulting in the elimination of 63 positions. However, Wiener Zeitung will continue its operations by focusing on online publishing and exploring the possibility of distributing a monthly print edition, although details regarding this plan are still being developed.
Wiener Zeitung
Owned by the Austrian government but editorially independent, Wiener Zeitung began its publication in August 1703. Throughout its long history, the newspaper reported on significant events and personalities.
In its first edition, it pledged to provide unbiased news coverage “without any oratory or poetic gloss.” Notably, it reported on a concert featuring the young and talented Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1768.
Throughout its three centuries of operation, Wiener Zeitung experienced only one interruption in printing. When Austria became part of Hitler’s Germany, the newspaper was forcibly shut down by the Nazis in 1939. However, following Austria’s liberation and during the country’s period of allied occupation in 1945, Wiener Zeitung resumed its printing activities once again.
The newspaper has played a significant role in Austria’s media landscape over the centuries and has garnered the appreciation of many, including EU Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová who expressed her dissatisfaction with the situation and acknowledged the newspaper’s informative contributions.
“I think the Wiener Zeitung played a good role in informing people over the years,” she said.
World’s oldest newspaper title
Although the claim of being the world’s oldest newspaper is contested by other publications, such as Gazzetta di Mantova and the London Gazette, Wiener Zeitung’s legacy as a national institution remains intact. The title of the world’s oldest surviving national newspaper is currently attributed to the German publication Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung, which began in 1705.