Title: Private Television in France: A Story of Political Intervention
Abstract: Private television is now such an integral feature of the French media system that it is hard to believe that it first came into existence little more than a generation ago. It was not until the middle of the 1980s that commercial companies entered the market for the supply of television programming to French audiences in competition with the established public channels. This radical innovation in the organisation of television provision was undoubtedly influenced by a variety of non-political factors, including technological development and social change — to such an extent that in retrospect the legislation that opened up the television system to private actors may seem to have been simply a historic inevitability. Yet the particular substance of the policy decision — and certainly its timing — was largely driven by political concerns. This should come as no surprise since the social, cultural and political functions of television — and in particular the medium's proximity to the state — had long been the subject of virulent contestation in the French political and public spheres (Bourdon, 1999). In analysing, explaining and evaluating the evolution of private television in France from its inception up to the present day, this chapter maintains a focus on the central role of politics.
Publication Year: 2013
Publication Date: 2013-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 1
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