According to a statement from France Media Monde, the group is strengthening its presence in the Lebanon. With the support of the Lebanese French Institute, a series of agreements was concluded during a visit to Beirut in early April by Marie-Christine Saragosse, chair and CEO of France Media Monde and Marc Saikali, director of France 24.
A letter of intent has been signed with An-Nahar, Lebanon’s leading Arabic newspaper, concerning the exchange of multimedia content in French, English and Arabic, as well as shared technical expertise. These exchanges will be implemented over the next few weeks, completing the country’s syndication agreement reached two years ago with the French-language daily L’Orient-Le Jour.
France Media Monde has also signed an agreement with Future TV formalising and perpetuating the programme “Code 24”. Launched a year ago on the Lebanese TV channel and presented by Noor and Serge Akl Berberi, the programme offers a weekly selection of themed reports taken from France 24, in French with Arabic subtitles. It is a great success.
As part of an agreement with the University of Balamand, France Media Monde will bring two students to Paris before the summer for an internship at France 24. The students have already been trained in television journalism techniques at the France Media Monde Academy in the university’s Media Department.
Finally, Monte Carlo Doualiya has extended its partnership with Radio Pax, allowing it to broadcast on 7 frequencies across the country.
Over the past two years, France Media Monde has strengthened its links with Lebanese viewers, listeners and Internet users, in particular through regular outside broadcasts (with bi-monthly programmes like “Beyrouth des Arts” and “Billet Retour à Beyrouth” on France 24, or “Le Débat des capitales” and magazine programmes from Monte Carlo Doualiya) and by regularly inviting political, cultural, economic personalities to speak on the group’s channels. At the same time this anchoring in the Lebanon gives the country itself greater international exposure since these programmes are transmitted world-wide in French, Arabic and English.
Sources: communiqué de presse france24.com, ambafrance-lb.org
