In the absence of a merger, the president of Arcom advocates a “common presidency” for public broadcasting

“The renewal” of public broadcasting “will pass at one time or another through a common presidency” for all its media, argued Arcom president Roch-Olivier Maistre, during a hearing at the National Assembly Tuesday.

“I am not talking about a merger” but about “someone who has a corporate vision like the large private groups”, clarified Mr. Maistre to the deputies of the Cultural Affairs Committee.

He was notably interviewed on the objectives and means contracts (COM) of France Télévisions, Radio France and France Médias Monde (France 24, RFI) for the period 2024-2028. Initially expected in 2023, these COMs, negotiated with the State, must still be submitted to Parliament for opinion.

In its own opinion delivered in July, Arcom called for “strengthening” cooperation between these media.

The “status quo is no longer possible”, Mr. Maistre insisted on Tuesday, calling on the public service “to gather its forces, not to dilute itself but to unite”.

“The time is now for ‘global media'”, that is to say for groups encompassing “all media” TV, radio, internet, etc., and “competition is becoming international”, a- he justified.

“Certainly, we have made progress,” he admitted, citing the establishment of joint morning shows between France Bleu and France 3. But we need “a pilot on the plane” on “major strategic projects” (proximity , information, digital, culture, winning back young audiences), estimated the one whose mandate ends at the beginning of 2025.

Led by the Minister of Culture Rachida Dati, the project of a merger of public broadcasting media was on track until the dissolution of the National Assembly in June. The minister plans consultations to consider what happens next.

More urgently, the sustainability of funding for public broadcasting, “guarantee of its independence” according to Mr. Maistre, will be on the Senate’s agenda on October 23.

The president of Arcom was also questioned about the agreements that will be signed by the end of the year between the regulator and the private channels selected for the reallocation of 15 DTT frequencies in 2025.

These specifications will be “enriched” in terms of pluralism and must give “more resources” to the channels’ ethics committees, according to Mr. Maistre.

“We have also planned (…) to generalize the appointment in the boards of directors of all audiovisual media of an independent administrator”, referent “on subjects of ethics or independence of editorial staff” and “correspondent” of the ethics committee, said Mr. Maistre.

Do you have a real estate project in mind? Yakeey & Médias24 help you make it happen!