Shock day for French TV viewers

This little jingle from 1986 has been used almost unchanged for the past 22 years to announce the commercials on France 2, the main public television network. At 8pm tonight it disappears, as President Sarkozy's reform in state TV takes effect. [see TV Sarko post]

All advertising is to be halted in the evening and commercials will be dropped entirely from 2011. As we've seen, it's part of Sarkozy's attempt -- decreed without warning or consultation last January -- to create a quality state broadcaster modelled on the BBC. His idea is that the public channels will no longer have to chase ratings with low-grade fare.

Sarko's most questionable act was to anoint himself the effective chief of state broadcasting. He did this by scrapping the procedure in which public TV and radio bosses are appointed by the supposedly neutral broadcasting authority. He has also amalgamated all the state TV channels into a single company.

All this has created an upheaval for the broadcasting world and the row shows no sign of subsiding. News staff at France 2 and France 3 are striking today and tomorrow over what they see as a threat to their editorial independence and incomes. The opposition is accusing Sarko of shovelling advertising money towards his friends who own TF1, the main commercial network... and so on.

The story today is the little revolution in French habits that may be wrought by the monarch's decree. Since the beginning of time, or so it seems, the main networks have opened their prime time entertainment at the same moment at 8.50 pm. This comes after a long "tunnel" of commercials following the ritual 35-minute 8pm news. Forty percent of the French still eat dinner while watching the 8pm Journal Télévisé on one of the main channels. The 15 minutes of advertising and programme trailers are used for clearing the table, going to the lavatory and so on. Now France 2 gets the jump on the others and is starting its entertainment at 8.35. It has even been advertising the change with jokey spots warning people to relieve themselves before 8.35.

For the moment, the main rivals are sticking to their later slot in the belief that France will resist changing an ancient habit. Nonce Paolini, the chairman of TF1, says the French do not want their 'biorhythms' disrupted. The media are full of arguments in both directions today. The behaviour of over 20 million viewers is at stake.

The fuss is obviously overdone. People are much less set in their television ways than they were a decade or two ago, before cable, satellite, digital TV and the internet.  It will be interesting to see if commercial-free public television becomes any better than its mediocre predecessor. They are making an attempt to go up market tonight. France 2's new prime time opens with a documentary on the fascinating world of the Dogon people in the African nation of Mali. That will please Sarkozy, but I have a feeling that many people will wait for Avalanche, the sentimental thriller that is being offered by TF1.

For nostalgists, here is a medley of more recent versions of the quirky France 2 commercial jingle:

Comments

[Rich]

At last!!! Jingles like that get on my nerves so much. It wouldn't matter so much if I didn't hear them so much, but there's "Dum dah-dah-dah" from France2, and then there's "Dum dum deer-dah" from SNCF in the stations. Why are they so popular and so similar?! In a way they are better than the boring "ding dong" that you get in a UK station, but in another way, they're really irritating!!!

[rocket]

CB

What's with the giant "Sun" advertising that I see at the top of my web browser when I came to your blog?

[Sorry. It's a glitch in the system that they are taking care of. We haven't been taken over by our esteemed sister newspaper. CB]

[dot king]

Just heard on the 13h radio news that though product / services advertising will disappear as in advert form, there will still be the "opportunity" to see the brand names etc WITHIN the programmes on the public channels. Quite a loophole. It'll be fun seeing how many we can spot. :)

There have of course been interviews with people who seem to run their lives by TV programming, but, (although I don't have such a facility), isn't it now possible to watch telly "en décallé"? If so, it will hardly make a difference for many what time the programmes start, provided you know the complexities of the hoofer-doofer.

I usually switch before the end of Fr2 news to Le Grand Journal, so my main dilemma will be whether what's on offer immediately after is more attractive than Yann Barthez and Omar et Fred.
Hmm, tricky one that.

I would have preferred that the whole advertising issue be thought through better. There'll still be adverts during the programmes directed at younger audiences, continuing to promote consumerism right where it could be done without.

The full "reasoning" behind this move will become clear eventually, I think. It isn't the absence of advertising that makes for quality programmes - there's no correlation.
Even concentrating on culture, history, or nature documentaries, or on quality fiction, French TV has a very long way to go before it will draw level with the best of the Beeb.
No sitcoms for a start. If you want something to laugh at then it's always an old film or some half-baked one-man show.
Sorry mes amis français - I thought there was hope when a live theatre production of a Sacha Guitry play was broadcast, but it has been followed up with "pop" theatre, lowest common denominator stuff. (Ye gods! Bernard Tapie!)
They will really have to DARE to be different or they could go under instead of forward.

[rocket]

France 2's new prime time opens with a documentary on the fascinating world of the Dogon people in the African nation of Mali.

The Dogon people? Dog gone it!

I hear Tuesday we will be treated to the sex life of beetles and I don't mean the Fab 4.

On Wednesday there will be a 3 hour special on the problems of water in sub sahara.

Thursday Dear Leader will speak from 8:35 pm to 12:30 am. Obligatory watching!

On Friday a 6 hour marathon is programmed on Carla Bruni Sarkozy's rise to fame.

On Saturday a made for tv movie When Nicolas meets Carla will be shown just after the evening news.

Thank god for cable.

[Julio]

I think Paolini is right about french people's biorythm , it can't be messed up that easily.
Too much spare time is not good for the brain , plus coca-cola has to be evacuated at one time or another.

That avalanche thing is beyond ridiculous (CGI's like you never seen in 15 years) as belgian viewers who 'saw' it recently can tell you , therefore I have no doubt it will do just fine.

[TriglavNationalPark]

For those of you interested in French TV history, here's something I discovered just recently:

The state-owned Institut national de l'audiovisuel has made various French TV newscasts between 1976 and 2006 available online, free of charge. In fact, there is one newscast for every day during that period -- either from TF1, France 2 (Antenne 2) or France 3. (There are even some pre-1976 editions, but in most cases, queries for dates prior to that year bring up radio bulletins instead.)

Here's the link:

http://www.ina.fr/archivespourtous/index.php?vue=jn

I just loved going through the archive and watching newscasts from days when something historic happened, but perhaps I'm just what you guys in the UK call an anorak. ;)

[Dominique II]

It will be interesting to see that Dogon thing on prime TV rather than on obscure Arte or Nat Geog channels - which are nice but bland.

Will they mention that the (indeed) fascinating culture of the Dogon has been steamrolled over the last ten years by Arab-funded Islamists, with the immediate result that their beautiful sculpted granary doors have been scrapped (idols you know)?

Idjits are always ready to prance and posture about France being taken over by Islam (which is not going to happen anytime soon) but when it happens for good (with the blessing of our faithful Saudi friends)... enuff said.

[Francois D]

40 years back. Thank NS to rejuvenate us.

Yes, INA is full of treasures...

Here is a story about what happened in our country when public attention was not contained between 8.30 and 8.50.

http://www.ina.fr/archivespourtous/index.php?vue=notice&id_notice=CPC03008648

(perhaps necessity to click on the arrow)

[Tara Lane]

I would actually be interested to see whether there would be a French version of BBC America -- with English subtitles, bien sur. I enjoy seeing programming from other countries and so if Sarkozy has his wish, maybe America could find a way to satisfy the viewing appetites of people like me?

However, I am pretty sure (correct me if I am wrong, British commenters) that the BBC is where fare such as Footballers' Wives originated. While I cannot admit to being immune to the charms of that show, I am not sure if this is the kind of "quality" President Sarkozy wishes to emulate.

[Daniel Earwicker]

Has Sarkozy ever watched BBC1? EastEnders, endless daytime junk about buying and selling houses, celebrity ballroom dancing, lottery updates, "Bring on the wall..." There must be some other motivation behind this. It can't be explained by a desire to emulate the programmes.

[Terry]

"His idea is that the public channels will no longer have to chase ratings with low-grade fare."

Ahhh. But did jolly ole Nick ever consider that people may want low grade fare on the tele? Many people watch tv to escape the realities and pressures of life. Some, not me, but some watch these low grade shows with bikini clad women for titilation. It be fun to see if the ads go and the shows stay.

There are those too, who for some inexplicable reason, love commercials. During the superbowl, I was amazed to see how many people really tuned into the ads.

[Lex Stevens]

Tara,

On my cable system -- Comcast -- there is TV5 Monde. It is an à la carte addition, as opposed to being bundled in a premium package, as BBC America is. It seems to me that in the evening a film or two is subtitled, maybe a news broadcast, but not much more. A show such as "On n'est pas couché" would be difficult to subtitle. If only they would have more Florence Foresti.

As you may have noticed with BBC America, part of the problem is advertising. The market is not taken seriously, and we end up with these horrible adds for the Greatest Hits of Christian Inspirational Music and the like. I think maybe TV5 is aired without adds.

One issue that I have with BBC America is that it is where bad shows find a second life. Gillian McKieth, aka the Poo Lady, is the most egregious example. As far as I can tell, she is mostly banned from broadcasting her insanity in the UK, so the BBC sells it to the Americans. The shows they air here are the ones where she is still a 'Doctor.' The sales department should really solicit advertising from Chinese dairy producers and toy manufacturers. I suppose, though, that we still have some karma to burn from Bhopal. Donnant donnant, non?

[azloon]

[His idea is that the public channels will no longer have to chase ratings with low-grade fare] CB

CB, for those of us not familiar with the funding mechanisms of french public TV, the change suggests that previously (yesterday), the state-owned channels were responsible for their own funding, or a significant portion of it. hence, they pandered to 'common tastes' thereby presumably increasing revenue available for salaries, future programming. yes?

if yes, does the new plan make up all the the lost revenue or possibly propose to fund it at even a higher level?

as an american who has enjoyed BBC programming my entire adult life, anything that might improve 'shlock' tv fare is worth trying, so chapeau to NS unless he has hidden, nefarious motives (qui...lui?).

if the french were smart, they would commission the BBC to produce french-language programming for the french networks, but we all know this won't happen in protectionist france. here, u.s. public broadcasting, and some cable channels occasionally co-produce shows with the BBC, or 'contract out' to the BBC, and these are often among the only decent shows on TV here.

quality network television programming disappeared here years ago. to sit oneself down in front of a television in the evening with the 'clicker' in your hand is a truly depressing experience: 140 channels of pure, unadulterated merde, with commercial interruptions every four minutes. so i have a hard time imagining that fifteen minutes of continuous advertising, as in french state TV, discreetly placed at the same time each night, would be much of a problem. (cable TV here is the solution to the commercial annoyance of network television.

example of u.s., prime time, television drama which i tried to watch last night until the 47th commercial advert finally drove me away:

"24: The Redemption" starring kiefer sutherland as jack bauer about a fictional u.s. president, etc etc. this was a special two-hour prequel which was aired before the regular season starts next week.

it was appallingly bad, yet many reviewers today pronounced it a masterpiece. it certainly had 'high production values,' as you might expect from a highly-rated u.s. TV program but the content was insipid.

it was set in the fictional african country of 'sangala' (sounds like name of a las vegas casino) with a group of young, black african boys being threatened by a band of evil rebels/mercenaries, the head-guy of which is played by the same actor, wearing a black beret (french?) and camoflage, who has been the merciless commander of many brigades of machete-yielding maniacs in any number of previous films (black africans need an image consultant to lobby for them in hollywood).

there are lots of explosions, flying bodies, torture scenes, crying children, with rushed cutbacks to machinations in the white house, and at the CIA, so that you never really know what the hell is going on. (i guess no one cares anymore as long as there are enough severed limbs, with projectile bleeding.)

and the commercials, oh my god the commercials !!! relentless in their assault on the viewer. i kept thinking the program's scene was shifting, but instead it was yet another dimwitted pepsi-cola advert, just like the one shown four minutes earlier.

so if sarko can do anything to avoid the fate of u.s. TV, for godsakes let him try.

btw, young people here don't try to 'sync' television to their bio-rhythm. they 'tivo' (record) their favorite shows and watch them at their convenience. and edit out, or 'fast-forward', through commercials. personally, if i knew how to tivo, i would fast-forward through the entirety of most programs.

btw2, Terry, have you tried the new Bikini Channel on cable?

it's promotional tag-line is:

"all-bikini, all-the-time"

[Andy]

The Dogon documentary was excellent.

[I agree. It was very well done. And it got the best ratings... CB]

[dot king]

"Some, not me, but some watch these low grade shows with bikini clad women for titilation."

TERRY

NY Resolution N°1's out the window then! :)

The BBC might have given us "Footballer's Wives" (which I've never seen) but it also gave us Bird and Fortune, Absolutely Fabulous, Fawlty Towers, That was the week that was, The vicar of Dibley, Black Adder, Pete and Dud,
etc. French TV couldn't come anywhere near any of those in TV terms.
The French did produce a version of "Ab fab" which was absolutely awful - missed the point completely.

BTW I noticed that on une chaîne publique last night, Groupama was toujours toujours là pour moi. So perhaps sponsors are OK even if advertisers are persona non grata.

[Christopher Muir]

If, over the coming years, France2 shows documentaries entitled "Aral Sea Ants" at peak time to declining audiences, Sarko can say that too few viewers avail themselves of the public TV channel. So, closing it would be the best economic solution. I suppose that the striking journalists have worked that one out.

[TriglavNationalPark]

AZLOON asked: "...does the new plan make up all the the lost revenue or possibly propose to fund it at even a higher level?"

Yes, additional funding will come from substantially higher taxes paid by France's commercial TV channels, as well as new taxes on ISPs and cell phone operators.

[River Rat]

Lex, I subscribe to TV5 Monde via Dish Network; I didn't know it was available through Comcast, but I can't get that service anyway, where I live. Dish Network also offers Eurochannel and Euronews; the former is a mixed bag of material from all over Europe, not just France, but it has some interesting offerings. The only commercials involve the Qatar Airlines sponsorship of the méteo, I think on Euronews. Eurochannel subtitles almost all of its programming, while TV5 Monde does most but not all films and a few other productions. Game shows aren't subtitled, making them a good exercise in French comprehension!

A friend who visited England many years ago was looking forward to luxurious evenings of first class television and found that the best of the BBC was already exported to the U.S. and the rest of the programming was dire, to say the least. I'm sure that's changed by now...

[Lex Stevens]

I've always been a little curious as to how television content comes about. Nowadays, a great deal -- if not most -- entertainment content in the United States is produced by studios who sell their products to broadcasters and cablecasters. Some of this content comes from Canada as well. Increasingly, the lag time between first run shows from the UK being sold into the US market is decreasing. It used to be a season or two, and now we see Graham Norton shows that are only a couple of months old. Why such shows as Robinhood, Torchwood, Dr. Who and Top Gear are not shown simultaneously I don't quite understand. I imagine it is protectionist measures extracted by Hollywood.

Much of the same goes for Spanish language broadcasting in the US. There is no content at all from Spain, and I imagine that there is better content available from Spanish language television worldwide.

Of course, the French language market is smaller, if for no other reason than Africans can be so culturally conservative.

I tend to think that the quality of BBC programming has more to do with the culture at the BBC and less to do with what the British will consume. It isn't as if the British have the ability to only pay part of the their TV licence for what they like, à la Margo Leadbetter in The Good Life.

[Daniel Strohl]

AZLOON,

Your description of US network TV is interesting - the situation here seems to be much better in comparison.

Question : does Cable TV you mention not run ads ?

"NS unless he has hidden, nefarious motives (qui...lui?)."

Qui ... lui ? LOL !
He probably has some hidden motives, i.e to curb down somewhat the implicit and sometimes explicit leftist propaganda in the public channels :)

For your information : anybody having a (declared) TV set pays an annual fee to the state of about 110 €. This money finances partially the public channels - the rest of the financing came from ads. Now the latter financing source will decrease and will disappear within three years, as far as I know. Meanwhile, the state will finance.

I personally believe that in addition to his "nefarious motives", Sarkozy wants really to improve the cultural level of the public TV (which is partly competing with commercial TV with too many "commercial" programmes) in order to improve the general level - which our Education Nationale did not really succeed to do, despite the huge sums invested.

[reg flag]

River Rat: "A friend who visited England many years ago was looking forward to luxurious evenings of first class television and found that the best of the BBC was already exported to the U.S. and the rest of the programming was dire, to say the least. I'm sure that's changed by now..."

No, it's just as dire as ever

[John O'D]

Public service France 2 apologised today for an error on Monday's midday news broadcast purportedly showing civilian Palestinian casualties in Gaza resulting from recent Israeli bombardments when in fact they dated from 2005 and showed damage caused by Hamas rockets which exploded accidentally in a Palestinian refugee camp.

[Robert]

No the BBC didn't make or show Footballers' Wives in the UK. Some of the shows on BBC America are actually stuff made by the UK commercial TV companies.

[John Gregory Flinn]

"Sarkozy's attempt -- ... -- to create a quality state broadcaster modelled on the BBC..."

Does this include radio, internet and films?

The BBC has become a sort of alternative government - with aspirations of the western world!
Perhaps Sarkozy has noticed and this is what he is after ... immortality!

The BBC does indeed broadcast in an inimitable style, which must be the envy of many - especially politicians.
I think LEX STEVENS' last post - "the quality of BBC programming has more to do with the culture at the BBC and less to do...", is an accurate observation that is well understood by the BBC. And leads it to broadcast in its own image (or is the reason why).

Somebody must be contemplating its privatization - it is just far too powerful to be left as it is.

BTW; I hear 'les banlieues' burnt a record number of cars this new year - not from the BBC though!

[malik]

I hear 'les banlieues' burnt a record number of cars this new year .
John Gregory Flinn

http://www.rue89.com/2009/01/03/voitures-brulees-un-record-2009-en-trompe-loeil

[Lex Stevens]

"The French did produce a version of "Ab fab" which was absolutely awful - missed the point completely." -- DOT KING

Dot,

Someone once told me that Ab Fab is really about the relationship between mothers and daughters. I get that, though I can't fully appreciate it. I can see more clearly the theme of the angst that women feel as they age.

Given that I have more than a few customers who are prosperous, middle-aged French women who are quite mad, I am beginning to think that the French export them wholesale. It would then follow that there would not be enough left in France on whom to base a sit-com.

On a personal and somewhat disturbing note, I find that the older I get, the more I identify with Edina Monsoon.

[Fernandez]

Off topic, but -

So, what is all this about Francois Sarkozy being the father of Rachida Dati's baby?

[azloon]

DS

cable channels, for most part, do not interrupt programming for commercials/ads. some, called 'subscription channels' since an extra fee has to be paid to the cable service provider in order to receive them, have no ads -- like HBO (home box office).

ok Daniel, maintenant, nous allons avoir la verite !! :

have you declared each of your many television sets (one in each room, i am told by my clandestine sources)? :)

and speaking of NS and 'cultured,' do most french think of sarko as 'cultured?' does he speak in an elegant fashion? is his grammar impeccable, is he considered eloquent? does he use many colloquialisms, figures of speech? are his speeches inspirational, or is he lawyerly (i.e., not inspirational :)).

sorry, but it all sounds like french to me. :)

[Tara Lane]

Lex, thanks for the tip.

Robert, I admit I was surprised; do you mean to say that Footballers' Wives was produced in the UK with the express intention of airing on BBC America? If not, sorry for misreading that part.

[Rick]

'Footballers' Wives' wasn’t shown on BBC TV but on the (commercial) ITV channel. I can vouch for its awfulness while, adamantly and quite truthfully, denying seeing it.

Please, please, let’s not extol the ‘Beeb’ excessively. ‘Auntie’ (‘who always knows best’) as she is also known, already has an opinion of herself as inflated as her licence fee.

My own particular grudge is with the ‘flagship’ radio news programmes, where under-prepared and -informed interviewers assume they have to skewer their ‘victim’ under interrogation, rather than leave it to the listener to judge. (How many car accidents have been caused by irate Radio 4 listeners, one wonders.)

The Russell Brand, Jonathan Ross ‘affaire’ of October last (on Radio One, admittedly) demonstrated managerial laxity and sheer nastiness. But then one man’s joke is another man’s emetic, one supposes. And when so many of the ‘huddling masses’ lap up the talent-show + Reality TV amalgam on a Saturday evening the heart sinks...

In one striking respect is TV different this side of the Channel: programme providers presume the viewer suffers from a severely curtailed attention-span. Meanwhile, French TV proposes to show as many as three (dubbed) succeeding episodes of a series on the same evening – something as lazy as it is un-aventurous.

This (reluctant) viewer is dumbfounded by the capacity of French people to demonstrate unsuspected resources of patience – something which explodes the hot-blooded Latin temperament cliché. Nowhere is this truer than in the case of television. If there’s truth in ‘one is what one eats’, there may also be some truth in the opinion ‘one is what one views’. In which case, not a few self-concepts would come in for a bit of a battering.

For how many years did the writer have to sit through horse-racing with carts, ads, home improvements, ads, Doctor Zhivago’s ‘get-rich-quick-with-the-gee-gees’ formula, ads, trailers, just because his host wanted to watch the weather forecast? ...Plus, it must be added, invaluable information on the particular saint who’d kindly agreed to sponsor the day to come.

[Do-re-mi]

Fernandez

Dati did say her love life was complicated. If it's true, could make family gathering quite funny. My old fashionned mother says "
married man", I say turkey-baster and sperm bank, friends say turkey-baster & gay-friend.

No doubt the French press knows and Gala / Paris-Match will spin well.

What ever good luck to her & baby.

[Lex Stevens]

"Please, please, let’s not extol the ‘Beeb’ excessively." -- Rick

I concur. Even the best sweets shop isn't selling nutrition.

I find the BBC News to be quite unreliable in the 'Breaking News' department. They jump to conclusions too often and must correct their facts later.

American television journalists could learn a few things from the BBC. Going into interviews better prepared, and being more aggressive and willing to confront BS head on would greatly improve their reporting.

[Daniel Strohl]

AZLOON,

Thanks for the info regarding cable TV. However, your "sources" are somewhat unreliable :) - we have only one TV set (declared of course :), but we could have several of them; only one fee is due for a same household. However, I get also ADSL TV directly on my PC – this is still tax free for the moment.

Regarding Sarkozy : per pure coincidence, we saw him on TV today holding a speech at the Elysée palace where he had invited members of parliament and other important persons (in colloquial French : "des huiles"; in good French : des notables et des personnalités).

We saw him only a few minutes; however, it confirmed what we already knew : he is very fast minded, he has an excellent memory he uses occasionally to throw well aimed and well deserved (exercise :) grenades to his opponents, with a good dose of humour ... And he learns very fast, including in diplomatic matters !

I say he is "un homme d'action"; the opposition says that he is hyperactive. He answered this morning, with a smile, that he is not "un roi fainéant" unlike other persons he did however not name :).

Other assets : he has a broad experience in politics - he was mayor of a (wealthy :) Parisian suburb at a very young age and hold also several ministerial posts : Intérieur, Budget, Finances - may be the experience gained in the two latter posts helped him to grasp faster and better than others the Wall Street circus implications on European economies :).

Furthermore, he is courageous, including physically courageous, as he demonstrated in a few occurrences.

Regarding culture : il ne boxe pas dans la même catégorie que Mitterrand et Chirac :). But he speaks nevertheless an easily understandable French (not worse than the French of some of our always self-happy TV stars and presenters) ... It is not “lawyer” French – therefore, everybody is able to understand him. He uses some colloquial expressions as well – this was not the case of his august predecessors, at least in public ...

His "tare originelle" is that he does not have the standard pedigree of a high level politician qualified to turn into a head of state : he is not graduate of a "Grande Ecole"; his father is "un émigré" and from his mother's side, "Frenchiness" is not very ancient too ... Furthermore, he does not find it necessary to say – in public - that money is “bad” :).

Of course, he has also some weak points. No doubt that a few talented posters would be able to describe them much better than I could do :).

[Rick]

An excellent 'tour d'horizon' on the Sarko phenomenon, DANIEL. The guy reminds one of another ex-barrister, last also spied in the Near East. It's odd how such obvious 'lite-weights' leave solid achievements in their wake. Perhaps.

[Daniel Strohl]

RICK,

Do "heavy-weights" like Mr. Heath or Mr. Mauroy leave more achievements in their wake than "leight-weights" ? :)

[dot king]

"that he is not "un roi fainéant" unlike other persons he did however not name :)."

DANIEL S on Sarkozy

Why did he use the word "roi" do you think? There is the implication in his way of expressing himself that he sees himself as a "roi actif" - maybe putting his head on the block?

[dot king]

"Of course, he has also some weak points."

DANIEL S on Sarkozy

Phew! I was getting worried about you there, Daniel, I thought someone must have super-glued your rose-coloured specs on!! ;D

[Rick]

DANIEL, exactly! Though Heath did drag the UK into Europe...

[Daniel Strohl]

DOT,

"maybe putting his head on the block?"

One of my friends called Billaud used to say jokingly : "je pose ma tête sur le billot :" :)

"I thought someone must have super-glued your rose-coloured specs on!! "

LOL ! They are may be rose-coloured, but he got (and still gets) so much black-coloured ones ...

PS : "that he sees himself as a "roi actif"

Many call him in reader letters (most of the time anonymously of course :) Napoleon or Naboleon or Nabo le Petit and so on. Since he is modest :), he sees himself merely as a "roi", not as an emperor - the highest rank of the sovereigns ... And there were no "empereurs fainéants" in French history.

He couldn't resist the pun with the "roi fainéant", which was indeed funny ... Another funny thing is that the Socialists have their "Madame Royal" - the maiden name of her counterpart Mme Aubry is Delor(s) ... All this sounds indeed socialist :)

Since we are in (unserious) puns, here another one : I call François Hollande "Batavia" parce qu'il lui arrive (arrivait :) de raconter des salades ..

[dot king]

"He couldn't resist the pun with the "roi fainéant", "

DANIEL S

Pun? I thought it was a Freudian slip - if indeed it was a slip!

[Daniel Strohl]

DOT,

Of course - it was neither a slip nor a pun (sorry, I mixed up "pun" and "joke" - the best word would have been "a mild jibe").

It had been well prepared; (almost) everybody in the political, media and poster :) world is making fun out of him - because of his size, his origin(s), his (un)culture :) compared to ENA set standards ; why should he refrain from doing the same, with a "pun" (sorry, jibe :) understandable by any schoolboy as well as by any high-nosed énarque ? :)

[dot king]

"Of course - it was neither a slip nor a pun"

DANIEL

Ah, but the important word in my comment was not "slip" but the one before it - "Freudian".
(I think you must know the expression "Freudian slip" - I'm sure I've heard the literal equivalent in French.)
(Devilish grin - tee hee ;))

[Daniel Strohl]

DOT,

It didn't escape me that you put Freudian ahead of slip :).

The best French translation which comes to mind is 'lapsus freudien'.

PS : this afternoon, Mme Chirac was on Canal Plus with David Douillet (un nom amusant pour un colosse, champion olympique de judo - ses parents auraient peut-être dû l'appeler Goliath :).

The Canal people were courteous with Mme Chirac. However, they couldn't resist to ask if she thought that Mr.Chirac was meant as a "roi fainéant". She said no, since her husband is "hyperactif" :).

En général, nous ne regardons pas Canal Plus, auquel nous ne sommes pas abonnés - le son n'est pas très bon (réverbérations). Le son des autres chaines est bien meilleur (TV par câble).

[dot king]

DANIEL: I saw Mme Chirac too on LGJ. I'm not une abonnée to C4 either, but in the times when it isn't coded, reception is good, and I particularly like LGJ - especially the first part (before les Guignols) and the very last (Yann B then SAV) - often I can't bear the "star" interviews.
I rather like Bernadette Chirac - I have no rational explanation for this :)

[Daniel Strohl]

DOT,

"I rather like Bernadette Chirac - I have no rational explanation for this :)

C'est une dame qui a du coeur et du courage ...