May 2013

The Role and Management of Public Service Broadcasters as Part of the Regional/Local Media Landscape

[ Part Ⅱ ] France: The Identity of the Public Service Broadcaster Is Being Questioned

Tetsuro Nitta

In France, a nation with centralized government, the public service broadcaster did not start local broadcasts until the end of 1972, and it monopolized the local broadcasting until the late 1980s. The public broadcaster’s France3 was designated as a “community-based” channel and now its 24 local stations provide news and other programs for the local audience. Meanwhile, commercial broadcasting lagged behind in this field for a long time, but since 2000, local commercial stations have been founded one by one throughout the country. This was boosted by a move for decentralization, local governments’ financial support for local commercial broadcasters, and the development of digital terrestrial broadcasting. Today, there are 43 local commercial stations, nearly twice as many as public, which provide detailed local news and information for the residents in each community. Meanwhile, affected by multi-channelization, the public service broadcaster’s audience share is relatively dropping. Besides, it is under pressure from the government that calls for downsizing, saying that the workforce is bloated. Thus, French local public broadcaster is faced with a difficult task of embodying its identity “community-based” while promoting the streamlining.

The NHK Monthly Report on Broadcast Research