M. Strunz, 58, will combine the functions of interim general director, “for a minimum period of six months”, and editorial director, the channel said in a press release.
This journalist spent most of his career within the Axel Springer group, where he was vice-president of TV and video. He was a member of the editorial board of the conservative daily The worldand editor-in-chief of the popular daily Bild.
In an article published by The World On October 13, regarding this upcoming appointment, former and current employees expressed concern about Mr. Strunz’s positions.
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“I am enthusiastic about joining the experienced and competent Euronews team to cover this period with a critical eye, while remaining firmly attached to European values,” said the new manager, quoted in the press release. .
Euronews and its multiple restructurings
Euronews was bought in 2022 by a Portuguese investment fund, Alpac Capital, led by two former McKinsey consultants, Pedro Vargas David and Luis Santos.
According to an investigation by Portuguese, French and Hungarian media, a third of the sum allowing this buyout came from a fund linked to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, via a foundation.
The Hungarian investigative media Direkt36 had obtained a “strictly confidential” PowerPoint presentation arguing that this acquisition could reduce the “left-wing bias” of the media, with Euronews being “influential on EU policies”.
Euronews, an international channel created in 1993 in Lyon, has gone through multiple restructurings since 2020 to reduce its workforce and move its center of gravity to Brussels.
Arriving in 2022, the former general director, Frenchman Guillaume Dubois, tried to straighten out the accounts. His position was terminated on October 11 by the board of directors, without being given a reason, according to an email he sent to employees.
