France Médias Monde
France Médias Monde is a French state-owned holding company which supervises and co-ordinates the activities of the major public media organizations broadcasting or publishing internationally from France.
 | |
| Type | State-owned enterprise |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mass media (state-owned) |
| Founded | 4 April 2008 (as Audiovisuel extérieur de la France) |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Broadcasting, radio, web portals |
| Services | Television, Radio, Internet |
| Owner | Government of France |
| Subsidiaries | |
| Website | francemediasmonde.com |
The company's subsidiaries are the radio broadcasters Radio France Internationale (RFI) and Monte Carlo Doualiya (MCD), and the television news broadcaster France 24. The company also has a 12.5% stake in the general entertainment and news network TV5Monde.
History
Birth of the idea as 'France Monde'
France Monde was the name of the initial project to house the various international branches of French external broadcasting under one roof, including Radio France International, France 24 and the French State's holdings in TV5Monde.
The shares that were in question were 100% of Radio France Internationale, 66.61% of TV5Monde (the remaining capital is held by the partner channels and some private investors) and 50% of France 24 (with the remainder held by TF1).
On 21 February 2008, it was announced the CEO of the network was appointed by French president Nicolas Sarkozy, as Alain de Pouzilhac, the former president of France 24, with Christine Ockrent, a journalist, serving as 'directrice générale déléguée' or 'Vice President'.[1]
The appointment of Alain de Pouzilhac was met with strong hostility of the unions of the companies concerned. On Wednesday 17 September 2008, the director of France 24, Grégoire Deniau, quit his post and France 24's editor Bertrand Coq was made redundant. This inflamed the already tense atmosphere created over de Pouzilhac's role in the network.[2]
Creation of the 'Société de l'audiovisuel extérieur de la France (SAEF)'
Once the idea had been solidified, it was renamed the 'Society of Exterior Audiovisual of France' (SAEF). The former French president Nicolas Sarkozy stated that the SAEF would serve as an alternative to the BBC, CNN or Al Jazeera.[3][4] It was expected that the combined funding, plus additional advertising revenue, would total €400 million.
Revelations of power struggle between Ockrent and de Pouzilhac
At the end of 2010, the internal conflict between the two leaders de Pouzilhac and Ockrent broke out during an internal spying affair revealed by French newspaper Le Point. Christine Ockrent was therefore massively repudiated by the management teams at both SAEF and France 24.[5] Two years later, de Pouzilhac tended his resignation on 12 July 2012.[6] After the announcement, he was replaced by Marie-Christine Saragosse.[7] After his resignation, Ockrent demanded €650,000 in severance payments, due to her being removed from vice-presidency as a result.[8]
Rebirth as France Médias Monde
On 27 June 2013, AEF become France Médias Monde.[9] With the rebrand, the holding company began to market itself explicitly for the first time, with new websites and branding created for all companies in the group, with 'A France Médias Monde channel' featured on France 24 press releases[10] under its logo, and France Médias Monde links featured on each of its websites to emphasise the grouping of the different broadcasters.
The company was backed up by the signature of the first contract of objectives and means between the French State and the newly coined 'France Médias Monde' on 9 April 2014.[11]
References
- "Alain de Pouzilhac à la tête de "France Monde"" [Alain de Pouzilhac at the head of "France Monde"]. Alain de Pouzilhac à la tête de «France Monde» (in French). Radio France Internationale. 21 February 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- "Le directeur de la rédaction quitte la chaîne, le rédacteur en chef mis à pied" [The managing director quits the channel, the head director laid off]. Le Nouvel Observateur (in French). 17 September 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- LeMonde.fr : L'audiovisuel extérieur français devrait s'appeler "France Monde" (in French)
- (in French) Nicolas Sarkozy a défendu sa décision de regrouper dans une holding baptisée France Monde l’audiovisuel public extérieur français Archived 7 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- "L'affaire d'espionnage qui embarrasse Christine Ockrent" [The spying affair which embarrasses Christine Ockrent]. Le Point (in French). 30 November 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- "Alain de Pouzilhac, PDG de l'Audiovisuel extérieur de la France, poussé vers la sortie". Le Monde (in French). 28 March 2013.
- "French international broadcasting boss Alain de Pouzilhac resigns". Radio France Internationale, 12 July 2012
- Daragon, Benoit (17 October 2012). "AEF : Christine Ockrent demande 650.000 euros de dédommagements". Ozap Pure Médias (in French)
- Daniel Psenny (24 June 2013). "L'Audiovisuel Extérieur de la France devrait s'appeler France Médias Monde". Le Monde.fr. Lemonde.fr. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
- "France 24 Press Kit" (PDF). France 24. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- "Signature du premier contrat d'objectifs et de moyens entre l'État et France Médias Monde" [Signature of first contract of objectives and means between the State and France Médias Monde]. France Diplomatie (in French). Government of France. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2014.