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On 1 January 2015, Kurt Koszyk, professor for media studies and journalism died aged 85. Koszyk was one of the most established in German media and journalism studies. His career entailed the foundation of the journalism studies programme at the University of Dortmund in 1977. Notably, he served as head of the Institute for Newspaper Studies in Dortmund where he coordinated the collection of German newspapers on microfilm, resulting in putting together alongside the collection in Bremen the most comprehensive collection of newspapers on microfilm in Germany.During his career, he established a study programme for future journalists that combined academic studies with practical hands-on training, equipping journalists with what they need for they daily routine in reporting as well as with a full academic training. Having worked as editor for the Westfälischen Rundschau in the 1950s, he acquired practical experience and implemented this know-how at the height of his career when he designed the study programme in Dortmund. His model of teaching has become widely recognised and adapted amongst his German colleagues and an entire generation of journalists has been influenced by this approach.His output was concerned with the history of the press, culminating in the three volumes of his History of the German Press (Geschichte der deutschen Presse) series; a work that spans from them beginning of the periodical press in Germany until the post war period. It´s strong focus on the press in the twentieth century conincides with his longstanding research focus on the history of the proletarian movement. To this he contributed a series of books and articles on the development of the proletarian press and its journalists and actors in the Ruhr Area. His biography on the liberal Chancellor Gustav Stresemann in the Weimar Republic, published in 1989, has earned Koszyk a reputation for being a meticulous scholar with an excellent ability to communicate his findings to a wide audience.