Paris (AFP)
She wants to continue to pilot France Télévisions during the big bang of public broadcasting: the CEO of the group Delphine Ernotte declared herself a candidate Tuesday for a renewal until the end of 2022 of her mandate, which expires in August.
"It is here and first of all to you that I want to say it, I will be a candidate for an extension of my mandate at the head of France Télévisions", she declared during her wishes to the employees, pleading for "continuity" at the head of the public group in full audiovisual reform.
It is the Superior council of the audio-visual one which will have to proceed, in the first semester, to the appointment of the future boss (or patroness) of France Televisions, for a mandate which will be shortened (less than two and a half years) because of the audiovisual reform.
Indeed, this reform presented at the end of 2019 by the government, and which should be examined by the Parliament in April, plans to bring together the main public audiovisual companies, including France Télévisions and Radio France, in a joint holding company. , France Media.
In this context, the current CEOs of these four companies will become their managing directors until January 1, 2023.
It is this big big bang of public broadcasting, which motivates the wish of Delphine Ernotte, 53, to stack up until the end of 2022, according to her speech to employees.
- "Continuity" -
"I believe that this company needs continuity and I would be very happy to continue this adventure with you", she explained to the employees, adding that she wanted "to consolidate public service television in this new holding company".
The manager can rely on a particularly dense balance sheet at France Télévisions, marked in particular by the creation of the Franceinfo chain, increasing audiences (nearly 29% market share in 2019), a recovery in the group's accounts, new digital platforms (France.tv, Slash, Lumni, Okoo ...) and Salto, the future common platform for France Télévisions, TF1 and M6, which is due to be launched soon.
The mandate of the former patron of Orange France at France Télévisions was not, however, a long, calm river. Her remarks against "white men over 50", whom she had deemed too numerous on the group's channels (and which were followed by the departure of figures like David Pujadas, Julien Lepers or Patrick Sébastien), earned her criticism, as well as the savings and downsizing it has implemented.
Delphine Ernotte's declaration of candidacy comes on the eve of a hearing before the Cultural Affairs Committee of the National Assembly. She is currently alone in the running, and the CSA has not yet announced the calendar and the nomination procedure he will apply (the one that led to her choosing in 2015, succeeding Rémy Pflimlin, had been very criticized) .
Furthermore, this announcement should not fail to fuel speculation about the future leader of France Médias, while this new organization should be born in a year according to the calendar announced by the Ministry of Culture.
© 2020 AFP