“I am not intended to intervene in media editorials,” assures Rodolphe Saadé

“I have no vocation to intervene in the editorial of La Provence or the media in general”, assures Tuesday May 7 on France Inter Rodolphe Saadé, CEO of the CMA CGM group. After buying the daily newspaper La Provence, the economic information site La Tribune, launching La Tribune du Dimanche and purchasing 10% of the capital of M6, the shipowner will soon take the reins of the media subsidiary of the Altice group, which notably includes RMC and BFMTV. This acquisition must still obtain authorization from Arcom and the Competition Authority.

Rodolphe Saadé explains that by acquiring La Provence, Corse Martin and La Tribune du Dimanche, he “set up a press center” and that he therefore needed “create complementarities with an audiovisual center”. He therefore sees the acquisition of BFMTV as a “great opportunity”. He also quickly emphasizes the difference between his media and those belonging to his competitor Vincent Bolloré, siding with “the shade”. “The positioning of the media division of the CMA CGM group is nuanced and gives the possibility of seeing things a little more realistically”he adds.

The billionaire also returns to the controversy surrounding the front page of the regional daily La Provence on Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Marseille in March. This front page had been judged “ambiguous” by the management, which therefore fired the editorial director, which led to a strike by journalists. After the reinstatement of Aurélien Viers, the employees demanded guarantees of independence. “Provence is in discussions with management to put in place a charter so that everyone feels comfortable,” says Rodolphe Saadé. The shipowner promises that he has no “vocation to intervene” in its other titles, such as BFMTV. “What I try to do is to develop these media, give them the financial means to develop”he maintains.