CII is intended to compete with CNN, BBC-WORLD, AL-Dschasira and the German wave to at the "Picture battle in the first row" stand
France announced the start of his CNN à la Francaise last week. But Prasident Jacques Chirac had claimed a year ago, you will enter the "International Battle for Images" by the end of 2005 (CNN à la Francaise) . Parliament had provided the international news network "CII" (Chain d’Information Internationale) at that time 30 million euros for the broadcast start.
A year and thousands of burning cars later, the government has recently announced the start for the international TV station to better sell the image of France abroad. "Prime Minister Dominique has signed the Obstart with TF1 and France Televisions, which allows the creation of an international French information network," said the Minister of Culture Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres highly officially conceded last week. To 50 percent each, France Televisions, umbrella organization of State Sender France 2 and France 3, under the participation of the AFP and Radio France News Agency and Radio, should participate in CII at CII.
The Idea, State President Jacques Chirac, do not love long with comments: "It’s about spreading values and worldview everywhere in the world," he said, and used almost the same formulas as a year ago. "You have to be in the world’s footpost in the first row," he repeated himself. Now it was announced to go to program before the end of 2006 with programs for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. First, the program should only be broadcast in French on cable, satellite and Internet. Father should also be distributed in English, Arabic. Most recently, when shipments for North and Sud America come to this, including in Spanish.
Every few years the media project appears
As far as the planning whose implementation remains to be seen. Because the idea is not new. Already in 1987 Chirac had first conceded, France need an international info. 18 years later he won his promise now, mocks the daily newspaper Liberation and asks if his goal was probably "journalists or diplomats" were set?
Every few years again, the project appeared in the discussion when France said to better sell his position worldwide. So it was in the run-up to the Iraq war. Although at the time, Chirac with the US President George Bush, but this was interpreted worldwide this from the Anglo-Sachsian Senders CNN and BBC-WORLD. To you allegedly a counterpole should be formed. Right now, after the riots in the pre-estate (the beauty of a burning car) the project should start again, is no coincidence. Cultural Minister Donnedieu referred to as "very significant" to counteract the "cartoon image", which were spread from foreign channels via the crisis in the precedes. The fact that in France despite a worship calm still the emergency state is still the state of emergency, but he liked it internationally probably not remember (France demands the state of emergency by three months).
Coincidence it is certainly not that CII should still go on the air before the 2007 parliamentary elections. Since it first only wants to report in French, not a few suggest that the new channel is to be advertising around the foreign-friendly lectures. That the message arrives, the private broadcaster TF1 makes the tone specifying the tone at CII.
The media giant is known for its loyalty to Chirac and belongs to the majority of the world’s largest construction company Bouygues, which in turn lives on state application.. TF1 had already been supported in the election campaign in 2004 for Chirac. Canal Plus, the second gross private broadcaster in the country, has already criticized that with CII the supremacy of the competitor TF1 will be further expanded.
In view of the financial outfitness is to doubt whether it is more than an expensive election advertising for the conservatives. The union spokesman of the CGT at France 3 ames that the money is not enough to "supply the antenna". Therefore, on reports from the publicly legal broadcasters, which is why Jean-Francois Tealdi says, you can ever do with the "negotiations on the authors rights". According to the daily newspaper Liberation, many a number of journalists had refused to clamp themselves for the "bastard". The left-liberal newspaper also quotes the Burgerial MP Francois Rochebloine of the UDF. He called a "deep suspension" CII: "He will never be started, believe me."