According to
Point, the managing director of RTBF would think about being a candidate for the presidency of France Télévisions.
Last October, an insistent rumor announced Jean-Paul Philippot leaving for France Médias, the future holding which must bring together France Televisions, Radio France, France Médias Monde (France 24, RFI…) and the INA. In other words, a huge ocean liner. But both the Belgian public service and the interested party had quickly swept away these corridor noises, arguing that there was no candidate since the holding company did not yet exist and that Jean-Paul Philippot devoted himself solely to RTBF.
However, in an article dated Thursday July 9, Point comes back to try again. The name of the boss of RTBF is again cited, no longer to take orders for the famous holding company, a project which, due to the coronavirus, has been postponed until later, but to seize the controls of France Télévisions. He would think, says the French weekly, to run for successor Delphine Ernotte whose mandate expires at the end of August. Point underlines that Jean-Paul Philippot has “Brilliantly reformed the group (RTBF, Editor’s note), whose channels and radios are leading audiences in Belgium and which benefited in 2019.” He would not rule out sending his application at the last moment, it is said, the deadline being set for this Friday, July 10 at midnight.
At RTBF for six more years
Always according to Point, the hesitations of the managing director of RTBF would be linked to the fact that he has just been reappointed to his duties on boulevard Reyers. It is true that at the beginning of February, the government of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation granted him a fourth mandate six years at the head of the public service, after a unanimous positive opinion on his results. But we also remember that this decision came after several weeks of controversy around the salary of the boss of RTBF. The latter had also been urged by the same government of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation to reimburse an overpayment of 60,000 euros.
Would this hiccup have had more consequences than we imagine? Verdict on July 15. It is on this date that will be known the names of the contenders for the succession of Delphine Ernotte who remains the favorite to re-enter office.
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