The rapporteur of the parliamentary inquiry commission on public broadcasting, Charles Alloncle (UDR), recommends shutting down the youth channel France 4, merging France 5 with France 2, and combining franceinfo with France 24, in his report, according to sources close to the commission on Friday. These measures aim to generate over one billion euros in savings, which is a quarter of the funds allocated by the State to public broadcasting, one of the sources stated. The deputy proposes using these funds for “heritage maintenance” and “State deleveraging,” added the source.
The report and its recommendations must be voted on by the 30 commission members on Monday, after more than four months of high-tension work. A favorable vote is necessary for the report to be made public a week later.
In total, Charles Alloncle has made nearly 80 proposals, according to sources. He also suggests returning to the appointment of public broadcasting executives, such as France Télévisions and Radio France, by the President of the Republic after the Parliament’s opinion and the “conforming opinion” of the Arcom regulator.
Less sports and games In addition to channel mergers and closures, he wants to reduce the budget for games and entertainment at France Télévisions by three-quarters. This would result in over 120 million euros in savings, according to him. He also proposes reducing the group’s sports budget by a third, broadcaster of the Olympic Games, the Six Nations Rugby Tournament, the Tour de France, and the Roland-Garros tournament. On the radio front, he suggests eliminating Le Mouv’, Radio France’s hip-hop channel.
The Ciottiste deputy lamented that “leaks (were) organized by deputies, which is totally prohibited.” “This should prompt a firm warning from the President of the National Assembly,” Yaël Braun-Pivet, he added, as several media outlets revealed his recommendations on Friday. Refusing to confirm or deny the measures, he stated that it is “legitimate to have a reflection on the optimization” of France Télévisions channels, adding that “these are recommendations and not mandates.”
