Debates, decrees, disagreements – it’s December in France

Michael Hedges December 12, 2008

Debate in the French National Assembly on a public broadcasting law resumed after a stich up of several days. But the Members late return to the business of State likely means enactment overhauling France Télévisions and Radio France won’t be in place for the January 5th deadline for removing advertising from the public broadcasters. President Nicolas Sarkozy set the ad cut-off deadline and so it is.

UMP spokesperson Frédéric Lefebvre offered a solution to the impasse: fiat. “The reform will be implemented from January, advertising being abolished by decree,” he predicted, in a press statement (December 10). Earlier (December 8) Minister of Culture and Communication Christine Albanel said ads on public broadcasting would end on schedule “by decree, if necessary.”

The Ministry backed off or backed down slightly mid-week. “The government will not take a decision before the end of the discussion in the National Assembly,” said its press statement (December 10). Et Volia!   

The government decided (December 11) to postpone debate on a law legalizing work on Sunday until December 16th, presuming the public broadcasting law passes by then. President Sarkozy has promised wide-ranging reform in France, amazing some, irritating others. “If I do not, I will be like all the presidents of the Republic who have ceased reforms after two years,” he said to MPs (December 10).

And the French President took all opinions during the two hour meeting. “I think your reform (of public broadcasting) will boomerang on you,” offered MP François Baroin. Asked about the appearance of his interest in controlling news media and favoritism toward TF1, M. Sarkozy remarked that he “doesn’t want to put his foot in television. Martin Bouyques has been my friend for 30 years. Do you really believe he makes the news?”

Martin Bouygues is CEO of Bouygues, founded by his father, which owns TF1, a movie production company, a construction company and a mobile phone company. Forbes ranked Martin Boygues the world’s 258th richest in 2008 with about US$2.4 billion on hand. Ségolène Royal, Mr. Sarkozy’s opponent for the French presidency said, on the announcement of the plan to reform public broadcasting: "It's a great gift for Martin Bouygues, good friend of Sarkozy."

Unions, always looking out for job security and work conditions, are opposed to M. Sarkozy’s reform plans for French public broadcasting. Two weeks ago the National Assembly (December 4) approved the section of the public broadcasting law allowing M. Sarkozy to directly appoint France Télévisions chief executive. It’s a “disaster,” said the union Sociétés de Journalistes (SDJ). “Public television has neither the capacity to resist the power of the head of State nor the means to live.” French broadcasting, broadly, employs about 200,000 people.

Martin Boygues, usually interview shy, launched his own public relations offensive. Giving Les Echos the gift of an interview (December 11), he said doesn’t see a ‘gift’ in the public broadcasting bill before the French National Assembly. “We are insulted every day” by the “equally shocking” debates.

TF1 suffers, he said, from “unique regulatory constraints.” Also, there’s the reality of competition. When TF1 was privatized 20 years ago France had only five television channels. Today there are 18 free-to-air channels, about 200 including cable and satellite.

“At the moment, we are crushed by regulations,” he said. And taxes: “There are three products overtaxed in France – petrol, tobacco and advertising on TF1.”

“I demand a little respect,” he added. Afterall, Bouygues’ several companies employ a lot of people and he’s a good friend of President Nicolas Sarkozy. And the Les Echos interview was respectful. Not once was there a reference to the day US automakers flew in their private jets to Washington to beg the US Congress for a bailout.

While M. Sarkozy has shuffled around comments about favors for rich friends, TF1 CEO Nonce Paolini acknowledged (December 10) a ‘white paper’ had been delivered in late 2007 to the government suggesting the end of advertising on French public television. Excerpts of the document, now splashed throughout French media, include complaints that digital TV channels “marginalize” the “historic” channels causing “a real shortfall in advertising.” TF1 asked for “oxygen for a second wind.”

“Public funding enjoyed by France Televisions allows it to pursue a policy of dumping, causing artificial pressure lower the cost of advertising and pulling the entire advertising market down,” says the ‘white paper’. “This method of financing is dangerous for all those commercial television. To address the structural under-funding of television, the example of the British model should be followed.”

Well, Minister Albanel disagrees on that point, at least. The BBC is not the model she seeks for French public TV because of reality…reality TV, that is.