The fear of an impoverishment of public broadcasting is stronger than ever

The review of the draft law on audiovisual in the National Assembly starts tomorrow, in a tense climate. The adoption of an amendment modulating the taxation of the private channels by the commission to prepare the vote on the text crystallized concerns to France TVs, mount the niche the opposition and emerge from their hinges some members of the Copé commission for the new public television. Producers, authors and writers, in particular, believe that the architecture of the report that they have made is being evil by amendments pushed by lobbyists. TF1 and M6 doing everything to avoid taxes on their sales planned to contribute to the financing of public television who will have to learn to do without advertising revenues.

"It is unacceptable." We worked six months for nothing. In the current crisis, I do not see how the State will reverse all of the proceeds of those taxes to France television. "Funding should be sustainable and dynamic, there is nothing," said writer Sophie Deschamps, former member of the commission Copé. The promises of the Ministry of Culture, who reiterated last week that, whatever the amount collected by taxes, France Televisions receive well 450 million euros a year, not reassuring. "Christine Albanel has been making statements, it is not in Bercy," notes a framework of France television.

The fear of an impoverishment of public broadcasting is stronger than ever. And the veto of the Executive to an increase in the levy remains across the gorge of France Television employees and members of the commission Copé there was. The level of the charge in France (116 euros per year) is indeed well below the average European (161 euros). But, as Nicolas Sarkozy, Jean-François Copé was never intended, and reiterated it again recently: "I live, there is never rise in the levy", he still said November 12 before the UMP deputies.

"Component of major economies."

Patrick de Carolis, President of France television, whose successor can be named on Decree of the President of the Republic, was himself concerned this waltz of amendments which is endangering the funding of the group. In the minutes of a meeting held with the unions of France television, stated that he "warned institutional risk interlocutors that some amendments were run to the group". He also "informed the shareholders that the amendment limiting the taxation of commercial channels would increase the financial gap between the public and the private." As much as one and a half months of the due date the Group has always not looped with the 2009-2012 business plan State! The negotiations, which last for months, "came in a conclusive and difficult phase", indicates the same account. "Points of view, if they came close, do however not converge again", said Patrick de Carolis before trade unionists.

The business plan includes a "savings component important", which has no connection with the removal of advertising, "reflects the necessary adaptation of the group to the new economic model of the audiovisual sector as a whole, by reinventing its production models", adds the report. Negotiations with the State mainly stuck on the pace of the economies to achieve and the speed of a return to balance. France television will be deficit to the tune of 100 million euros this year, and a new deficit is anticipated for 2009. The public group hopes to leave 900 employees here to 2012 via a voluntary retirements. Funding assured, savings plan... For the unions of France television, the threats are real and filed a notice of strike for tomorrow.