TV chief airs his views on public service

Date: 06/03/1997

By Simon Coss

WHEN it comes to paying for public service television, Xavier Goyou Beauchamps believes funding from a variety of sources is best.

“I fully defend the 'mixed' financing system used for the majority of public broadcasters in the EU,” says the president of France Television, which groups together the two French public channels, France 2 and France 3.

“Provided we respect a certain number of basic rules, a mixture of state funding and advertising revenue is the best way to ensure we can fulfil our unique role.”

Goyou Beauchamps is hoping that the European Commission agrees with him. His company is currently under investigation by the institution's Directorate-General for competition (DGIV) following a complaint from France's main private broadcaster, TF1.

The private channel argues that the two France Television channels - which are, in theory, rivals - are using their state subsidies to cut advertising prices and distort fair competition. The Commission is now expected to rule on the complaint in April.

Goyou Beauchamps is reluctant to discuss specific cases, but points out that public money comes at a price.

“Public broadcasters face restrictions on their activities and have certain obligations which private channels do not,” he argues, pointing to requirements to make 'minority' interest programmes.

Critics argue that if companies such as France Television are so proud of their mixed finance systems, then they ought to be more open about how much it costs them to meet their public service commitments. Until now, the only public service broadcaster which has provided such information is Portugal's RTP.

However, Goyou Beauchamps counters this by saying television is not just about money.

“As part of our dispute with TF1, we have provided the Commission with the necessary figures, but public television is not only characterised by the fact that we spend this much on religious programmes or that much on social affairs. You could say that the existence of public television stations within the Union is one of Europe's defining characteristics,” he argues.

While the remit to make programmes which would perhaps otherwise not be aired is clearly a key element of any public service broadcaster's role, the France Television president stresses that channels such as his are not - and should not become - minority 'ghettos'.

He defends his sector against critics who claim public broadcasters often duplicate programmes which could be made by private competitors with no drain on state funds.

“The most important thing about public service broadcasting is that it provides an integrated package of programmes with a recognisable style.

We make the sort of programmes other channels do not, but we make some similar ones too,” he says.

He argues that this 'populist' element is necessary as services such as his are regularly watched by around 40&percent; of television viewers in the Union. “Public broadcasters have a crucial role to play in encouraging social cohesion and cultural identity within the EU. I am not saying that private channels have no part to play, but I think our sector has a special place,” he says.

Goyou Beauchamps feels the Commission has recognised the importance of his sector in recent discussions on media concentration. The institution is currently looking into ways of ensuring that media moguls such as Italy's Silvio Berlusconi, or Rupert Murdoch, who owns the UK-based Sky network, do not overly dominate the media market.

The France Television president is also encouraged by recent statements from culture ministers and the European Parliament on the broadcasting of major sports fixtures such as the Tour de France cycle race or the British FA Cup Final.

“I am adamant that the evolution of television should not exclude the majority of the viewing public from these sorts of events. We must have the means to prevent pay-TV reserving the live broadcast rights to such happenings,” he insists.

Goyou Beauchamps says he is not asking for a huge number of events to be kept out of the hands of the pay-TV companies, but argues that EU citizens who cannot afford such services should not be denied the chance to see key fixtures.

“After all, big sports events form part of the cultural and social fabric of our societies,” he says.

Looking to the future, France's public service broadcaster intends to change with the times. “We are keeping abreast of new developments, especially in the field of digital technology,” says Goyou Beauchamps, stressing that the next round of technological advances will not only enable broadcasters to update their equipment but will also increase viewer choice.