“Form of contempt”: Dilemma: Cyril Hanouna gives the French left a cold sweat

It took “exceptional circumstances” at the beginning of July, the risk that the National Rally would win the legislative elections, for Marine Tondelier to go to CNews, proof of the hesitations of the left to go to Vincent Bolloré’s channels, especially in the face of Cyril Hanouna .

“I have never been on this channel since I became national secretary” of the Ecologists, she declared, addressing spectators “who for many a priori” were “not in agreement” with her.

During the European campaign, Greens candidate Marie Toussaint and her Socialist Party-Place publique counterpart Raphaël Glucksmann refused to participate in a debate on CNews, accused by the left of promoting far-right ideas. But the representatives of the radical left, the Insoumise Manon Aubry and the communist Léon Deffontaines were on the set facing Laurence Ferrari.

The presence of the Insoumis on the news channel of conservative billionaire Vincent Bolloré does not, however, come naturally. “It’s a real debate that we had at home”, comments the coordinator of the movement Manuel Bompard, “we can regret it but there are people who watch” CNews.

In October, CNews was the leading news channel with 3.1% audience share, compared to 2.9% for BFMTV, 1.6% for LCI and 0.9% for franceinfo, according to reports from Médiamétrie.

“Compromise”

Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s troops therefore opted for a “compromise”, according to Mr. Bompard: “We go to the morning show and the big political show on Sunday, but we do not go to the daytime shows with all the columnists “.

The Insoumis also refuse to go to a flagship program of the Bolloré empire: “Touche pas à mon poste” (TPMP) on C8 which brings together 2.1 million viewers on average and an audience share of 27.8% among 15-24 year olds.

And this since the controversial host Cyril Hanouna insulted the LFI deputy – and former columnist of the show – Louis Boyard on set in November 2022. “Asshole”, “stupid”, “you’re a piece of shit” had him- he notably launched. For these comments, Cyril Hanouna will be tried on Tuesday for “insults”.

“At the beginning, we found that there were interesting things at TPMP,” notes Manuel Bompard, who describes this set mixing political debates and entertainment as “a place where we could reach a population that does not follow politics.” In 2022, Jean-Luc Mélenchon went there to debate with Eric Zemmour.

“It’s not so much Hanouna that’s the problem, it’s more the setting of the show. We must not confuse the political moment with that of entertainment,” says socialist deputy Emmanuel Grégoire.

“I don’t go to CNews but I wonder,” says the man who frequented Pascal Praud’s sets in his former role as first deputy mayor of Paris and now denounces a “drift” in the channel.

“When you boycott a channel that represents so much audience share, I don’t know if you are doing your political family a favor,” he adds.

“I saw you at Baba’s”

A rare left-wing leader to accept invitations from Cyril Hanouna, on Europe 1 or C8, the communist Léon Deffontaines visited TPMP for the first time in May during the European elections.

And he was able to see the benefit, in terms of exposure, compared to traditional debates, when he went door-to-door a few weeks later during the legislative campaign, where he was also a candidate.

“The people who saw me on TV were at Hanouna’s. They told me ‘I saw you at Baba’s!’, the host’s nickname, recalls the PCF spokesperson.

“This reinforces our idea that we have to go there. There would be a form of contempt not to do so,” he adds. And the interest seems to be mutual. “You deserved much more” than 2.36% in the European elections, Cyril Hanouna told his communist guest, readily critical of La France insoumise, even calling him “talented”.

An appreciable presence for the Bolloré group as the audiovisual regulator Arcom sent a “warning” to CNews this summer, worrying about the lack of pluralism on its channel.

At the end of July, Arcom also decided to deprive TNT of C8, the most penalized channel on French television with a fine of 7.6 million euros due to Cyril Hanouna’s slip-ups. It must stop broadcasting on TNT after February 28.