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Europe
French ’CNN rival’ to start 2004
2003-09-30
A French 24-hour international news channel designed to rival the BBC and CNN should be on the air by late next year after state approval of a public-private consortium to run the broadcaster. "This channel will exist," said Bernard Brochand, as he released his report on what has become known as a "CNN a la francaise". State financing for the television channel - whose annual budget for the first five years has been put at EUR 70 million (USD 80 million) - would be fast-tracked, he said. Its programmes would not be available to homes in France, where TF1 has its own all-news channel, LCI, but would be beamed across the rest of Europe, as well as to Africa, the Middle East and to Central Asia. The French foreign ministry, currently headed by Dominique de Villepin, would likely be in charge of the channel, Brochand said, though he added that the government would formally decide that aspect later. Even though Brochand said "it is absolutely essential that this channel be independent," he also stressed that its vocation was to be "the voice of France." "This channel will encourage the expression of a French vision which is more necessary than ever in the world today," Raffarin said in a statement Monday.
Posted by:Seafarious

#16  I have a great slogan for the new French network: "BBC with an attitude".
Posted by: Old Patriot   2003-9-30 11:05:45 PM  

#15  Le Pravda mon ami
Posted by: Cheddarhead   2003-9-30 8:34:59 PM  

#14  Bernard Brochand is the brother of the director of french intelligence (DGSE), Pierre Brochand. Add the tutellage of Dominique Galouzeau ("De Villepin" being a nobility family name he bought), and you'll get perfect independence for this french CNN.
Posted by: Anonymous   2003-9-30 3:13:12 PM  

#13  They'll be more competition for Al Jazeera than CNN
Posted by: g wiz   2003-9-30 2:25:22 PM  

#12  Américains bêtes! Nos grandes nouvelles dirigent vous rapetisseront CNN chétif. Bientôt nous vous aurons tous Français qui parlent, mangeant le fromage, et rendre!
Posted by: John F. Kerry (French looking Vietnam Vet)   2003-9-30 12:59:27 PM  

#11  Yes, JFM, and King Kong's gate was included in the fire.

Hmmm, what's the matter, Jack, why don't you want your program viewed in the US?
Posted by: Anonymous   2003-9-30 12:07:17 PM  

#10  There is another differnce with CNN: I
will have to feed the parasits journalists with my taxes.


While we are at it I will tell you the story of two movies. Once upon a time the producer of an American movie had to film the burning of Atlanta, so he picked all the backgrounds (it is that the name?) his copany had been accumulating for years in other movies and set them fire. Cost: negative. The savings in watch and insurance policies (against fire) more than compensdated for the hiring of local firemen
in order to keep a watch on the fire. The movie
was called "Gone with the wind", it made LOTS of
money and was a great artitical success (BTW, I have watched it over ten times). And the burning of Atlanta scene is in the memories of everone.


One upon a time there was french movie producer who wanted to film a ten second scene scene where the hero water-skies on the Seine at a very special in Paris, and while doing so sends a flying kiss to the heroine who is driving the boat. But since the real place was unavailable he spent ten million dollars of French tax payer money for building a fake reproduction of that well known spot of Paris. The movie was called "The amants du Pont-Neuf", very few people went to see it, it got no awards and it has been forgotten by about everyone. That was my tax francs hard at work for "exception culturelle".

Posted by: JFM   2003-9-30 12:01:22 PM  

#9  Tim Blair is holding a "Name That Network" contest

La frog de surrender.
Posted by: Charles   2003-9-30 11:28:09 AM  

#8  Update: Tim Blair is holding a "Name That Network" contest...
Posted by: Seafarious   2003-9-30 11:25:05 AM  

#7  Let me see... it's supposed to be independent, and managed by the foreign minister?

That sounds downright soviet.
Posted by: Phil Fraering   2003-9-30 11:24:16 AM  

#6  I guess they were jealous of the BBC they needed a department of lies, embellishments, and deceits as well.
Posted by: Jarhead   2003-9-30 11:09:38 AM  

#5  They'll be calling it A la Jazeera, surely.
Posted by: Bulldog   2003-9-30 11:07:36 AM  

#4  "Thw World According To Dominique - It's Simplisme!"

nice, I'm sure everyone would like to have the news read down to them by a French waiter...
Posted by: Frank G   2003-9-30 10:58:36 AM  

#3  Even though Brochand said "it is absolutely essential that this channel be independent," he also stressed that its vocation was to be "the voice of France."

Why bother? The only words necessary are cheese and surrender. Don't need much of a voice for that.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2003-9-30 10:56:53 AM  

#2  hahaha, can you say la propaganda network des frogs.......
Posted by: Jarhead   2003-9-30 10:56:30 AM  

#1  Other than one of them being in French, what will the difference be?
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2003-9-30 10:55:15 AM  

00:00