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MEDIA: French Prepare Their Answer to BBC and CNN
By Julio Godoy
PARIS, May 7 (IPS) - France is preparing to launch a state-owned international news channel to compete with the British, U.S. and Arab channels that dominate international television.
The launch of the new channel, unofficially dubbed "CNN à la Francaise", has been delayed for years due to rivalry among TV companies in Paris. The war in Iraq, and the parallel battle among TV channels has now prompted French officials to speed up the project.
A new channel is "a necessity and an opportunity," says minister for culture and communication Jean-Jacques Aillagon. "It is a necessity because France must enlarge its international audience; it is an opportunity because it will allow us to rationalise and organise the French world broadcasting systems," Aillagon told the French parliament last week.
Much of French media supports creation of a new French channel. "World viewers had only the images from U.S., British, or Arab television," the daily Le Monde writes. "The need for an information counterweight became evident."
President Jacques Chirac had sought a debate among state-owned and private TV channels on the proposal in February last year. Speaking before officials from several French-speaking countries, Chirac urged the creation of "a great information channel of international reach, which would compete with CNN and the BBC."
In swift action in recent weeks, a government-led working group proposed that the new channel should broadcast in French, English, Arab, and Spanish. It should be available through satellite broadcast, and have an accompanying Internet site.
Three proposals for the new channel were submitted April 28 by the public France Télévisions, and by the private channels TF1 and Canal Plus. All three say they can begin broadcast early next year.
The channel is likely to be a joint venture of the state-owned France Télévisions and one or more private channels. TF1 and Canal Plus have said they would accept the editorial direction of the public service television. But they argue that the channel should not be government-controlled.
"Such a channel must be independent if it is to gain respect and an audience," Jean-Claude Dassier, director-general of the news channel LCI told media representatives after the projects were presented to the government. "Otherwise, we can forget the whole thing and stay as we are."
LCI, a part of TF1, has been broadcasting news for nine years. Two other French news channels also broadcast nationally: I-Television, which belongs to France Télévisions, and the private iTELE of Canal Plus.
France Télévisions believes that a private-public joint venture would be the best way to build the CNN à la francaise. "The capacities of the public channel and private TV are complementary," Ghislain Achard, deputy general-director of France Télévisions told IPS. "Therefore, participation of private television is convenient and desirable."
The state-owned press agency Agence France Press will also join the project, according to government sources.
The government has allocated 90 million dollars for the project in the budget for next year. But the project is expected to cost more. "If France really wants to influence world opinion and compete with CNN and the BBC, it would have to invest at least 110 million dollars," Francois Rochebloine, member of parliament and expert in international media told IPS.
Other experts believe the costs will be even higher. Hervé Bourges, former director of the state agency for media development, says an international channel would cost at least 150 million dollars a year.
"If we French want a competitive international information channel, we ought to have a strong team of correspondents around the world, with broadcasting units everywhere," Bourges said at a press conference. "Such a channel costs money, more than 150 million dollars a year." Without strong investment "we would make fools of ourselves," he said.
There is little agreement on the cost of the proposed project. "The channel can begin operations softly," says Dassier. "It could begin with the structures already in place, both from the public as well as from the private networks, and expand its operations step by step."
TV executives are also concerned about the willingness of satellite relay companies to offer the channel. "Such a channel must be attractive enough to convince satellite companies to offer it," Daniel Renard, director of the French satellite company Tele Satéllite told IPS. "By now, there are several thousand channels broadcasting via satellite or cable networks. If you cannot broadcast over them, nobody will see you or hear from you." (END)
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