“The merger of public broadcasting would take us back to the antediluvian times of the gargantuan ORTF” | EUROtoday

Eunusual future of dangerous concepts! There are some that we kick into the bottom and suppose we’re rid of. But it occurs that they stroll underground, like a mole, till they reappear, unexpectedly, for the more serious. Such is the case with the resurrection of the decayed ghost of the ORTF.

Rachida Dati, simply appointed Minister of Culture, confirms this intention by posing it as a significant factor of her upcoming motion. We would combine collectively France Télévisions, Radio France, France Médias Monde (which incorporates France 24 and RFI [Radio France internationale]), and the National Audiovisual Institute [INA]. [L’ancien ministre de la culture, désormais chargé du commerce extérieur] Franck Riester, rue de Valois, had beforehand made this mission his pet. History usually progresses straight with curved strains, the Covid-19 epidemic appeared to have freed us from them. Alas! The minister has simply instructed us, significantly on France Inter, that if we proceeded rapidly with this merger, if we had earlier than us a consolidated public broadcasting firm, “strong, powerful, preserved, the budgetary aspect will follow[it] ».

This is indeed a logic that seems doubtful, especially if we consider the bottom line. The impression has often prevailed since 2017 that public broadcasting was poorly regarded by the executive power in place. A first sign, derisory, was provided in 2019 by the decision of the Minister of Public Accounts, Gérald Darmanin [aujourd’hui ministre de l’intérieur] to reduce the fee by a symbolic euro. He mixed insolence with contempt. Then, along the same lines, the pure and simple, deplorable abolition of this “directed” tax was introduced. Deletion surrounded by many guarantees, wood crosses, iron crosses, in response to which the assure of lasting financing wouldn’t be affected: completely fragile guarantees. In this mild, how can we be persuaded that the heterogeneous meeting in query would all of a sudden change, in a optimistic method, the budgetary selections, that’s to say the political will?

Competition of wishes for energy

Certainly, encouraging these separate firms to coordinate efforts within the service of authentic and new tasks can solely appear welcome. Nothing might be extra opportune for a authorities to push them to take action, significantly throughout the negotiation of “objective and means contracts”. Yes, however on this case, it’s one thing fully completely different: an natural fusion which might take us again to the antediluvian time of the gargantuan ORTF, to the time when governments intently managed packages and knowledge.

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