wdv-Gruppe

The wdv-Gruppe is a German publishing company specialising in content marketing, founded in 1948 and headquartered in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe. It was established by publishers Oskar Kuhn, Richard Kirsten and Edgar von Seekamm as Wirtschaftsdienst und Adressbuch GmbH, which became the starting point of today's group. Its first publications were Neues Beginnen and Wegweiser für Heimatvertriebene. In the 1970s, Dieter and Fritz Kuhn, sons of Oskar Kuhn, took over management, and in the 1990s Thomas Kuhn, son of Fritz Kuhn, joined as the third generation of publishers. From 2002 to 2015 Thomas Kuhn and Klaus Tonello jointly led the company as managing directors. From 2016 to 2021 Thomas Kuhn led together with Michael Kaschel and Hermann Steinbrecher. Since mid-2021 Thomas Kuhn has been managing partner, with Michael Kaschel and Hermann Steinbrecher as managing directors. The group's core business is content marketing, producing customer magazines, digital communication concepts and online portals for major institutional clients. For the German pension insurance system, it produced the magazine Gesichertes Leben from 1954 for the Landesversicherungsanstalten Westfalen and Rheinprovinz, and later the magazine zukunft jetzt for the Deutsche Rentenversicherung until 2017. Since 2002 it has operated the retirement provision portal www.ihre-vorsorge.de for the German pension insurance institutions. For the AOK health insurance, it launched the first AOK insured magazine Bleibgesund in 1960, which grew to a circulation of around 15 million copies by 2010 and temporarily reached 20 million after German reunification. The company also developed cross-media systems, including personalised magazines and internet offerings for different life stages, and built platforms such as www.aok.de. Its portfolio spans sectors including automotive, finance, health, hygiene products, workwear, tourism and pharmaceuticals. Since 1985 it has published the travel magazine abenteuer und reisen, its only consumer title, which went online in 1997. Despite its long history, the company faced significant challenges. In autumn 2019 it lost the long-standing content contract with AOK, retaining only the printing contract. This led to the filing of insolvency proceedings in self-administration in January 2020 (case number 61 IN 7/20 AG Bad Homburg). The proceedings were lifted by court order on 22 June 2020, but the workforce was reduced from around 265 to approximately 70 employees. A second insolvency filing in self-administration was announced to employees on 14 February 2022, and the proceedings were opened on 25 May 2022. The company continues to operate under the leadership of Thomas Kuhn, Michael Kaschel and Hermann Steinbrecher.

The wdv-Gruppe was founded in 1948 by publishers Oskar Kuhn, Richard Kirsten and Edgar von Seekamm as Wirtschaftsdienst und Adressbuch GmbH, which became the origin of today's group. Its first publications were Neues Beginnen and Wegweiser für Heimatvertriebene. In the 1970s, Dieter and Fritz Kuhn, sons of Oskar Kuhn, took over the management. In the 1990s, Thomas Kuhn, son of Fritz Kuhn, joined the management as the third generation of publishers. From 2002 to 2015, Thomas Kuhn and Klaus Tonello jointly led the company as managing directors. From 2016 to 2021, Thomas Kuhn led together with Michael Kaschel and Hermann Steinbrecher. Since mid-2021, Thomas Kuhn has been managing partner, with Michael Kaschel and Hermann Steinbrecher as managing directors. In terms of business development, the company began producing the magazine Gesichertes Leben for the Landesversicherungsanstalten Westfalen and Rheinprovinz in 1954, which appeared six times a year to inform insured persons about social insurance reforms and to enhance the image of pension insurance providers. In 1960, it launched the first AOK insured magazine Bleibgesund for the AOK, and over the decade more regional AOKs joined. By 2010, the circulation of the customer magazine was around 15 million copies. After German reunification, the circulation temporarily rose to 20 million copies. Since the 1990s, wdv has also developed digital communication concepts, creating internet platforms such as www.aok.de and various youth platforms. The AOK customer magazine Bleibgesund was expanded into a cross-media media system consisting of personalised magazines and individualisable internet offerings for every stage of life (children, teenagers, students, career starters, pensioners). For the German pension insurance, wdv produced the quarterly magazine zukunft jetzt until 2017. Since 2002, it has also produced the retirement provision portal www.ihre-vorsorge.de for the German pension insurance institutions. In 2005, the website won the bronze medal at the BIENE competition in the "Health and Wellness" category, and also received the special prize "Accessibility at the DMMA – German Multimedia Award". Since 1985, the travel magazine abenteuer und reisen has been published by wdv, its only consumer title, which went online on 16 December 1997 at www.abenteuer-reisen.de. The portfolio spans sectors including automotive, finance, health, hygiene products, workwear, tourism, pharmaceuticals, and more. In autumn 2019, wdv lost the long-standing content contract of the AOK, retaining only the printing contract. This led to the filing of insolvency in self-administration in January 2020 (case number 61 IN 7/20 AG Bad Homburg). The insolvency proceedings initiated by wdv on 22 January 2020 were lifted by order of the Bad Homburg local court on 22 June 2020. The team was reduced from around 265 employees to approximately 70. After the first insolvency proceedings in 2020, from which WDV emerged only with the loss of a large part of its employees, on 14 February 2022 a letter from managing directors Thomas Kuhn and Florian Klein shocked employees with the news of the need for a renewed application for insolvency proceedings. As before, an application for insolvency in self-administration was filed again. On 25 May 2022, the renewed insolvency proceedings were opened.

• 2022

  Second insolvency filing announced on 14 February; proceedings opened on 25 May.

• 2021

  Since mid-2021 Thomas Kuhn is managing partner, with Michael Kaschel and Hermann Steinbrecher as managing directors.

• 2020

  Filed for insolvency in self-administration in January; proceedings lifted on 22 June; workforce reduced to about 70.

• 2019

  Lost the long-standing AOK content contract in autumn.

• 2017

  Production of zukunft jetzt for Deutsche Rentenversicherung ended.

• 2016

  Thomas Kuhn led with Michael Kaschel and Hermann Steinbrecher.

• 2005

  www.ihre-vorsorge.de won bronze at BIENE and special prize at DMMA.

• 2002

  Thomas Kuhn and Klaus Tonello jointly became managing directors; started producing www.ihre-vorsorge.de.

• 1997

  abenteuer und reisen went online on 16 December.

• 1990

  Thomas Kuhn, son of Fritz Kuhn, joined management as third generation.

• 1985

  Travel magazine abenteuer und reisen first published.

• 1970

  Dieter and Fritz Kuhn, sons of Oskar Kuhn, took over management.

• 1960

  Launched the first AOK insured magazine Bleibgesund.

• 1954

  Started producing the magazine Gesichertes Leben for the Landesversicherungsanstalten Westfalen and Rheinprovinz.

• 1948

  Founded as Wirtschaftsdienst und Adressbuch GmbH by Oskar Kuhn, Richard Kirsten and Edgar von Seekamm.

Specialist in content marketing and corporate publishing for institutional clients, particularly in the insurance and pension sectors.

• Bleibgesund

  AOK customer magazine, first launched in 1960, circulation around 15 million by 2010.

• Gesichertes Leben

  Magazine for pension insurance, produced from 1954, six times a year.

• zukunft jetzt

  Magazine for Deutsche Rentenversicherung, quarterly, produced until 2017.

• ihre-vorsorge.de

  Retirement provision portal for German pension insurance institutions, since 2002.

• abenteuer und reisen

  Travel magazine, published since 1985, online since 1997.

1. 1wdv-Gruppe – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
2. 2wdv-Gruppe – Wikidatawikidata.org