France: A failing newspaper industry

Posted by Lauren Drablier on October 20, 2008 at 12:24 PM

French newspapers are struggling under a system that is no longer working. Le Figaro and Le Monde have recently made cuts to their staff, while two other papers, Les Echoes and La Tribune were recently sold. Most others are struggling to make money.

Problems in the French newspaper industry have been largely attributed to distribution issues. For example, French newspaper vendors have no choice over their selection under a law created in 1947. Loi Bichet was created to ensure freedom of expression after the heavy distribution of Nazi propaganda during World War II. The problem with the law today is that vendors are unable to adapt their stock to market demand.

French president, Nicolas Sarkozy agrees that, "distribution is the biggest problem for the newspaper industry." Most French newspaper vendors are closed on Sundays, if not the entire weekend. Obviously this affects circulation figures and readership. French paid for dailies have a circulation of 154 copies per 100 people - lower than Cuba, Lithuania or Suriname.

However, according to Emmanuel Schwartzenberg, a former media editor at Le Figaro, politicians and publishers in France have not tried to change the system until now because both sides were benefiting. Politicians were able to control the press and publishers didn't have to worry too much about finances because they could rely on public subsidies.

According to media historian, Patrick Eveno, "The problem in France is that journalists, publishers and workers have never thought of their papers as commercial products, they have only thought of their papers as a means of political influence. If this does not change, the written press will die."

Sources: International Herald Tribune