Public broadcasting, the other hot issue for the start of the school year

Is the fire smoldering within the public audiovisual sector, a few weeks after the abolition of the fee, which had led to heavy protests? Within the state, we are monitoring the signals of potential conflagration. As such, the strike notice filed at France Télévisions for September 12 against the Tempo project to overhaul the France 3 newscasts is being watched with particular attention. As a sign of the internal uproar, the social and economic committee (CSE) is preparing to take legal action to find a “obstructing offence”. “It’s a dialogue of the deaf with management”justifies Serge Cimino, of the National Union of Journalists, who deplores a lack of information.

Before the summer, France Télévisions had announced its intention to put an end to the national television news of France 3 and to create regionalized slices, mixing national and regional information, on the model of France Bleu. If this project worries as much, it is that it intervenes in a context of abolition of the royalty.

In the short term, France Télévisions should not worry. According to our information, the budgets that will be included in the 2023 finance bill have been adopted and provide for stable credits instead. A welcome break after the 160 million euros in savings made over the past four years. But that does not prevent the State from wishing to see synergies develop between the two houses.

Final Arbitration

Thus, a message was sent to the presidents to make cooperative efforts on proximity. Impliedly, it would be wise to reduce the costs of the two regional networks France Bleu and France 3. Consequently, the Tempo project is seen rather favorably within the State, especially since the regionalization of the antenna is part of the demands of the public authorities.

At Radio France, in the shadow of broadcasts, the small hands of production

These are what are called, in the “round house”, “grid contracts”. Those of directors, production assistants, technicians; these jobs in the shadows of Radio France broadcasts, largely occupied by professionals with precarious contracts. “Emissions have swelled with a lot of ‘specialized collaborators’, a title which makes it possible to bring into the status of intermittent a whole work of programmingnotes Renaud Dalmar, equality referent of the company and CFDT union delegate. We have big teams, in particular at France Culture, mainly from CDDU [contrats à durée déterminée d’usage]. A way to overcome the restriction of employment in CDI at Radio France, but at the cost of the precariousness of these collaborators. » He estimates that nearly 50% of precarious contracts in the “support” trades for the group’s emissions.

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers At Radio France, the great precariousness of young recruits

“Some live like that for six years of intermittence in the same station, without it actually having anything to do with this status”, remarks Paul (the first names have been changed), a young “atta pro”, in charge of the program preparation sheets. He also tells the “big waltz” of the summer, when it comes to positioning themselves on the summer grid and then on the back-to-school grid. “We are subject to the seasonality of the programs: I work a lot during the holidays, but the returns can be very hollow. In September 2021, I only had two days of contract”recounts Pauline, thirty years old who has been working for three years on CDD directors – a profession that does not fall into the boxes of intermittency and therefore of compensation for the status. “I am passionate about my job, and Radio France is the only place that allows you to do as much live as podcasts or documentaries. But psychologically, it’s exhausting. »

But it is at France Bleu that these projects frighten the most. Journalists there have been protesting for twelve weeks against the common regional digital news platform, Here, by refusing to contribute to the web. Digital production has fallen by 40% on the grounds that contracts do not provide for journalists to also write for the Internet. Symptom of the underlying concern, the common site between France Bleu and France 3 has still not seen the light of day, the parties stumbling over the URL that will be chosen. For a long time, public radio has feared being merged into public television.

At Radio France, it is above all the opening of candidacies for the presidency that occupies the minds. The current president, Sibyle Veil, will have to say this fall whether or not she is back for a new term. As such, the government does not make it easy for him. He decided to extend for one year the contracts of objectives and means (COM), which expired at the end of December and which determine the missions and the strategy to be followed.

You have 31.62% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.