Observed Signal · Jun 24, 2026 · Hiring · Source: Meedia · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Sebastian Schulte to Lead Westfunk
Sebastian Schulte will become managing director of Westfunk GmbH & Co. KG, the service company for Funke Mediengruppe’s eleven local radio stations in North Rhine‑Westphalia, effective 1 July 2026. Schulte (49) has worked at Funke Mediengruppe since February 2008 and currently serves as Westfunk’s head of marketing and authorized signatory; his accomplishments include a station relaunch and a series of in‑house radio concerts. He replaces Axel Schindler, who is moving on his own request to the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ) as a managing editor while retaining other Funke roles. Westfunk handles studio technology, digital products (websites and apps) and marketing for stations such as Radio Essen and Radio Bochum, reaching about 1.2 million daily listeners.
Regional leadership change at a publisher-owned radio service company affects local radio operations, digital product and marketing leadership but has limited national or global AdTech impact.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Sebastian Schulte will become managing director of Westfunk GmbH & Co. KG on 2026-07-01.
- Westfunk is the service company for all eleven local radio stations of Funke Mediengruppe in North Rhine-Westphalia.
- Axel Schindler leaves the Westfunk managing director role to become managing editor at the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ) at his own request.
- Sebastian Schulte has been with Funke Mediengruppe since February 2008 and is currently Head of Marketing and authorized signatory (Prokurist) at Westfunk.
- Westfunk manages studio technology, digital products (websites and apps) and marketing for Funke’s NRW stations, which reach around 1.2 million listeners daily.
Connected Companies & Entities
1 Entity mapped“Funke Mediengruppe is the parent media group; Sebastian Schulte has worked at Funke Mediengruppe since February 2008 and Westfunk serves the...”
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Funke names Cedric Kroll Head of Sales in Berlin
Funke appoints Cedric Kroll as Head of Sales for its Berlin regional media effective September 1, 2026. The 29-year-old moves from Funke MediaSales NRW, where he served as sales manager with a focus on audio and led the marketing of Funke's local radios since 2025. In Berlin he will be responsible for advertising commercialization of regional brands including the Berliner Morgenpost, Berliner Woche and Spandauer Volksblatt. Christian Schuler, the previous head of Berlin regional sales, will leave the company on October 1, 2026. Görge Timmer, managing director of Funke Regionalmedien in Berlin, commented on Kroll's appointment and praised Schuler's work on digital product expansion and print stabilization.
Funke Appoints Jesper Doub and Stephan Thurm
Funke Mediengruppe has expanded its group executive management from two to four members, effective July 1, 2026, adding Jesper Doub and Stephan Thurm to join Simone Kasik and Christoph Rüth. The company said the new structure ensures all market-facing business areas are directly represented in the corporate management team while retaining the existing divisional setup. Jesper Doub will lead the National Brands unit, Stephan Thurm will head Funke Digital, Simone Kasik remains Chief Financial Officer for Corporate Services, and Christoph Rüth continues to oversee regional media and IT. In parallel, shareholders appointed entrepreneur and digital strategist Philipp Wachter to Funke’s supervisory board and shareholders’ committee; publisher Julia Becker praised his strategic vision and execution capability. Funke framed the moves as a way to strengthen cross-division collaboration, accelerate innovation and better network content, products and monetization offers across the portfolio.
Bettina Steinke leaves Funke Mediengruppe
Bettina Steinke, editor-in-chief responsible for Funke Mediengruppe's regional digital portals, has left the company after eight years. Her departure took effect on September 1, 2026, at her own request, according to the company, as she pursues new professional challenges. Steinke joined Funke in 2018 from Burda Forward and helped build and develop the reach portals "Der Westen", "News38", and "Thüringen24", later also "moin.de" and "Berlin Live". In 2024, the portfolio was expanded with the entertainment brand "schlager.de". Steinke also developed new journalistic formats, including the podcast "SoKo Schlager", which started in 2025. Stephan Thurm, managing director of Funke's digital division, thanked her for the successful construction and continued development of the unit.
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