Palace revolution in the headlines of the Lagardère News group.
Hervé Gattegno, the editorial director of the JDD since 2016 and of Paris Match since 2019, will step down on October 22.
The Lagardère group provides no explanation for this sudden change.
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But the society of JDD journalists reacted: “
The editorial staff of the Journal du Dimanche expresses its deep concern after the surprise announcement on Tuesday of the departure of the editorial director, Hervé Gattegno.
We deplore not having received any explanation on the reasons for this sudden decision which does not fail to challenge us six months before the presidential election.
In a context of the brutal takeover of Europe 1 and its merger with CNews, we will remain vigilant about the appointment of the new director or the new director of the Journal du Dimanche, and any repercussions on the editorial line.
"
Big comeback
To replace Hervé Gattegno, the Lagardère group is preparing to appoint a new boss for each title.
The names of Jérôme Bellay and Patrick Mahé are circulating for the JDD and Paris Match respectively.
For the first, it would be a great return to the head of the Journal du Dimanche.
Five years after his departure from the management of the daily newspaper of the seventh day, the 79-year-old journalist could therefore take the place left vacant by Hervé Gattegno who had succeeded him in 2016. Contacted, the management of the Lagardère News group did not confirm.
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A great journalism professional, Jérôme Bellay is the man who created the Franceinfo news radio station in 1987 and then the continuous news channel LCI in 1994 before chairing the Europe 1 station, a subsidiary of the Lagardère group.
For his part, Patrick Mahé, 74, could take the head of Paris Match.
A former journalist for the weekly, he was the editorial director of Télé 7 jours, until 2006.
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The two men would come back to put some order in the editorial staff of the JDD and Paris Match.
The latter was shaken by the controversial front page of Eric Zemmour and his main collaborator, as well as by the interview with Ziad Takieddine about the case of the alleged Libyan funding of Nicolas Sarkozy's campaign in 2007. This interview triggered the debate. custody of Paris Match journalist François de Labarre as well as the indictment of Mimi Marchand.
These two appointments would arrive before the official passage of the Lagardère group in the bosom of the Bolloré group scheduled for the end of 2022. But they would have been endorsed by the Breton industrialist.
They would also take place before the launch of the presidential campaign, a traditionally promising moment for these two magazines.
Accelerate in digital
The Jérôme Bellay-Patrick Mahé duo could be supported by Anne-Violette Revel de Lambert, deputy general manager of the digital press of Lagardère News, already editor of Paris Match and of the JDD.
In an interview with Le Figaro, Constance Benqué, the president of Lagardère News which oversees Europe 1 and the two magazines, declared "
The JDD is doing well in this fall thanks to a remarkable advertising performance and a strong increase in digital versions which represent 47 % of our circulation.
The newspaper is expected to significantly improve its profitability this year.
"
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Concerning Paris Match, structurally more solid, she explained that she had "
started a work of transformation with a new model and more surveys and stories.
Today, the paid circulation in France of the Journal du Dimanche is 134,080 copies.
On digital, the title has bet on newsstands which bring it 44,700 copies, but it only has 19,600 own digital subscribers.
Same strategy for Paris Match which displays a paid distribution in France of 481,500 copies including 131,700 on newsstands and only 16,100 own digital subscribers.
