The French government is throwing its weight behind a new idea for the birth of an international television news network that would compete with CNN.

For the moment, with no round-the-clock news station, France is not able to express its antiwar position in the way that the US expresses his pro war stance on CNN.

This "CNN à la française" was first announced during the election campaign of the French President last year. The government recently made a call to accelerate its creation. The plans for the project should to be submitted before April 22.

French President Jacques Chirac's idea is that "France should be more strongly represented in the battle of images". The news cable television could hit the airwaves as soon as next year.

The television will not be governmental, but will promote the French point of view in international politics and give President Chirac the possibility of international influence. The channel would initially broadcast in Africa, Middle East and Europe and eventually would broadcast in Arabic, English and Spanish.

According to Le Monde, a confidential working group created by the French government made an audit for the creation of the network. France Television, together with RFI, RFO, Arte, TV5 and l'AFP could participate in the project. TF1 is also interested, as they want to export their own information network LCI.

In February, German television channels ARD and ZDF gave the thumbs down to the French plans of establishing a new European CNN-like station. ARD chairman Jobst Plog said that German tax payers could not be expected to help pay for such a station.

I'm surprised it took the French so long to finally put together a French-language satellite news network.

Given the fact that in much of central Africa the ONLY common language is French, they should have done this like way back in the late 1980's, given that France is one of the big contributors to the Intelsat satellite communications consortium. In short, France is a latecomer to the satellite news business, way behind even the BBC and al-Jazeera networks (let alone the Americans!).

"For the moment, with no round-the-clock news station, France is not able to express its antiwar position in the way that the US expresses his pro war stance on CNN."

Surely this must be coming from The Onion.

This is why the French and Germans are eating the world's dust. EVERYTHING must be undertaken by the State, which of course means that nothing gets done, especially anything that is daring. Say what you will about Ted Turner (and I have), from a business perspective CNN was very daring in its earlier years, getting into a segment the three VHF networks should have dominated.

Paris behind plans for a French CNN

Firm Grasp of the Obvious Department

From the Notebook pages of The New Republic 1995


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     Survey Finds Dirtier Subways After Cleaning Jobs Were Cut
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     'Light' Meals Are Lower in Fat, Calories
                Huntington Herald-Dispatch, November 30

     Alcohol Ads Promote Drinking
                The Hartford Courant, November 18

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                The Baltimore Sun, October 22

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                The Herald-News, Westpost, Massachusetts

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                The Sunday Oregonian, September 24

     Low Wages Said Key to Poverty
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     Man Shoots Neighbor with Machete
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     Tomatoes Come in Big, Little, Medium Sizes
                The Daily Progress, Charlottesville, Virginia, March 30

     Dirty-Air Cities Far Deadlier Than Clean Ones, Study Shows
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     Man Run Over by Freight Train Dies
                The Los Angeles Times, March 2

     Scientists See Quakes in L.A. Future
                The Oregonian, January 28

     Wachtler Tells Graduates that Life in Jail is Demeaning
                The Buffalo News, February 26

     Free Advice: Bundle Up When Out in the Cold
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     Prosecution Paints O.J. as a Wife-killer
                Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, January 25

     Economist Uses Theory to Explain Economy
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     Bible Church's Focus is the Bible
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     Clinton Pledges Restraint in Use of Nuclear Weapons
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     Discoveries: Older Blacks Have Edge in Longevity
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     Court Rules Boxer Shorts Are Indeed Underwear
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     Lack of Brains Hinders Research
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     How We Feel About Ourselves is the Core of Self-esteem,
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     Fish Lurk in Streams
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