FRANKFURT, Germany, Oct. 19, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Wall Street Journal today announced plans to launch a German-language news site (wallstreetjournal.de) and suite of digital products designed to build its presence in Germany, Europe's largest economy. The new offering will deliver trusted reporting and analysis to a local audience of individuals and companies seeking a global business view combined with a strong regional market sensibility. The move is part of the Journal's worldwide digital expansion which combines global news with locally focused coverage. The company's portfolio of local language sites currently includes WSJ China and WSJ Japan.
"Germany is an economic powerhouse and its relative importance in our increasingly complex world is growing. But that means German businesses, professionals and leaders must have instant access to the highest quality news from around the globe," said Robert Thomson, editor-in-chief of Dow Jones & Company and managing editor of The Wall Street Journal. "There is no doubt German readers are distinct and discerning and we will do our utmost to satisfy their demands."
The January 2012 launch will expand Dow Jones' current German language news offering, which includes a German language newswire service.
The Web site, together with mobile and tablet applications, and mobile internet site, will feature a mix of free and subscriber-only content from The Wall Street Journal and across the Dow Jones global network, as well as news and analysis written by reporters based in Frankfurt, Berlin, Düsseldorf and Hamburg.
The Wall Street Journal has appointed Knut Engelmann as managing editor, Germany, newswires and wallstreetjournal.de, charged with overseeing a new combined news operation serving both Dow Jones Newswires and the German language Web site. Prior to joining Dow Jones, Mr. Engelmann spent 16 years at Thomson Reuters, most recently as Wall Street editor and global company news editor based in New York. He has also run Reuters' news operations in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the Balkans from Frankfurt.
"We're proud to bring more of the world's best business news coverage to Europe's largest economy," said Mr. Engelmann. "German readers know the Journal for its trusted analysis and content and we'll deliver compelling, exclusive coverage to them every day."
Dr. Matthias Paul, managing director of Dow Jones in Germany, takes on an additional role as publisher of the German-language Web site and will be responsible for developing and expanding The Wall Street Journal's digital business in Germany. Dr. Paul, who has been with Dow Jones since 2004, was previously responsible for Dow Jones' Energy & Commodity business, as well as its custom publishing business serving industry and financial clients in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
"Our global strategy is to develop in regions where we see opportunities to grow our business and support local market growth," said Dr. Paul. "We're developing an already successful local-language media platform to provide a new service for our German-speaking readers and the advertisers who seek this valuable audience."
Advertisers will be able to reach The Wall Street Journal's uniquely attractive audience through digital advertising formats adapted for the German market, and will benefit from the proven effectiveness of the Journal's multi-platform delivery. According to syndicated research, The Wall Street Journal consistently delivers to advertisers one of the most affluent and influential business audiences in its markets.
About The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is the world's leading business publication with more than two million subscribers and is the largest U.S. newspaper by total paid circulation. The Wall Street Journal franchise, with a global print audience of 3.5 million, comprises The Wall Street Journal, The Wall Street Journal Asia and The Wall Street Journal Europe. The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com, the leading provider of business and financial news and analysis on the Web with more than one million subscribers and 32 million visitors per month worldwide. WSJ.com is the flagship site of The Wall Street Journal Digital Network, which also includes MarketWatch.com, Barrons.com, AllThingsD.com and SmartMoney.com. The Journal holds 34 Pulitzer Prizes for outstanding journalism, and, in 2011, was ranked No. 1 in BtoB's Media Power 50 for the 12th consecutive year.
The Wall Street Journal logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2641