Developments of French Newspaper Publishing

1
Developments of French Newspaper Publishing

• A general view
• by
• Else Delaunay
• IFLA Newspapers Section
• International Newspapers Conference
• Canberra - 22 February 2005

2
A brief introduction

• Nature of newspapers
• journalism is involved in all features of
  life, worldwide, nationally, regionally or
  locally
• Function of newspapers
• it interferes with the behaviour of all
  social, political, economic and cultural groups,
  in fact it concerns all individuals

3
Continued

• General data and features
• globalization of exchanges leads to
  harmonizing of life styles in rich countries and
  results in the internationalization of the media
  market
• National features are better preserved in
  writing, whether periodical or not, because they
  are based on a long writing tradition and use of
  journalism

4
Continued

• Regulation of French newspaper publishing
• it is based on the very liberal bill of 21st
  June 1881 when newspaper publishing finally got
  freedom of expression. Basically it is still the
  real charter of French newspaper publishing

5
Reasons of the present stagnation

• Economic degradation due to fall
• of incomings

6
Sales incomings

• for various reasons most daily newspapers show a
  regular fall in sales, in particular single copy
  sales (too high prices, cheap information through
  audiovisual media, free papers, etc.)

7
Newspaper sales in France

• National Newspapers
• Single copy 77
• Home delivery and Postal delivery 23
• subscriptions represent a smaller part of the
  national newspapers
• sales

• Regional Newspapers
• Single copy 48
• Home delivery 38
• Postal delivery14
• subscriptions are better off for regional
  newspapers sales

8
Advertising incomings

• most display advertising goes to the magazines,
  to free papers and to the audiovisual media
• classified advertising shrinks regularly,
  especially in national newspapers

9
Written Newsprint Incomings 2003

• Turnover in 2003 10,25 billion
• (0.4 reduction with regard to 2002,
  principally due to a cutting down of advertising
  incomings of the daily press)

10
Continued

• Sales incomings 50.4 5,166 billion
• Single copy 38.6 3,956 billion
• Deliveries 11.8 1,209 billion

11
Continued

• Advertising incomings
• 49,6 5,084 billion
• (2.5 reduction with regard to 2002)
• Display advertising 31.7 3,249 billion
• Classified advertising 17.9 1,835 billion
• (2.2 cutting down with regard to 2002)

12
Dont close down the booths. We must preserve the
pluralism of the press!
13
Closing down of selling places

• Estimates 2004
• Round 32,400 sales spots in France
• Some 29,000 bookshops selling newspapers and
  magazines (Maisons de la presse, Relay)
• Some 2,700 corners in general stores
• 700 booths or kiosks of which 300 are in Paris

14
Cumulative Newsprint Circulation in 2003

• Total
• 4,667,068,757 copies a year of which daily
  newspapers represent
• 2,350,609,335 copies a year
• (that means a 1.88 fall with regard to 2002)

15
Daily NewspapersCompanies employment (down)

• 30,000 workers
• 105 companies of more than 20 workers
• among them, 21 companies of more then 500 workers
  (70 CA turnover)
• average size 270 workers
• Ouest-France 1,900 workers of which 550
  journalists
• Sud-Ouest 1,150 workers
• Le Monde 750 workers

16
Decline due to lower information and
editorial qualityThe decline touches all
reference press now
17
Continued

• The editorial bid is much critizised. Many people
  find no interest in reading a daily newspaper and
  do not trust accuracy of informations or the way
  they are dealt with
• Informations are generally provided by AFP (the
  French Press Agency) and too often given without
  any substantial comments or analysis

18
Continued

• Newspapers reflect less and less the variety of
  opinons which is after all their essential role.
  Result lack of concern of the readership
• Rivals other media (television, news
  magazines), free newspapers (a real explosion
  during the last five years), web sites,
  newspapers on line (internet publishing)

19
continued

• Ageing of the readership
• the regular readership represents more and more
  older people. It is a faithful but somehow weak
  readership. It does not represent the new
  generations which ought to be the core of the
  newspaper readership

20
Continued

• Increase of price level
• the subscription price and especially the issue
  price is too high (ex. Libération and Le Monde,
  1.20 , Figaro, 1.00 ). Lower prices may improve
  sales. Facing the competition of free papers
  Libération right now is considering to lower its
  price.

21
Continued

• Specific French problems
• Subscription
• in general the French readership does not
  like to subscribe to a newspaper but prefers to
  buy the paper every day. This fact makes it
  difficult for a newspaper to get regular readers
• No newspapers published on Sunday
• except two in Paris Le Journal de Dimanche
  and LEquipe Dimanche belonging to the consumer
  press, and some local papers

22
Means and Remedies

• How to fight against stagnation and take up the
  challenge

23
Means

• Recent financial concentrations
• Serge Dassault and the purchase of Socpresse in
  2004 (that means some 70 French national (ex. Le
  Figaro) and regional newspapers (ex. Le Progrès
  de Lyon, Le Bien public and magazines such as
  LExpress, LExpansion, etc.)

24
Continued

• Arnaud Lagardère and HFM (Hachette Filipacchi
  Médias), the most important publisher of
  magazines (ex. Paris-Match, Elle )
• Bernard Arnault (LVMH), François Pinault (PPR)

25
Continued

• Other industrial investors in the Newsprint
  sector
• Edouard de Rothschild (20 million just
  injected into Libération saving of LHumanité,
  both dailies belonging to the leftwing papers !),
  Martin Bouygues, Bertelsmann
• Philippe Hersant and France-Antilles (regional
  and overseas newspapers)

26
Continued

• Le Monde too has serious economic difficulties
  and makes a recapitalisation of 50 million . The
  economic recovery also involves other points a
  new editor, reorganisation, cutting down of the
  staff, etc.

27
Remedies

• Supplements
• newspaper publishers look especially at the
  weekly supplements of more specific content
  (sport, fashion, TV programmes, spare time
  activities)

28
Continued

• The Tabloid format
• in France this small format may be adopted in
  order to be more attractive for the younger
  readership but most newspapers are still
  hesitating while Germany and the UK have already
  made progress.

29
Continued

• Journalist Schools in France
• - modernizing and adopting of new
  teaching methods, students exchanges,
• etc.

30
French newspapers on the web (1)

• Europresse
• www.europresse.com
• ? AFP French news agency - 9 national
  newspapers, several regional newspapers and
  weeklies
• and French Canadian newspapers

31
French newspapers on the web (2)

• Portail de la presse
• www.portail-presse.com
• ? 18 national, 59 regional dailies - 240
  regional weeklies round 11,000 French current
  magazines
• many links towards professional associations
  newspaper websites, especially
• www.spqr.fr/lu.asp www.afp.fr/francais/
  links/?pidlinks

32
Audit Statistics

• Statistics are published by
• Direction du développement des médias
• www.ddm.gouv.fr
• Circulation is audited by
• Diffusion contrôle OJD
• www.ojd.com
• See also www.observatoire-medias.info

33
Conclusion

• Newspaper publishing in France still seems to
  hesitate how to reverse the present stagnation
  and yet new approaches are starting off.
• Today France only ranks 31st worldwide with
  regard to the number of circulated dailies per
  1000 inhabitants.