Paris (AFP)

Stéphane Sitbon-Gomez, a close friend of France Télévisions CEO Delphine Ernotte, has been appointed director of antennas and programs of the public group, while the boss of the franceinfo channel Laurent Guimier becomes director of information, according to a message from management to employees of which AFP is aware.

Stéphane Sitbon-Gomez, 33, who until now was Delphine Ernotte's chief of staff, takes over from the group's former number two, Takis Candilis, on Monday, who announced his departure last week.

The new director of antennas and programs is close to the CEO of the group, who appointed him to head his cabinet five years ago, when she won the presidency of France Télévisions.

The functions of this novice in the audiovisual sector at the time (he came from EELV and former special advisor to Cécile Duflot), have grown over the years: he became director of transformation in 2018 and also took on orders from France TV Studio, the production subsidiary of the public group.

Competition from platforms, re-entry gates postponed to early next year because of Covid-19, and other repercussions of the crisis: major projects await the new number two.

In his first interview, granted to Le Parisien, he cited three challenges: "culture first, creation then - in fictions, documentaries and animation, to attract the best authors, screenwriters, and make memorable series -, and finally, diversity, for which I want a rapid action plan ", as Delphine Ernotte is committed.

"We are going to look for new faces that represent the country. The French must recognize themselves in their TV," he insisted.

However, there is no question of getting rid of PAF veteran Michel Drucker, who "is part of the DNA of public television".

"He is with us and he will stay," he said.

As for Thierry Ardisson, deprived of TV since his departure from Canal +, he could make his return to the bosom of the public service: "he offered us projects that we are studying", confided Stéphane Sitbon-Gomez.

Laurent Guimier, meanwhile, succeeds the information directorate from Yannick Letranchant, himself appointed director of special operations.

The group's new news boss, a journalist who has spent much of his career at Europe 1, headed the Lagardère group's radio division in 2018-2019 before joining France Télévisions as director of franceinfo.

This renewal of the group's management team, which is carried out entirely through internal movements, also sees several other senior executives change functions, with sometimes modified perimeters.

In this game of musical chairs, Laurence Mayerfeld, director of the regional network of France 3, thus becomes director of human resources and organization, and the previous director of human resources, Arnaud Lesaunier, is appointed CEO of France TV Studio and of France TV Distribution.

© 2020 AFP