France

[FR] Airwave Electioneering - the Rules of the Game

IRIS 1997-6:1/18

Laurence Giudicelli

Barrister, Paris Court of Appeal

In two decisions dated 7 May 1997 and 24 May 1997, the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (CSA) looked ahead to the parliamentary elections scheduled for 25 May and 1 June 1997, and told national broadcasting companies what kinds of programme they might schedule and broadcast, how long those programmes might be, and when they might be broadcast and repeated. The second CSA decision stated, for example: "On France 2 and France 3, the short programmes shall be scheduled simultaneously at 7 a.m. They shall be repeated on both channels the same day, and again simultaneously immediately after the 8 p.m. news on France 2 ". "On France 2 and France 3, the long programmes shall be scheduled simultaneously at around 10.40 a.m." The Société française de production was to act as executive producer on the official campaign broadcasts. In television programmes, political parties might include: studio-recorded material; external footage; video or audio material supplied by themselves; animated graphics. The CSA also laid down rules on the making and recording of radio programmes by political parties.