Could the end of the France 4 channel, officially announced on August 9, be canceled? A sequence in any case sowed doubt during the hearing of Prime Minister Edouard Philippe at the National Assembly as part of the parliamentary fact-finding mission on the Covid-19 on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister was arrested by Bruno Studer, president of the Cultural Affairs committee and elected La République en Marche (LREM). "Mr. Prime Minister, digital technology is an educational opportunity, beyond being a means of responding to the crisis we are experiencing. I would also like to salute the public audiovisual sector here, especially France 4, which I think that the closure can no longer be topical (...) ", declared the deputy.
"France 4 has demonstrated its total usefulness in the period of crisis we are experiencing"
The closure of France 4 "more topical"? This is called a paving stone in the pond. So far, only associations and representatives of the audiovisual sector have expressed their opposition to this closure. When the message comes from a parliamentarian, a fortiori from the majority, its weight is no longer the same. To find out more, Europe 1 went to ask LREM MP Aurore Bergé, who was also rapporteur for the audiovisual reform bill.
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"I believe that for those who doubted it, France 4 has demonstrated its total usefulness in the period of crisis that we are experiencing. For me, there is a question of social and territorial equity: if today we do not Had France 4 not been available for all French families, if we had only had a digital platform, we would in fact have excluded certain families, either because they cannot afford subscriptions, or because they would not have had access to this content because of the digital divide that persists in the country, "says Aurore Bergé.
"Are we taking the risk of accentuating the digital divide?"
"We consider, within the National Assembly, that the role of France 4 is an important role. It is an important role for the whole animation sector, which is nevertheless a jewel in France. represents 40% of our audiovisual content exports abroad. So are we taking the risk of weakening it? And once again, and that is because also we have deputies in the field who see in everyday life, do we take the risk of accentuating a fracture? " she continues.
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"Truly the chain of childhood and youth"
Why this turnaround? The choice to delete France 4 only dates back about 18 months. "I also think that compared to a year and a half ago, France 4 has a much clearer positioning vis-à-vis the public. We no longer ask it to be a channel which must cover an extremely wide prism. It is truly the chain of childhood and youth and it demonstrates it even more by having shaken up its programs ", answers Aurore Bergé.
The member now hopes that the political mobilization behind the chain could make a difference. "We are mobilized. Many of us are mobilized in the Assembly. I believe that this will also be the case in the Senate. I believe that this is also the case for many parents' associations and associations family, beyond the audiovisual and entertainment sector. It is also the audience of France 4 who is mobilized, "she reports.