“Efforts are being made, but TV remains misogynistic.
This observation is that of an influential producer.
And for good reason: the first parties of evenings entrusted to women remain rare.
For a Stéphane Bern, a Nagui, a Nikos Aliagas, an Arthur or a Cyril Hanouna, how many facilitators?
Next week alone, they will be nine to appear at the head of entertainment after 9 p.m. on the various channels, against five women (Karine Le Marchand, Julia Vignali, Laury Thilleman, Iris Mittenaere and Laurence Boccolini).
If Alessandra Sublet piloted “Le Grand Concours” on TF1 this Friday, January 22, it had been seven months since a presenter had been alone in command of a flagship program on the private channel.
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A sensitive subject for these ladies, to the point of requiring anonymity to talk about it.
Certainly, the Superior council of audio-visual notes an increase in their presence on the small screen year after year.
However, "we must also look at the quality, observe the speaking time of women compared to men, know if they have the same importance in the program, if they intervene during prime time ..." insists Sylvie Pierre- Brossolette, ex-sage and member in particular of the High Council for equality between women and men.
A presence sometimes reduced to a minimum
On TF1, Karine Ferri is present in "The Voice" and "Dance with the stars", but in a co-animation far from being egalitarian in airtime.
Its role is sometimes even reduced to launching the game by phone.
"To do that, you might as well have no one ..." said one host.
The same goes for Iris Mittenaere in "Ninja Warrior".
When entertainment returned in early January, the ex-Miss Universe did not even have the opportunity to greet viewers.
And she was moved by her bosses.
To correct the situation, additional shots of the Miss have been added to the following issues.
"We have the impression that the management of TF1, only male, does not want to trust women ..." sighs a face of the competition.
In the higher spheres, we kick in touch.
The departures of Laurence Boccolini or Carole Rousseau left a void.
But according to Ara Aprikian, the deputy director general in charge of content, interviewed this fall, parity is respected throughout the group, especially on LCI where the fairer sex is in the majority.
In addition to the arrival of Marie-Sophie Lacarrau at 13 Hours and other evenings planned with Alessandra Sublet ("Stars in the nude", "the Mystery Duos"), TF1 claims the breakthrough of Hélène Mannarino and the arrival of Fanny Agostini .
And now requires producers to propose a woman for each new project.
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“We still have to find one that can do it!
One of them pleaded.
“Presenting an evening, especially live, is a complicated exercise, it requires a lot of energy and it is not given to all, adds a regular of the exercise.
Channel managers may search, it's complicated to find those who could take over.
And few women want to be entertained.
"" You can't make a presenter capable of holding a big barnum in two years!
»Adds this connoisseur.
The exception Karine Le Marchand
Beyond that, there is the question of renewing content.
"The very popular presenters in the years 1990-2000, where the prime times were rather masculine, are still there, at the head of emblematic brands for twenty years or more", notes a regular in the audiovisual industry, pointing to this heritage of past.
Could the stopping of "Koh-Lanta" and others "The Voice" one day create a call for air?
Not sure.
"It is not impossible that men recover programs ..." underlines a host.
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For several years, France Télévisions has feminized its antennas.
Faustine Bollaert, Sophie Davant, Laury Thilleman or the new recruit Laurence Boccolini inherit more parties.
"Especially event programs", however tempers a producer of the public service.
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On France 3, Carinne Teyssandier and Eglantine Eméyé, they have been managing games on weekends since 2016. This did not please everyone at the time.
"The management felt that there were not enough women on the air and they preferred to stop two games which worked only because they were hosted by men," sighs internally.
M6, she has bet on animators for years ... Even if it means seeing them go to the competition in demand, like Valérie Damidot on the front page. And Karine Le Marchand remains the prime time champion. "But it's a bit like the tree that hides the forest since no other host has so much importance on the channel ..." laments a former Six. CQFD: "TV must show French society in all its diversity, particularly of genres," asserts a creator of formats. And there is still a long way to go. "
