Paris (AFP)

The Superior council of audio-visual opens Monday the ball of the hearings of the candidates for the presidency of France Televisions: the eight personalities selected will in turn try to convince the Sages of the merits of their project.

Sandrine Roustan, TV production specialist who went through the program management of France 4 and is now hired by a large group of Chinese media, will defend her candidacy first.

This election is scrutinized with "as much hope as concern" by the sector, said Friday in a statement the Union of Audiovisual Production.

While public television is subject to a drastic savings plan, producers demand that "investment in programs (is) more than ever the priority of priorities if France Televisions wants to remain competitive and assert its identity". They notably ask for commitments for television films and documentaries.

The procedure is intended to be transparent, with projects made public and hearings broadcast in part on the CSA website, to avoid the hiccups of the previous appointment, which was highly criticized for its opacity and even challenged in court by group unions.

Michel Goldstein, columnist and commentator at the sports service of France Televisions, must speak at 11:15 am. Serge Schick, ex-director of strategy at Radio France, will meet at 2:30 p.m. The general administrator of RTBF (French-speaking Belgian public radio and television) Jean-Paul Philippot is expected at 4.45 p.m.

The lucky winner will be chosen by a majority vote of six members of the CSA, the seventh, Hervé Godechot, who cannot legally participate in the process in his capacity as a former member of France Télévisions.

The other four candidates are due to be heard on Tuesday. In addition to Delphine Ernotte, who could be the first president to chain two terms, are expected the former boss of RTL Christopher Baldelli, the trade unionist of France Televisions Serge Cimino and Pierre-Etienne Pommier, digital advisor of The Republic on the march to the Assembly (LREM).

The CSA will give at the latest Friday July 24 the name of the future president of public TV, appointed for a mandate of 5 years.

In addition to the production challenges, a certain number of files await it: the closure of France Ô and France 4, scheduled for August, but which could be suspended, and the management of the post-health crisis, which should lead to a operating loss of 22 million euros, in a context of budgetary restrictions.

She or he will also be at the helm for the next presidential election in 2022.

© 2020 AFP