France 24 24 hour English news

[Clair]

[quote user="Logan"]I wonder how much of the share equity in TF1 belongs to the government? Mmm...........[/quote]

Oh dear, I feel we're having one of these discussions...! I don't know where you see a large government share equity, as you don't actually quote any, but this is what I have:

from http://www-compat.tf1.fr/

(On April 6, 1987, the Bouygues

Group is chosen by the CNCL to operate TF1 channel. Bouygues

becomes shareholder of TF1 within a core shareholding structure

holding 50% of the capital. TF1 is privatised and introduced

on the French stock market on the 24 of July at 165 FF (25,1

euro). TF1 does no longer receive any licence fee and generates

its revenue from the sale of advertising space.)

% of capital	% of voting rights
Bouygues	41.1%	41.4%
Société Générale	1.4%	1.4%
Total core shareholding(1)	42.5%	42.8%
Others France (2) (3)	30.9%	31.0%
Including personnel	3.9%	3.9%
Treasury shares	0.6%	0.0%
Europe (excluding France)	20.7%	20.8%
Others	5.3%	5.4%

(1) Core shareholding as disclosed to

Euronext on Feb. 23, 1994 ( Avis Euronext 94-600)

(2) Including unidentified holders

(3) Estimations by Euroclear on June

30, 2004

I know that these are not the most up-to-date figures, but they do show a large percentage in private hands.

A couple of years ago, a TF1 big head was actually admitting that'his job was "not to get viewers thinking or debating, but to soften their brain so that they would be more receptive to the advertisers who were subsidising the programs"

I believe there is a huge difference in the quality of programs shown on TF1 and M6 for instance (I don't have Canal+/TPS) and France 2, France 3 or France 5.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

[quote user="Benjamin"]DOMY

There was no

intention of arrogance in stating, as others have done, that this is a

simple, provable fact. If you want to communicate with and get your

message across to the rest of the World you do it in English.

[/quote]

True enough. At least for the moment. Statements like this always bring

Ozymandias to my mind. However, I don't think that any of us would

pretend that having a second language (or more) was anything but an

advantage. Certainly when I've been the only person in a group obliging

those others present to speak English rather than their native tongue

I've felt rather silly - like the one eyed man in the country of the

blind, but in reverse.

France 24 in some ways could be seen as a bid for respectability by TF1

- out of all the French terrestrial channels (and these are all we

have, nothing else) TF1 seems to have the lowest level of "quality"

output. I've watched France 24 online and it looks OK to me: certainly

at least the equal of CNN or BBC World, though that's subjective.

[Logan]

Clair said - "Oh dear, I feel we're having one of these discussions...! "

Not a bit of it. Very helpful post and kind of you to offer your useful information.[:D]

[Martin963]

I'm puzzled by what's been written because I had gained (maybe erroneously) the impression that France 24 was very much public funded and run.   TF1 already have in place their "bid for respectability" - it's called LCI and is broadcast via TPS and Canalsatellite.

As I say,  I may have misunderstood the situation,  but hadn't picked up on any link between France 24 & TF1.

Which in some ways is a pity 'cos without TF1's involvement the world will never get to see some of the lead stories that we have been priviledged by on the JT 13.00

Postman delivers letter

Child writes to Father Christmas

Lettuce crop at Strasbourg threatened by first frost

Man bathes at Bayonne

etc

We wait like startled rabbits here in the UK at 12.59 to see what new important headline they can come up with

[Martin963]

I'm puzzled by what's been written because I had gained (maybe erroneously) the impression that France 24 was very much public funded and run.   TF1 already have in place their "bid for respectability" - it's called LCI and is broadcast via TPS and Canalsatellite.

As I say,  I may have misunderstood the situation,  but hadn't picked up on any link between France 24 & TF1.

Which in some ways is a pity 'cos without TF1's involvement the world will never get to see some of the lead stories that we have been priviledged by on the JT 13.00

Postman delivers letter

Child writes to Father Christmas

Lettuce crop at Strasbourg threatened by first frost

Mayor decides to number houses in his small commune

Man bathes at Bayonne

First snowflake falls at ski resort

Children attend first day of new school year 

etc (these have all been the lead story in the last year on TF!)

We wait like startled rabbits here in the UK at 12.59 to see what new important headline they can come up with

[Clair]

I tend to look at TF1 13h news as I would a French newspaper specialising in regional news![:D]  Although you have to admit it really improves your French geography!

[Martin963]

Absolutely;  it's a superb ongoing introduction and tourist guide to France.

The worry is that for many of our French friends in Perigord it is their ONLY source of news.  One of them bought a copy of a national paper whilst at his mobile-home at Royan,  and was astounded (to the extent that he took me through it page by page) to see that there were reports from ALL over the world.   He thought it quite wonderful.

Some may think I am poking fun at the parochial nature of la vie rurale.   I'm not trying to do that at all,  but it worries me that so many intelligent and "concerned" people are fed the very limited diet on offer by Jean Pierre Pernaud,  who apparently rules the editorial team on JT13.00 as though he was the only person there.

Which means that any debate on international matters is futile when one sees the neighbours.  Maybe that's a good thing....

[Richard-R]

If you want non-murdoch, amaerican bias, have a look at al jazeera new on sky.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

[quote user="Martinwatkins"]

As I say,  I may have misunderstood the situation,  but

hadn't picked up on any link between France 24 & TF1.

[/quote]

Take a look at the link I posted back on page 1 - it's a partnership between TF1 and France Télévisions.

[Martin963]

Sorry Jon - hadn't realised your big print on pg 1 was actually a link!

But as the article says,  the tie up between TF1 and France Televisions is "inédit" so I think I may be forgiven for being a bit surprised,  nay sceptical.....

I'm amused that most of the "English" spoken is actually American.   Maybe the French haven't noticed....

[Gyn_Paul]

[quote user="Martinwatkins"]

I'm puzzled by what's been written because I had gained (maybe erroneously) the impression that France 24 was very much public funded and run.   TF1 already have in place their "bid for respectability" - it's called LCI and is broadcast via TPS and Canalsatellite.

As I say,  I may have misunderstood the situation,  but hadn't picked up on any link between France 24 & TF1.

Which in some ways is a pity 'cos without TF1's involvement the world will never get to see some of the lead stories that we have been priviledged by on the JT 13.00

Postman delivers letter

Child writes to Father Christmas

Lettuce crop at Strasbourg threatened by first frost

Mayor decides to number houses in his small commune

Man bathes at Bayonne

First snowflake falls at ski resort

Children attend first day of new school year 

etc (these have all been the lead story in the last year on TF!)

We wait like startled rabbits here in the UK at 12.59 to see what new important headline they can come up with

[/quote]

Martin, I think you're being a bit unkind about poor old JPP and the 13H00 :  I have worked on regional news programmes and contributed to, and watched, far more than my share of national news bulletins and magazines, and I can tell you that it is a good deal harder to fill a programme with neutral and good news stories than with bad ones. There really is no shortage of murders, car crashes, stabbings, robberies, rapes, muggings etc. to report. And - for me - I'd far rather watch any of the stories you list above than the endless litany of court cases, police reports, missing children, death, doom and distruction which is served up on channel 101 on a nightly basis by (what was) my BBC regional magazine.

Now that I don't live there, it is quite possible to be convinced that all the ills of the world are to be found within a mile of Birmingham city centre.

You may feel under-informed by the 1300 (et a), but it's effect is a good deal more life-affirming than BBC news.

Actually, you can't hate it that much: I notice you still watch it !

p

[Martin963]

Of course you are quite right - we love the charming studio persona of

JPP (I gather he is very different person as soon as he gets off

camera) and I do my best to watch it,  particularly when in blowy

sopping Devon - it's my dose of French "uplift".

I've worked on Today,  PM,  WATO, the lot (as a studio

manager in the 80's) and as you say there was no shortage of non-happy

stories.  But it continues to worry me that so much of France

seems to perceive an accurate reflection of itself in the sort of

journalism that JPP peddles - and it wasn't me who suggested that the

periodic eruption of violence in the quartiers sensibles  is not

helped by the nation at large burying itself in the wonders of its

Gallic patrimoine without seeing how society is changing.

But you've hit the nail on the head - one well travelled cosmopolitan

neighbour (we don't have that many in this category around us in NE 24)

tells me that she "likes" the 13.00 journal to be like

that.   Well personally I'd like the whole world to be a

celebration of gastronomy,  culture,  art,  peace, 

the list is endless.   But (and I don't want to start an

argument in this very civilised technical forum) I still think that if

one watches JPP one should also listen say to the Radio 4 six o'clock

news,  so that one gets a range of coverage.

And sadly many of our French neighbours don't.   Not even France 3's excellent news coverage.

[Gyn_Paul]

[quote user="Martinwatkins"]Of course you are quite right - we love the charming studio persona of

JPP (I gather he is very different person as soon as he gets off

camera) and I do my best to watch it,  particularly when in blowy

sopping Devon - it's my dose of French "uplift".

I've worked on Today,  PM,  WATO, the lot (as a studio

manager in the 80's) and as you say there was no shortage of non-happy

stories.  But it continues to worry me that so much of France

seems to perceive an accurate reflection of itself in the sort of

journalism that JPP peddles - and it wasn't me who suggested that the

periodic eruption of violence in the quartiers sensibles  is not

helped by the nation at large burying itself in the wonders of its

Gallic patrimoine without seeing how society is changing.

But you've hit the nail on the head - one well travelled cosmopolitan

neighbour (we don't have that many in this category around us in NE 24)

tells me that she "likes" the 13.00 journal to be like

that.   Well personally I'd like the whole world to be a

celebration of gastronomy,  culture,  art,  peace, 

the list is endless.   But (and I don't want to start an

argument in this very civilised technical forum) I still think that if

one watches JPP one should also listen say to the Radio 4 six o'clock

news,  so that one gets a range of coverage.

And sadly many of our French neighbours don't.   Not even France 3's excellent news coverage.

[/quote]

Does a daily dose from 07h30 to 10h00 of the Today programme count ?

p

[Martin963]

Well I prefer the six pm Radio 4 news - less scope for journalists to show off...