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 Geschichte Bayerns > Economics > Media and Communication
Media and Communication

Munich ranks as the most important publishing centre in the world, and is a close second to New York. Three hundred publishing houses in Bavaria produce around one quarter of all the books published in Germany. Additionally, 270 newspapers a day are published in their main and local editions. For Bavaria this is an established tradition. Back in the 16th century the "Wochentlich-Ordinari-Post-Zeitung", one of the first newspapers in Germany, was founded in Augsburg. After World War II, printed media in Bavaria could only be printed by authorisation of the American occupying forces. The first licensed daily paper to appear in winter 1945 was the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Bavaria is also one of the world's most important film and media centres. Oscar-winning films such as "Das Boot" were produced in Bavaria, and the International Film Festivals in Munich and Hof are among the most important in the movie industry. Munich's suburb of Unterföhring is the home of television stations such as MTV, tm3, Pro Sieben or the Disney Channel. Bavarian Radio, with its five radio stations and two television channels, is one of the largest companies of its kind in Germany.

The first postage stamp in the former German Union appeared in Bavaria in November 1849: the "Schwarzer Einser", Germany's equivalent of Britain's "Penny Black". Only 800,000 or so were produced, which makes them so valuable for today's collectors.