The Hamburger Abendblatt (English: Hamburg Evening Newspaper) is a German daily newspaper in Hamburg. The paper focuses on news in Hamburg and area, and produces regional supplements with news from Norderstedt, Ahrensburg, Harburg, and Pinneberg. Politically the paper is mildly conservative, but usually pro-government, including during SPD administrations. History and profile Four previous Hamburg newspapers had the word Abendblatt ("Evening Newspaper") in their title, including one named the Hamburger Abendblatt, founded on 2 May 1820. This incarnation of the Hamburger Abendblatt, however, was first published after World War II beginning on 14 October 1948 with an initial edition of 60,000 copies. The paper received a publishing license from the Hamburg Senate and Mayor Max Brauer, making it the first daily paper of post-war Germany to receive a license from German rather than Allied occupation authorities. After about six months of operation, its circulation increased to 170,000 copies daily. Until the 1970s it was delivered in the afternoon, but it is now delivered in the early morning. From 1948 through 2013 Hamburger Abendblatt was published by Axel Springer AG. The paper is published by Funke Mediengruppe, who purchased it from Axel Springer effective 1 January 2014. The paper used to appear Monday through Saturday only, but since 29 October 2006 it has also published a Sunday edition to compete with the Hamburger Morgenpost's introduction of a Sunday edition on 5 November 2006. Circulation Hamburger Abendblatt had a circulation of 288,000 copies in 2001. The circulation of the paper was 252,533 copies in the first quarter of 2006. It rose to 286,992 copies in the second quarter of 2009. Editor-in-chiefs Wilhelm Schulze, 1948–1952 Otto Siemer, 1952–1965 Martin Saller, 1965–1969 Werner Titzrath, 1969–1983 Klaus Korn, 1983–1989 Peter Kruse, 1989–2001 Menso Heyl, 2001–2008 Claus Strunz, 2008 until Juny 2011 Lars Haider, since July 2011 References (The newspaper's own summary of its history.) External links 1948 establishments in Germany Daily newspapers published in Germany German-language newspapers German news websites Newspapers published in Hamburg Publications established in 1948