In 2018, the Yellow Vest movement — led by French on the geographic and economic periphery — caught the media and political establishment by surprise. Journalists came to be seen as adversaries and became the target of protesters, said Vincent Giret, who oversees news at Radio France, the public broadcaster.
“There’s a part of France today that doesn’t feel represented when listening to or watching the media,” Mr. Giret said.
In a recent news conference, Mr. Giret said that Radio France would emphasize journalism rooted in facts, neutrality and reporting, to avoid harming the “democratic debate.”
“We avoid — because we thought about it — presenting ourselves as the anti-CNews,” he said.
But CNews’s success, media experts say, has influenced its rivals, including Radio France, which just started an opinion segment on its France Inter station.
“Our direct competitors, who spent their time saying they wouldn’t do any CNews, all they’re doing is CNews,” Mr. Nedjar said.
Over the summer, CNews’s power appeared to grow when its billionaire owner, Mr. Bolloré, took control of a radio station, Europe 1. Some hosts from CNews are now doing double duty on Europe 1.
Patrick Cohen, a veteran journalist, was one of many to leave Europe 1, fearing it would turn into a radio version of CNews.