Local News Threatened
UPDATE
To continue broadcasting for the time being in the face of much local protest.
After 21 years of dedicated service, in January 2018, local news channel, France 3 Pays catalan, is set to be axed. The national management of the channel decreed ratings to be insufficient, owing to the fact that the station is not broadcast by the increasingly-popular internet boxes.
The Communauté de communes Sud Roussillon, however, is challenging the decision. They say that the move will deal a severe blow to local news, and in turn the cohesion of the area. In a statement released in response to the decision, they pledge support to France 3 Pays catalan, declaring their work to be a valuable public service.
Because their “daily programs reflect the social, economic, sporting, cultural and political life in Catalonia” and because they are “much appreciated” by the local population, the regional council is requesting that France 3 reverse their decision and continue to finance the broadcast of France 3 Pays catalan.
