Left with the "world"

Details of the sale of the French newspaper No. 1

The global media market is excited by the news from Paris: the newspaper Mond, the flagship of the French high -quality press, changed the owner. The reason is debts in the amount of about € 100 million. Until now, the controlling stake has belonged to the publication team, providing it with formal independence. Now, for the first time in the history of the newspaper, he passed into the hands of third -party private investors, closely related to one of the leading left -wing parties. At what price the victory got and what the first newspaper of France is now awaiting - the New Times recognized

“Mond” (“Mir”) is not just a newspaper, it is one of the symbols of France - along with Marianna, Brigitte Bardo and the Eiffel Tower. At all times, even crisis, the newspaper remained true to its principles: to save on anything, but not on the quality of information. The publication of this level is also a serious political resource. And in France there is a person who thinks about these matters in recent years more often than others. His name is Nicolas Sarkozy.

Who is the buyer?

“Once in 2007, Sarkozy immediately became vividly interested in the situation in key mass media,” political scientist Arno Dubyen told The New Times. “The most famous press magnates-Dasso, Big, Bollora-these are all the friends of the president, although the owners of private medium structures-the Figaro newspaper, the TF-1 television channel ... What can we say about public TV and radio stations, their cartridges are now directly assigned by the Champs Elysees.” As soon as Sarkozy, the news about the sale of almost 60% of the Mond shares at a price of € 80 million to € 120 million, it took up the telephone phone. At the other end of the wire Alain Mink, the presidential confidant in the world of mass media, the former head of the supervisory board of the Mond group. They also say that the mine is a secret “maker of kings” in French politics. Sarkozy worries one single question: "Who is the buyer?" - “Perdriel is trying to conclude an alliance with Sebrian and Richard, but Richard is still hesitating. The Spaniards are ready to introduce 50-60 million ”(see a certificate in the fields). - "Fine. Who else? " - "Berger, Pigas and Niel ... They have already united." “We need to strengthen the position of Perdriel,” Sarcosi puts the phone. Mink - in heavy thought: easy to say - strengthen. How? After all, many newspaper journalists still suspect him of dishonest re -election to the post of head of the Supervisory Board in 2007 ...

Shadow of competitors

Nicolas Sarkozy also does not have a reason for euphoria: Pierre Berget, Xavier Niel, Mathieu Pigas ... newly made oligarchs. Well, it is still Niel, he is mainly busy developing his telecommunications business. But Berger, this textbook friend Francois Mitterin, a former business partner and boyfriend of Iva Saint Laurent, who put on the sale of their jointly acquired collection of arts after death of the couturier ... All France knows: in 2007, he financed the pre-election campaign of Rulen Ruayal, a candidate of president from the Socialist Party, whose ambitions extend to 2012 until 2012 The years when the next elections will be stuck. Pigas is no better, the shadow of another presidential competitor looms behind him-Dominic Strouss-Kan, a socialist, ex-head of the Ministry of Finance of France, now the head of the IMF. And he also has presidential ambitions. Moreover, not so long ago, Strauss-Kan directly accused the surroundings of Sarkozy of attempts to “throw compromise” to him in the public sphere.

Eric Fottorino (left) collects the morning fly in "Mond"

Sarkozy did not yet know about the third investor-the Russian oligarch Gleb Fetisov, an ex-Senator who occupies 42nd place in the list of richest businessmen of Russia. Apparently, inspired by the example of Alexander Pugachev (son of the banker and senator Sergei Pugachev), who made the France Suar newspaper in January 2009, Fetisov made the ambitious proposal of Mond in the second half of June. But late. “You submitted your application too late,” answered him in Paris. “It was the most polite and at the same time condescending form of refusal,” the political scientist from the University of Denis Didro, Eric Marty, not without irony, noted in a conversation with The New Times. The self-confident Russian did not take into account the difference between the semi-balvar "France Suar" and the elite "Mond".

President’s mistake

By the end of the first decade of June, the position of forces enjoying the support of the sarcose is intensified in the transaction: the Association expressed in favor of Perdriel. BEEV-Miner-founder "Mond". But here Claude Perdrielle allows an unforgivable oversight. In any case, he warns, it will be necessary to reduce 100-120 jobs in the editorial office, "and it would be nice for people to leave their own free will." Berge -Nel -Pigas (their union has already been nicknamed “BNP” through the initial letters of the names) immediately give the team “Mond” a promise: there will be no dismissal. They also offer to create a special support fund of the Mond minority shareholders. June 11, when journalists learn about the meeting of Nicolas Sarkozy with the director - the editor -in -chief of the publication Ericom Fottorino. “Sarkozy invited Fottorino to himself and advised to choose a Perdriel investor - they say, otherwise the state will be forced to cut the newspaper subsidies for typographic expenses. “It was a fatal mistake of Sarkoi,” Arno Dubyen is convinced. “The editors, already not too loyal to the current government, got on its hind legs.” On June 25, the Majorite shareholder of the newspaper Community of editors of the Mond group (SRM) is voting on investment proposals: 90.84% ​​of the vote - for BNP. Perdriel calls his ally Louis Schweitzer, ex-head of the Renault concern, now leading the Supervisory Board “Mond”: “The mood is understandable. I do not want to act as a wedge. " June 28 - a decisive vote in the observation council, which includes Perdriel himself. 11 out of 20 members are preferred by BNP. By the evening of the same day, all Paris will know: the victory of the “left” oligarchs was provided by two votes - Perdriels and Schweitzer ...
In the coming weeks, the new owners will spend € 10 million on panting the gaping holes of the Mond budget. But what will happen to the newspaper? There was still a rule: the main editors work on the basis of rotation, and the journalists themselves choose them. “Blok BNP gave guarantees of the independence of the editorial policy, we will still be able to choose the leadership of the newspaper ourselves,” said Adrian de Trikorno, vice-president of the SRM, Vice President of the SRM. “The employees remain 33% of the shares, and the management remains the same.” “A year and a half in France, the presidential campaign will start de facto, candidates will begin to master the media space,” Eric Marty recalls. - Then it will be clear who won and who lost in the battle for Mond.

“Monde” (Le Monde - “Peace”) is a daily evening newspaper of a levocentric orientation. It was founded in 1944 by publicist Yuber Bev-Merly by personal order of Charles de Gaulle. The headquarters is located in the prestigious 13th district of Paris at the address: Ogyust Blanca Boulevard, 80. The circulation of the newspaper, according to 2009,-288 049 copies. Since December 19, 1995, the newspaper is available online. The largest shareholder is the state of newspaper journalists.

Mond Publishing Group was created in 2003. In addition to the newspaper of the same name, it includes the Internet portal Le Monde Interactif (Lemonde.fr., Lepost.fr.), A number of illustrated weekly (Telerama, La Vie, Courrier International), a 50-percent share of the monthly analytical application Le Monde Diplomatique, as well as a printing house. The staff of the Mond group has more than a thousand people, of which 280 are journalists of the Mond newspaper.
Claude Perdriel, publisher of the weekly "Nouvel Observator"
Juan-Louis Sebrian, head of the Spanish media group PRISA, with 15% of the shares of the Mond group
Stefan Richard, former Deputy Minister of Finance, and now the head of the Orange Cell Communications company, divisions of the France Telecom group.

The preparation of the material took part
Sergey Khazov (Paris)