Newspapers
Only 30% of the French read a daily newspaper every day, which is much less than in many other European countries. It is not a tradition, in most of the families, to receive one or two newspapers at home and read it for breakfast or on the way to work. However, the proliferation of free press is changing this. The format of these free dailies (most free newspapers are published as tabloids, with an average of 24 pages ) and their content (a clear focus on quick news, life style, technology, media, sports, celebrities, movies, weather, horoscopes and TV programmes) seem to fit more busy urban citizens. What are the main newspapers in France? There are 10 national newspapers and 65 regional papers.
- The largest-circulation national daily paper in France is the sports paper “L'Équipe”, shortly followed by “Le Monde” and “Le Figaro”. “Aujourd’hui en France” and “Libération” come 4th and 5th.
- The most read regional daily papers are “Ouest France”, “Le Parisien”, “Sud Ouest” and “La voix du Nord”. - You'll find the free dailies everywhere in France. The most popular are « Metro » and « 20 Minutes ». Periodicals By contrast, with 1,354 copies sold for every 1,000 residents, France ranks first in the world as for magazine readership. Among the top 100, eight have a circulation of over one million: Télé 7 Jours (1,873,944), Télé Z (1,815,505), Télé Loisirs (1,521,361), Télé 2 semaines (1,407,218), Télé Star (1,353,733), Dossier Familial (1,247,457), Femme actuelle (1,225,404), Pleine Vie (1,015,765). 
Where to buy newspapers and periodicals? In every French town you will find several newsagent's shops (often called "maison de la presse") or newspaper kiosks. Many newspaper kiosks will stock the international press (especially in airports and stations). A daily paper costs about EUR 1; a weekly costs EUR 2.50 to 3; and a monthly magazine costs EUR 3 to 6. Students can obtain reductions of up to 50% on magazine subscriptions from the Office Universitaire de Presse (OFUP), which will have a stand in all universities during the enrolment period.
Watching television remains the favourite leisure activity of the French, with an average of 3 hours 15 minutes per person per day. In France, there are two television broadcasting systems: the traditional analogical system, and the modern digital system, which can handle much more channels (up to 180 television channels). There are four types of television broadcasting network: - All households can receive broadcasts via the terrestrial network, which carries six channels: TF1, France 2, France 3, Arte, France 5 and M6. The first three channels (TF1, France 2 and France 3) are general interest channels. Arte is a French-German cultural channel. France 5 is an educational channel. And M6 is a youth-oriented channel. In addition to receiving the six standard channels, viewers can take out a subscription to Canal Plus, a channel that broadcasts a high proportion of sport and recent films but requires a special decoder. There is currently 6.4 million Canal Plus subscribers in France and 6.7 million abroad. In border regions of France, viewers may be able to receive channels broadcast in the neighbouring countries. - Since March 2005, the terrestrial network also carries numerical channels, accessible to any household for free, after the purchase of a special decoder (which costs around 50 euros). The Terrestrial Numerical Television (TNT) offers high-quality image and sound and 17 channels: the 6 of the analogue TV + 11 new thematic channels. - If your home has a cable network, you will have access by subscription to a wider range of French and international thematic channels. Subscriptions to a cable operator (like NOOS, for example) cost from EUR 23 to 30.50 per month, and there is an entry fee of about EUR 107. - If you fit a parabolic antenna (which costs about EUR 150), you will have access by subscription to a large number of French and international satellite channels. Subscriptions to a satellite TV operator (like Canal Satellite or TPS) cost around EUR 30.50 per month, and you will also have to rent or buy a decoder. All homes using a television set are required to take out an annual licence, which costs EUR 116 for a colour set (2005 fare). TV5 and Canal France International (CFI), are the two operators in France’s external radio and television network
Radio France is the umbrella company for the country’s public service radio stations: France Inter (general-interest station), France Info (24-hour news), France Culture, France Musique (Classical music) Radio Bleue and FIP. There is also an international service (Radio France Internationale, or RFI, 45 million listeners worldwide) and several regional stations: RMC-Moyen Orient (in the Middle East), Medi 1 (in the Maghreb). There are many independent radio stations. A random selection includes Radio Classique (classical music), Fun Radio (mainstream pop music), Skyrock (rap) and general interest stations such as RTL (France’s most popular radio station), Europe 1 and Radio Monte Carlo (RMC). Many independent radio stations specialize in different world cultures: Radio Latina, Radio Orient, Radio Africa n°1, etc. Some radio stations broadcast on long-wave frequencies (in which case the frequency will be the same nationwide) but most use the FM (frequency modulation) band, with frequencies that vary with the geographical location.Most stations also broadcast via Internet; in 1998, for example, Radio France launched Le Mouv, an "interactive, digital and multimedia" service addressing a youth audience. Sources: Egide, Ministry of Foreign and European affairs Photo: © F. de la Mure / Ministry of Foreign and European affairs
