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Developments of French Newspaper Publishing : A general view
Else Delaunay
Introduction
Indeed, it is not easy to give a clear and precise picture of what
is going on at the moment. Surely the situation of the French press is
difficult as for newspapers in many other countries. However, the reasons of
the present stagnation in France may not always be the same as in those
countries. I shall try here to introduce you shortly to the present situation,
in particular to the daily press and its weekly supplements.
France has a long press tradition. The first French newspaper
La Gazette by Théophraste Renaudot dates back to 1631. In 1836,
when launching his daily newspaper La Presse which quickly became a
great success, Emile de Girardin cut down the issue price 50 % with regard to
other rivaling newspapers as he understood it was necessesary to lower the
price in order to multiply the number of readers and, consequently, be more
attractive to advertisers who would then pay a part of the newspaper. The
modern newspaper publishing was born.
Since then, the French press has been living on a double easy
theorem: lower sales prices mean better sales; the newspaper sales and the
advertising finance the undertaking. But today this model is compromised, both
economically and as to the contents of the newspaper. It seems to be the end of
an historical cycle. The press must look to new ideas, new settings of
presentation and content, in other words a redynamisation is necessary so as to
win back lost readership, to captivate new readers, especially the youth, and
to find new advertisers. A real challenge for the next years
In most newspapers there is not yet special contents for young
readers. Generally the items which concern young people are to be found in
supplements and inserts published weekly by the daily newspapers (ex. Le
Monde 2 which is highly illustrated ; Le Figaro Grandes
écoles and Les Echos Sup both meant for students). It is
indeed time to reexamine the situation so as to understand young people's new
tastes and priorities.
Regulation of French Newspaper Publishing The Freedom
of the press was conceded in 1881, a 100 years after the Human Rights
Declaration and the French Revolution ! It was the beginning of a real " gold
age " for the French press. Daily and weekly newspapers flourished all over the
country and this period lasted until 1914. Even after the First World war the
press was still very active.
After the Second World war the French press was totally
reorganised but the principle of freedom of expression remained. This freedom
is eroded today as newspapers are more and more dependent on funding
and
big financial groups do own most of the papers. Under such circumstancies it is
indeed difficult for the journalists to remain free to express opinons and
ideas or to critisize actions or official statements.
Right now, as the freedom of the press recently has been attacked
several times, an association of journalists called " Droit à l 'Info "
(which means " Right to Inform ") tries to formulate an amendment to the bill
in order to defend journalists' rights and freedom and to guarantee their
duties.
Reasons of the present stagnation
The economic degradation due to fall of incomings is of course the
most serious problem. When funding is cut down, developing possibilities of the
newspaper will shrink.
Since 1990, the regional newspapers have lost 660 000 copies; paid
circulation concerned 5.6 million copies for 18 million users which means an
average reduction of 1.2 % per year.
After the Second World War 175 regional dailies were published in
France and 82 dailies in Paris; today 63 regional newspapers are issued every
day. In Paris there are only 16 daily newspapers, the same amount as in 1828,
at the very beginning of the industrial newspaper publishing !
Sales incomings Prices seem too high as information has
become very cheap at present through audiovisual media (television, Internet)
and free newspapers. Readers do not want to spend money on newspapers if they
do not get more here than in the free papers or on Internet. Single copy price
of a national daily varies from 0,80 euro (L'Equipe) to 1,20 euro
(Libération, Les Echos) and of a regional daily from 0,70 euro
(Ouest-France) to 0,90 euro (L'Est républicain). The eroding
of the single copy sales is also due to the fact that the youth (aged 15 to 25)
is not interested in daily newspaper reading as it does not find its marks in
the contents of the papers. It is a question of subjects dealt with and the way
they are developed but also of accuracy of informations and to what extend one
can rely on them. The phenomenon is not limited to France. The sales of the
American daily International Herald Tribune were reduced by 4.16 % in
2003, in the UK sales of the Financial Times regressed by 6.06 % during
the same year. Subscriptions represent a small part of the national newspapers
sales (23 %) while they are very well off for regional and local newspapers (52
%). In fact, many local readers prefer subscription to daily purchase of a
newspaper as selling places may be quite far away, especially for readers
outside the towns.
Advertising incomings At present, newspapers spend an
important amount of money on advertising on television but their advertising
incomings have lowered very much, especially because of the classified
advertising. Only a few national newspapers as Le Figaro, Aujourd'hui Le
Parisien, La Croix
and quite a number of regional newspapers such as
Ouest France, Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace, La Montagne
have a good deal of classified advertising. Moreover, free newspapers such
as Métro, 20 Minutes, A nous Paris , Paru-vendu
have taken
over a great part of advertising as the publishing of these papers only depend
on advertising incomings. Some national and regional newspapers have now
invested in free newspapers. As to the audience 20 Minutes touches
already an average of 2 million readers per day, while the daily Le
Parisien (including 11 local editions around Paris) only touches 1.7
million ; Métro has 1.6 million readers a day and reaches a great
number of towns in France. It is true that editorial quality has improved
recently in some of the free newspapers.
On the whole sales incomings represented 50.4 % in 2003 and
advertising incomings 49.6 % of which classified advertising represented
only 17.9 %. That means a general reduction of 2.2 % with regard to 2002
Closing down of selling places France has round 32 400
sales spots of which ca 875 were closed in 2004, especially booths in Paris. It
is a hard job to be distributor of newspapers as the French law requires that
all newspapers received must be on display, whether they are very much sold or
not. It is Bichet's bill of 1947 which forbids all discrimination of
distribution among the titles, even if 20 % generate 80 % of the turnover. It
is a principle of displaying all trends of the press. A distributor
generally manage from 1000 to 3000 titles and has to run big stocks of non sold
copies. He also sells other items than newspapers. But he is quite badly paid,
in general from 13 to 18 % of the sales price, while his British colleagues
obtain 25 % of the sales price. The closing down of selling places is a
real problem. The young readership that almost never takes a subscription of a
newspaper, is particularly concerned by the reduction of sales spots. The most
efficient spots are the " Maisons de la presse " and " Relay ".
Circulation The circulation of daily newspapers in
2003 represented 2,350,609,336 copies a year. That means a fall of 1.88 % with
regard to 2002. There is a regular fall in circulation of daily newspapers.
Today France only ranks 31st worldwide with regard to the number of circulated
dailies per 1000 inhabitants. Weekly and monthly newspapers or magazines are
better off. In general they deal with subjects meant for a specific regular
audience but it is also necessary for them to modernize presentation and
developing of the subjects. In Germany circulation of daily newspapers have
regressed by 7 % during the last five years, in Denmark by 9.5 %, in Austria by
9.9 % and in Belgium by 6.9 %. Even Japanese newspapers which show the highest
circulation worldwide have regressed by 2.2 %. In the European Union,
during the last eight years, the paid daily newspaper circulation had a fall of
7 million copies. Worldwide the paid circulation of newspapers has a yearly
average fall of 2 %. Many daily newspapers companies had to reduce their
staff in 2004 (ex. Le Monde). After negotiations with the trade-unions a
two-yearly plan of voluntary retirement is generally proposed and adopted .
In the United States, from 2000 to 2004, the written press industry cut
down more than 2000 jobs, that means 4 % of the staffs.
Decline due to lower information and editorial
quality
As a matter of fact the decline touches all reference press now.
A real modernizing of editorial methods is necessary. If the press seems dull
to many people, it is probably because of its information sources and the lack
of control and analyzing of informations. Most newspapers are informed by AFP
(the French News Agency) so you find the same events and news in them and very
often dealt with in the same way. Therefore you get a uniformed and flat
presentation in many newspapers; photos too are often the same. Why should you
then buy a daily newspaper ? You get the same information in the free papers
and, of course, on the web. Besides, most papers have now a web site showing a
compact version of the paper. And the television too provides with
informations.
The rivals (television, free newspapers, news magazines, websites,
newspapers on line) are there to supersede the press and they are cheap. In
fact, the worst rival is Internet. In 2004, during the first three month, 4.7
million new web sites were created. Today there are some 70 million web sites
worldwide and round 700 million web users ! In many countries people
abandon newspaper reading - and even the television - preferring the computer
screen. The ADSL has particularly changed the situation. The monthly
subscription price of the quick Internet line varies from 10 to 30 euros. In
France 5.5 million families have ADSL access to the press on line, texts,
photos, music, television, radio, films, etc. 79 % of the world press have
editions on line. The " blogs " phenomenon must also be considered. It is
caracteristic for the web culture; it has exploded during the last six month of
2004. You find here a mixture of private writings, information, opinions,
rumors
with no control. The " bloggers " are subjective and partial.
The connection of Internet to the mobile telephone which can do everything will
certainly speed up developing. Information becomes still more movable and
nomadic. At any time it is possible to know what is going on in the world. The
SMS (Short Message Service) is a technology that makes it possible to
communicate in a quick, short and cheap way.>BR> Result : all information
sectors, except Internet, loose audience; the competition between the medias
has become merciless.
A special French phenomenon : Subscription It is true
that French readers, especially in Paris and other big towns, prefer to buy the
newspaper they want, when they want (may be just once or twice a week) and
where they want. It is an old tradition corresponding with a certain taste for
individual freedom: to be free to choose and to buy when it suits you. But it
is not a very comfortable situation for the newspapers that cannot count on a
rather precise amount of regular readers. As to Newspapers of the 7th
day (Sunday) there is not really a tradition for newspaper reading on
Sunday in France, except sport news published in Le Journal de Dimanche
and in L'Equipe Dimanche, as well as in some regional Sunday editions
which are more like a supplement than a real newspaper.
But how to fight against stagnation and take up the challenge ?
Means
Financial concentrations How independent is the French
press ? Two big defence groups, Dassault and Lagardère, and two
luxury-goods groups, Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) and Pinault
Printemps Redoute (PPR), already control a big chunk of the French newspaper
business, and this chunk is now even bigger: the banker Edouard de Rothschild
just got the control of 37 % of the capital of Libération !
The purchase of Socpresse (in April 2004) by the defence group
Dassault providing the army with fighter aircrafts on state contracts raised
objections about the independence of the press from political interference.
According to the legislation such concentrations are possible but is it
reasonable ? Journalism may then be muzzled or at least be single coloured.
Right now Socpresse is on the point to sell three local newspapers
in Western France to the big regional paper Ouest France which has the
highest circulation in the country : round 800 000 copies a day (while Le
Monde, for instance, only has a daily circulation of 470 000 copies).
Ouest France has some 40 local editions ! The second defence
industrial Lagardère owns the Group Hachette Filipacchi Medias,
the biggest publisher worldwide of magazines: 245 titles in 36 countries ! with
47 magazines in France as Elle, Paris Match
and daily regional or
local newspapers as La Provence, Nice-Matin, Corse-Presse. If the
newspaper circulation continues to shrink, the written independent press may
gradually be submitted to a few industrials' control who multiply alliances
between them and therefore threaten the very important pluralism of the
press. Of course, all the industrial investors (except Serge Dassault) have
promissed not to interfere with the opinions expressed by the journalists but
is it realistic ? The amalgamating of business, politics and newspaper
publishing does not guarantee the freedom of expression and the pluralism of
the press. In fact, financial concentrations and amalgamating touched all
medias in 2004 and this will probably continue in 2005 and further on. The
goodwill journalism is dominating while the critisizing journalism steps back.
One may even wonder if at the time of globalisation and media megagroups, the
concept of press freedom is not on the point to disappear. Commercial obsession
and information ethics are contradictory.
The case of Le Monde The principal independent group of
the written press La Vie-Le Monde had severe deficits in 2002, 2003 and
2004. Because of the central role Le Monde plays in French intellectual
life, one must hope it will remain sheltered from the predators who desire it,
and that the new stage which is starting right now will not only bring out a
new setting but rather " the search for accuracy " allowing readers to " find a
reference, a reply, a validation ", briefly " a newspaper where competence
surpasses all complicities " (cf. Jean-Marie Colombani, head of Le Monde
in his article published on 16 December, 2004). But it is also necessary to
look for new shareholders in order to recapitalize up to an amount of 50
million euros and seek for new advertising contracts. A complete reorganisation
is going on. The real change, however, will be the new presentation of the
paper in a few months, the form and the substance ! New and some previous
headings and items must balance if Le Monde will keep its present
readership and develop a new and younger one.
Remedies
Supplements Most national and regional dailies publish
one or several supplements or inserts, every week, of more specific content
(fashion, sport, TV programmes
), joining sometimes a DVD or a CD.
However, the price of the issue may then be as high as 6 or 7 euros (ex. Le
Monde and Le Figaro join a DVD to some Saturday issues). In spite of
the price these issues are quite successful. Le Figaro has just
started to join an Encyclopedia: 18 volumes in a small format; one volume
published every Tuesday; the price is then 11,90 euros + 1 euro for the paper,
and it seems to work !
The Tabloid Format In France this format has not yet
been adopted by the daily newspapers, so much more as some of them are already
published in a rather small format such as Le Monde, Libération, Le
Parisien, Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace
The newspaper
publishers are still hesitating to publish a tabloid edition. In the UK the
tabloid format seems to be successful (ex. The Independent, The Times
have improved sales significantly since they started publishing an tabloid
edition; 16.3 % for The Independent and 4.6 % for The Times). But
the consumer press is regressing in spite of the tabloid format. 4 titles
were launched in Germany in 2004: 20 Cent, Welt Kompakt, News and
Direkt. Two kinds of publishing are used: the tabloid edition has the
same contents as the large size edition but with a more compact setting, or the
tabloid edition is rewritten (with a proper editorial staff) using some
contents of the large size edition, developing some specific items (Wall Street
Stock Exchange news, local news, cultural events
), adopting more or less
a magazine feature (ex. Welt Kompakt, Direkt). Single copy price: 0,50
euro, half the price of the large size edition. The new tabloid editions seem
to be the younger readers' favourite. They aim readers aged 20 to 39 years. The
Alexander Springer Group considers to launch tabloid dailies in 2006 in various
European countries (East Europe but perhaps also France). In Poland the tabloid
Fakt launched in 2003 is very successful.
Journalist Schools in France In this field there is
certainly a good deal to be done, especially as to a new organisation and new
methods taking into account the present shortcomings of the journalism as well
as new developments which already work in other countries. Teaching will have
to fit new conditions of the press.
Conclusion
To conclude I would like to quote the Financial Times
(December 2004): at present the three biggest French national dailies find
themselves in a gale which " reflects a paralysing entirety of structural and
cyclic problems : high printing costs, " antediluvian " trade-unions, closing
down of booths and other selling places, a weak and ageing readership, a too
slow progress in advertising incomings, the proliferation of free papers and
information sources on line
making up an economically indigestible
cocktail ". I am afraid the Financial Times does summarize very well
the present situation of the French press.
Newspaper publishing in France still seems to hesitate how to
reverse the present stagnation and yet new approaches are starting off. I do
not want to finish with a too pessimistic view of the future of the French
press. Many efforts are going on right now to take up the challenge: improve
editorial contents, not betray the readers' confidence, remain independent,
defend freedom of the press... I think journalists do understand how much
information is not reliable today and know the quality of the citizen debate
depends on the quality of information.
As Hubert Beuve-Méry, founder of Le Monde always recalled:
" Facts are sacred, the opinion is free ".
French newspapers on the web :
Audit & Statistics on the web :
Else Delaunay IFLA Newspapers Section
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