“It’s incomprehensible”, for its director

The entire team was suddenly dismissed, even though they thought they had successfully transitioned to 100% digital last October. The newspaper has until July 4 to find a buyer.

“I hope there is someone who will take over Chatwho takes over the team and who has the means to invest“, these are the words of Christine Turk, editorial and digital director of the first feminist magazine, Thursday June 20. Born before the #MeToo era, the magazine ceased its paper publication in October 2023, but its transition to all digital does not will not have been enough to save Chat. Christine Turk is therefore looking for a buyer for her newspaper, which has just been placed in compulsory liquidation without going through the recovery process, and which had the immediate effect of dismissing all the collaborators. An incomprehensible and very brutal decision for the journalist, who explains that the transition from the paper version to the 100% digital version went very well: “We gained new readers who subscribed by paying, and we earned in two months the equivalent of what it took us two years to earn in print media“But, despite reassuring figures, turning around a company that has lost money in eight months can prove to be mission impossible. “Repaying debts had become too complicated and we were risking a lot” she admits.

The economic model of the press being complex, 100% digital was a hope. Having a lot of paying subscribers is “very rare in digital” underlines Christine Turk. She would have liked to have had time to establish this success, like Médiapart, “which today works very well”, but to whom he “it took ten years to hope for profitability“.

The judicial liquidation has been declared, Christine Turk is not giving up: “Today, we have contacts with different people who would be ready to resume Chat and who are analyzing the file“, she assures. A resumption of liquidation being always possible, we will have to wait until July 4, the deadline to find a buyer who holds up. The director wants to be confident. “Information is no longer just in traditional media. It happens on TikTok, on Instagram and this is the path that Chat took. We had transformed the entire editorial team so that it was able to handle these new platforms“, she explains. “The articles were adapted to digital, with video, with Instagram posts. And we had incredible successshe continues, we grew our social media communities by more than 300% and with audiences who encouraged us“. Referring to the last post, “Chat stops“, Christine Turk notes “that it was broadcast over 300 000 times“, proof that a surge of solidarity has been created and that many readers are awaiting the resurrection of Chat. She also indicates this comment: “When you start again, we will be ready to help you, to give you donations“.

Watch this interview on video: