Neo-Bonapartism? A parallel between Nicolas Sarkozy and ...

Neo-Bonapartism? A parallel between Nicolas Sarkozy and Napoleon III
caught short all the media professionals in France regarding its stake: the transference of one
billion Euros per year of advertising revenues from the public to the private sector of TV
broadcasting. Saint-Martin considered it as both a threatening signal addressed to dissident
public media and “a gift to Sarkozy’s friends” (2009). As a matter of fact, the journalist
identified four main recipients of this presidential largesse: Martin Bouygues (TF1, highly
dependent upon advertising which accounted for 68,7 % of its turnover in 2007), Vincent
Bolloré (Direct 8), Arnaud Laguardère (Virgin 17 and Gulli), and finally Nicolas de Tavernost (M6
Groupe). As if this was not enough, in December 2008, Télérama released a disturbing
confidential document: the 2008’s TF1 Livre Blanc (an internal document covering the strategic
planning of the Bouygues Groupe affiliate). In fact, Soubrouillard explains that “startling
resemblances between the recommendations of this document and Sarkozy’s reforming of
advertising in public TV broadcasting suggest that the president was strongly inspired by it”
(2008).
In the same breath, Sarkozy continued his raid over public media and decided that from now
on, the nomination of the presidents of both of Radio France and France Télévisions will be a
presidential prerogative (with the symbolic approval of the CSA - Conseil Supérieur de
l’Audiovisuel). Leroi explains that the head of state wanted the superseding of the president of
Radio France, Jean-Paul Cluzel, who built up a strong resistance to Sarkozy’s seducing of the
media and allowed his journalists to keep a critical standpoint vis à vis his politics. In a model of
monitored media, even Cluzel’s « satisfactory bilan since his nomination in 2004 by the CSA -
according to Médiamétrie, Radio France stations achieved a 24,6% of market penetration which
represent 12,6 million daily listeners – that ended up in Radio France being the first radio group
A website dedicated to this project is available starting Dec 7 th 2010 at: http://www.aui.ma/personal/~Y.Assaoui/
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