Observed Signal · Jun 30, 2026 · Leadership Change · Source: Meedia · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Benjamin Leven Named Editor-in-Chief of Die Tagespost
Benjamin Leven will become editor-in-chief of the Catholic weekly newspaper Die Tagespost on July 1, replacing Franziska Harter, who led the paper since 2025 and is stepping down after marrying and relocating to Brussels but will return to the editorial team after a multi-month leave in a leadership role. At the same time Riccardo Wagner will become managing director of the Johann Wilhelm Naumann Verlag (Würzburg); Barbara Sollfrank is retiring but will continue to advise the publisher. Leven is a theologian and communications scholar and currently head of online editorial at the Catholic magazine Communio. The Tagespost, founded in 1948, has published weekly since 2018, reports an IVW circulation of about 9,000 sold copies and the publisher cites roughly 154,000 unique website users.
Personnel and leadership changes at a regional weekly publisher are of limited industry-wide impact but relevant to the publishing/media owner category; circulation and audience metrics provide useful publisher context.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Benjamin Leven will become editor-in-chief of the Catholic weekly Die Tagespost on July 1, 2026.
- Leven replaces Franziska Harter, who had been editor-in-chief since 2025 and is stepping down due to marriage and a move to Brussels but will return after a multi-month leave in a senior editorial role.
- Riccardo Wagner will become managing director (Geschäftsführer) of the Johann Wilhelm Naumann Verlag (Würzburg); Barbara Sollfrank is retiring and will continue to advise the publisher.
- Benjamin Leven is currently head of online editorial (Redaktionsleiter Online) at the Catholic magazine Communio and is identified as a theologian and communications scientist, born in 1981.
- The Tagespost was founded in 1948, has published weekly since 2018, reports an IVW circulation of about 9,000 sold copies and the publisher cites ~154,000 unique users for its website.
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