after wagner was forced to step down due to faltering circulation, axel thorer was initially under consideration for editor-in-chief at the "bunte". finally, however, patricia riekel took over the management of the magazine in january 1997, and with the beginning of her tenure, the cover of the "bunte" for the first time featured a politician, gerhard schröder. from then on, politics became an integral part of the publication. an additional example for this is the publication of defense minister rudolf scharping's vacation photos at a time shortly before germany's armed forces, the bundeswehr, faced a deployment abroad. instead of nobility, riekel put a spotlight on the so-called "new elites", positioning the bunte as a magazine for women with "time, money and a desire for high-end gossip." the circulation of the "bunte" stabilized and in 2001 even reached a new record.