“No more columnist on my set, make way for the guest on the sets. Until 7pm tonight, for the rest… ”, tweeted Christine Kelly this Monday after the withdrawal of Eric Zemmour from the CNews antenna was formalized.
It seems that Charlotte d’Ornellas, journalist at Current values, was chosen to replace the polemicist on the set of Facing the info this Monday evening. Which tends to confirm the information of the Parisian suggesting in its columns on Saturday that in the event of the departure of the columnist, the Canal + group was considering alternating the columnists in the armchairs of Facing the info. Eugenie Bastié from Figaro could thus be entitled to his napkin ring.
The conservative, even reactionary, speaking quota should thus be maintained at the microphone of the channel often referred to as “Fox News à la française”. But it will be necessary to wait for the Médiamétrie results to measure the impact on the audience of the decision taken by the news channel following the request of the CSA to count, as of Thursday, the interventions of Eric Zemmour on the national political debate.
“Media triumph”
It is obvious: CNews is losing its big headliner that it has never let go despite the storms of criticism. His arrival, in October 2019, had caused a stir internally, the CNews Editors’ Society and the Canal + Society of Journalists demanding his departure. The management had maintained its confidence in the polemicist and announced that Facing the info would be recorded half an hour before its broadcast, in order to give guarantees on the control of the antenna.
A fallible device: in September 2020, while the show is deferred, Eric Zemmour attacks unaccompanied foreign minors whom he describes as “thieves”, “murderers” and “rapists” – remarks for which he will be tried on November 17, one more trial for the one who has been convicted on several occasions of incitement to racial hatred. The CSA for its part condemned CNews in March to pay a fine of 200,000 euros for “incitement to hatred” and “to violence”.
CNews cared so much about Eric Zemmour because he is a hearing powerhouse. In his book, France has not said its last word to be published Thursday, Eric Zemmour speaks of his “media triumph” on the channel. “When I arrived, the time slot was 80,000 viewers, we are between 800,000 and 1 million every night. Me, I call it a triumph ”, he explained Sunday on France 2 in We are live. Laurent Ruquier reminded him of modesty by pointing out that these scores only represent 5% of audience share. A drop of water which, however, sufficient to allow the Canal + group’s info channel to get ahead of its direct competitors on this early evening segment: BFMTV, LCI and Franceinfo.
Facing Bourdin Wednesday
Last Thursday, first day of the application of the decision of the CSA, Facing the info had even been full with 852,000 viewers, the day before, 712,000 people were there, and the day before 666,000. The chain therefore has a lot to lose. Eric Zemmour, who announced “to meet the French” to promote his book, will easily find other microphones in which to speak. Even though his presence in the new season of Zemmour & Naulleau, supposed to start on September 29, now seems compromised.
He is already announced in an interview with Jean-Jacques Bourdin on Wednesday morning on RMC and BFMTV. And despite its late broadcast schedule and the aerial catch delayed by extra time played by The Artist, We are live took advantage of the Zemmour effect. 816,000 people followed the France 2 talk show on Sunday (17% audience share), 100,000 more than the previous week. And this while Eric Zemmour is not officially a presidential candidate. “Here lies the public debate,” tweeted the polemicist dismissed from CNews which we have not yet heard of.