Alongside Delphine Ernotte, of whom he is the very first faithful and whose cabinet he headed, Stéphane Sitbon-Gomez supervises the programs and antennas of France Télévisions. While the second term of his boss expires in August 2025, and the campaign for his reappointment as president of the public audiovisual group – or even to the future holding company of public audiovisual (France Télévisions, Radio France, France Médias Monde and the INA) – promises to be very tense, Mr. Sitbon-Gomez takes stock of the last ten years and looks ahead to the next ones.
On Wednesday, November 20, Parliament adopted the law reforming the financing of public broadcasting. Relieved ?
The budgeting risk posed a real threat to our independence, but also to our ability to anticipate the future. So yes, we are relieved. But the essential point for us is that Parliament as a whole, the minister, but also parliamentarians from all sides, have confirmed their attachment to a strong public audiovisual sector. This law does not solve everything and does not remove anything from the difficult economic context, nor from the question of structural reform.
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The Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, actually intends to bring her project of holding, or even merger, of public broadcasting back into the business as quickly as possible. Is this your battle too?
Between 2018 and 2022, at the request of the State, we saved 400 million euros. It's colossal. Especially since, at the same time, we have been asked to triple the place of proximity on our antennas, to increase the part devoted to youth, to amplify our efforts on information, information continues and the fight against fake news and, finally, to double investment in digital. I would add that at the same time, we increased our investments in creation from 390 million to 440 million euros. Our obligations in the cinema amounted to 55 million euros, we increased to 80 million. Our missions continue to grow, which is very good. But you need the time and the means to fulfill them. It is certain that a single governance will accelerate transformations.
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Comment ?
Let's take the concrete example of the merger of France 3 and France Bleu which is, for me, the biggest revolution in public service in fifty years. If we add the strengths of the two antennas, we will be more powerful. Today, France 3 does not sufficiently cover peri-urban, rural areas and suburbs. Together, we will have a much tighter territorial coverage and a much stronger information production capacity. While a few years ago we were still wondering about its identity, since 2020, France 3 has fully assumed its vocation as a regional channel: we have carried the morning shows of France Bleu on the antennas of France 3, in order to strengthen hyperproximity. Even before reaping the benefits in terms of audience, it is a signal to the public so that they know that their channel is rooted.
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