The CEO of TF1 Rodolphe Belmer spoke to MPs on Thursday about interventions in Vincent Bolloré's "content" when he himself headed the Canal + group, which led to his departure in 2015.
Like other audiovisual managers in recent weeks, Rodolphe Belmer was interviewed under oath as part of the commission of inquiry into the allocation of TNT frequencies, including those expiring for Canal +, C8 and CNews, all three in the purse of Vincent Bolloré, reputed to be very right-wing.
Rapporteur of this commission, LFI deputy Aurélien Saintoul immediately questioned the boss of TF1 on the conditions of his departure from rival Canal +.
“Mircromanagement”
“The main element of disagreement at the time concerned what I considered to be Mr. Bolloré's micromanagement,” replied Mr. Belmer.
Being then general manager, “if I cannot shoulder my social and economic responsibility towards my employees, I choose to do something else,” he added.
What about the content, the editorial line, in which the commission of inquiry is mainly interested?
“The person who is responsible for the content in an audiovisual group, according to the law, and who is socially responsible, is the publishing director.
So if I do this job, it’s me who chooses the content,” continued Rodolphe Belmer.
And “if I consider that someone wants to do it for me, it is no longer me who is responsible for the publication and I will do something else”.
However, “as long as I have been in charge, overall I am responsible for all the programs broadcast,” said the manager, questioned insistently by Aurélien Saintoul during this hearing lasting more than two hours.
The current deputy general director of TF1, Ara Aprikian, was deputy general director of the Canal + group.
Before the commission, he also testified: “a month after the departure of Rodolphe Belmer, I expressed the same reluctance.
The same things leading to the same effects, I left the Canal + group.”
Billionaire Vincent Bolloré took the reins of Vivendi, media and music giant and parent company of Canal +, in 2014.
The departure of Rodolphe Belmer was presented as a dismissal, and was seen as a takeover of the encrypted channel.