Shadow of Sarkozy seen in French anchor's downfall
Fri, Jul 11, 2008
Reuters
PARIS, FRANCE - FRANCE'S most popular TV anchorman presented his last evening news bulletin on Thursday after his channel removed him in a surprise move that has fuelled speculation of political influence on media.
Patrick Poivre d'Arvor has presented the flagship 8pm news programme on TF1 for 21 years and news last month that he would be replaced by a younger female newsreader, Laurence Ferrari, poached from another private channel dominated headlines for days.
'Since I have not been able to avoid what is happening tonight, I send you all a kiss,' PPDA, as he is known in France, said at the end of his last bulletin.
Media commentators have speculated that PPDA got the chop because he had displeased President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is a close personal friend of TF1 boss Martin Bouygues.
TF1 management has given no reason for PPDA's removal.
Mr Sarkozy and his aides have refused to comment.
In a live interview with Mr Sarkozy after he took power last year, PPDA told the president he had seemed like 'an excited little boy entering the big boys' playground' at a G8 summit.
A visibly annoyed Sarkozy retorted that at 52 he was hardly a little boy and perhaps PPDA said so because he was even older.
The exchange is one of the most viewed items on the French version of the video-sharing website dailymotion, where one viewer added the comment: 'PPDA criticises Sarko so the dictator kicks him off the news!'
Mr Jean-Francois Kahn, a major figure in French media who founded several news magazines, saw PPDA's plight as evidence of 'an obsession to be on good terms with those in power'.
PPDA has refused to be drawn into speculation about Mr Sarkozy's alleged role in his downfall.
His removal is just one of several incidents raising questions about the influence on media of Mr Sarkozy, who has other close friends among France's biggest press barons.
State television employees have staged strikes and demonstrations over Mr Sarkozy's decision to ban advertising on their channels, which will mean a funding shortfall of approximately 800 million euros (S$1.7 billion).
Many in the state broadcasting sector see the policy as a present to Mr Sarkozy's friend Bouygues as advertisers are expected to transfer a lot of their business to TF1. The government denies this and says it wants to create a better public service free from the commercial need to generate high ratings. -- REUTERS
