The CheekyFrenchy Blog: a Frenchman in Britain

€70k vs. €12k for the same job...per month

I have already talked about Laurence Ferrari's JT (Journal Televise, or the TV news in France). I can't make anymore comments as I am not watching it anymore. I very rarely watch the news on TV but when I do so I watch the one from the public TV channel: France 2 (part of France Television, the "equivalent" of the BBC).

However I keep following the performance of Mrs Ferrari's audience, because the media, the newspapers talk about it all the time. That would never happen in the UK, but the news are not such a popular daily event in Britain. This TF1 JT is the most popular in Europe, and certainly the one from France 2 is not far behind. 6 months ago the JT on TF1 was seen by 38% of the people watching TV: this number has reduced to 30% with Laurence Ferrari in 3 months (which is still 8 millions)...hum, I am so glad that my first impression was correct and shared by so many French people. In comparison 22.5 % watch the JT on France 2, presented by David Pujadas (5.7 millions).

I have read recently that despite this bad performance Laurence Ferrari earns 70,000 Euros/months (slightly less than £57,000/month). In comparison David Pujadas makes "only" 12,000 Euros/months for the same job. And believe me this difference is not justified by the difference in their own performance !! And Mr Pujadas’ pay slip will not greatly improve in the future...At least it is my view. Let see why.

TF1 is owned by Martin Bouygues (yes the same company than Bouygues Telecom or the famous civil engineering and construction company). For information Martin Bouygues is a very close friend of Nicolas Sarkozy, he is even the godfather of its last son. Recently Mr Sarkozy (or let say the government that executes what he says) has decided to make the public TV free of ads. This instantaneously boosted the TF1 share price last January that was already in trouble.

So how will France Television get its funding now? via the TV licence of course (but this is far less than in the UK) and 3% of the advertising profits made by private TV’s will go to the government, which in return will give it back to France Television.

That is where the problem is: in the UK the BBC budget is fixed and decided after difficult discussions for 10 years, and no government in place can ever change it. That is what I call an independent TV. In France there is no such a thing and there is a risk that the budget of France Television (the 3% that should be paid directly ot France television) will depend of their attitude toward the government in place.

I am sorry for mr Jujadas but his salary is not about to go through the roof, despite the excellent job of his team and himself.

 

 

 

Hard time for Laurence Ferrari

Just a follow-up on my last post regarding the news presenter Laurence Ferrari. I explained how I was shocked by her arrogance and rudeness when talking to the president of a state and explained that she might loose lost of audience if she doesn't rectify quickly. Apparently she hasn't (I can't comment myself as I am not watching her news anymore) but this article from the lefigaro<www.lefigaro.fr> this morning relates that the news on TF1 are getting less and less popular.
During the first week 38.5% of the French watching TV at 8.00pm were watching the TF1 news, getting down to 36.1 during the second week and 34.3% during the third week. On Thursday it was even 32.9%. In comparison her predecessor PPDA was around 38 to 40%. Similarly the news on France 2, at the same time is building up gradually more and more audience.
This "20 heures", the famous news that creates the routing of so many French people is strategic because of the adverts immediately before and after the news. Tonight the audience will be good because TF1 is showing Marseille-Liverpool on the TV. But tomorrow it might be another story again. Sacrebleu, it doens't pay to be arrogant anymore.

Laurence Ferrari: the Formula 1 of Insolence

 Never call French people at 8.00pm. The news start on the two main TV channels for half an hour and create the evening routine in people life. Between 7 and 8 millions people watch the news on TF1 (the main private TV) and between 3 and 4 millions on France 2 (the public TV). Almost a quarter of France is stuck on the TV at this time of the day.
Patrick Poivre d'Arvor (called PPDA) was the news presenter on TF1 for 17 years. Almost an institution, that ended up last June when TF1 decided to replace him by a younger woman, Laurence Ferrari, 42.

Mikheïl Saakachvili agreed to answer few questions after the Russian called today South Ossetia and Abkhazia independent states.
I have never seen so much arrogance: when the president was answering her first question in a perfect French she interrupted him brutally to ask another pointless question, showing that she couldn't care less about the answer: he resisted to finish his point, then she insisted and raised the voice. A young immature journalist showing so much arrogance to a president, in charge of a state, one of the main player in the current conflict, is appalling. This is not only about professionalism, this is about respect. I doubt that if Mrs Ferrari persists to show lack of respect as she did tonight she would survive long at her current glorious position.

Laurence Ferrari presented the news for the second time tonight, opening with the conflict in Georgia. Live from Tbilisi the President

At then end , when president Saakachvili tried to thank France for the role Nicolas Sarkozy played. "oui on a tous bien compris, merci au revoir " (yes, we all got your point thank you very much, Good Bye) and she interrupted him again brutally. Just to finish with the same rudeness she started the interview with.