French public broadcasting unions initiated a strike on Thursday and Friday to voice their dissent against a governmental proposal aimed at consolidating various segments of the public media sector. The proposed legislation, led by Culture Minister Rachida Dati, was put under scrutiny by France’s parliament on Thursday.
The bill advocates for the creation of a unified entity named ‘France Médias,’ which would amalgamate France Télévisions, Radio France, the Institut National de l’Audovisuel (INA), and potentially France Médias Monde (including RFI and France 24). This merger, slated for implementation in 2025-2026, is seen by the government as a strategy to fortify public broadcasting against the surge of private competitors.
However, union representatives argue that the merger plan is “ineffective, demagogic, and dangerous.” They express concerns in a joint column in Le Monde about the unnecessary complexity and anxiety the merger would induce among employees, questioning the lack of clear editorial goals in a media landscape already dominated by a few powerful private entities.
The strike, affecting approximately 16,000 workers, has led to significant disruption in programming across French public media. The union for Radio France, SNJ, reported that 75% of journalists participated in the walkout, with similar participation rates across other sectors.
As a result, many French TV and radio stations, including France 2, France 3, France 4, France 5, and the Franceinfo news channel, along with regional broadcasters, have resorted to airing pre-recorded notices explaining the disruption due to the strike. This move underscores the widespread impact of the protest against the proposed media merger.
