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Wherever and Whenever neWs breaks, rTL Group’s journaLisTs brinG you The sTory.

“We should

confront hard-liners

With courage.

But our joB is to

intervieW them,

not to fight them.”

Read the interview with

RTL Television reporter and

Middle East expert Antonia Rados

on pages 44 to 47

RTL Group45, boulevard Pierre Frieden 1543 Luxembourg Luxembourg

T: + 352 2486 5201F: + 352 2486 5139 RTLGroup.com Status: 29 April 2011

rTL Group4

News at RTL Group

6 Keeping people informedCEO Gerhard Zeiler explains RTL Group’s commitment to news

10 Audience fAvouritesFive reasons why RTL news is so popular in so many countries

22 fActs & figures

26 credibility And continuityPeter Kloeppel explains how investment in news pays off

32 news – wherever, wheneverRTL Group provides news and information on all digital platforms

38 doing things differentlyHow information magazines became signature formats for M6

44 explAining conflictsRTL Television reporter Antonia Rados about her work in crisis-torn regions

50 scoops, politicAl discussion And public informAtionThe inside story on the journalistic institution RTL Radio in France

56 whAt news stories interest Audiences most?The replies from RTL Group’s news department for the year 2010

contents

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News at RTL Group

keepinG peopLe informed

A healthy, varied and high-quality TV and radio landscape is hugely important to a democratic and diverse society. Accordingly, politicians, regulators and the public expect a great deal from commercial broadcast-ers, especially when it comes to news and information. I can say confi-dently that RTL Group meets these expectations everywhere we operate.

In Germany, our main channel RTL Television broadcasts five hours of news and information programmes a day from Monday to Friday, and has been the clear market leader among young viewers for more than a decade. We also operate the country’s first 24-hour news channel, N-TV.

In France, magazine shows such as Capital and Zone Interdite have played a major role in shaping the public perception of our flagship channel M6. The country’s leading radio station, RTL, hosts opinion leaders and decision makers from politics, business and culture every day.

In Belgium and Luxembourg, the RTL brand is without equal in news across all platforms – TV, radio and internet. And in the Netherlands, Greece and Croatia, our news programmes are also very popular.

Delivering news for the people has been one of RTL Group’s core competencies for decades. This brochure explains how and why.

rTL Group6

News at RTL Group

gerhard Zeiler Chief Executive Officer

Yes, news is expensive. But providing reliable news is our responsibility. Therefore we finance our news broadcasts from the company’s overall profitability. This deep investment clearly pays off, supporting high ratings, strengthening our brands, and increasing audience loyalty.

Our benchmark is the audience. Though our news programmes vary from country to country, they share a number of traits that explain their popularity: they are credible, easy to understand, up to date and, above all, independent.

In this brochure we shine the spotlight on Peter Kloeppel, Jacques Esnous, Antonia Rados and Mélissa Theuriau. The passion and profes-sionalism of journalists such as these, coupled with our independence, is, and always will be, the policy that shapes our news programming.

Here’s your chance to make up your own mind... happy reading!

Gerhard Zeiler

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News at RTL Group

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso discusses the big European issues on RTL Radio’s Le Grand Jury

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five reasons Why rTL neWs is so popuLar in so many counTries

1 commitment to neWs RTL Group TV channels and radio stations deliver the most up-to-date and authentic information to the people. They invest in the necessary financial and human resources. Here are examples of the commitment to news within RTL Group.

Xavier de Moulins joined the Le 19.45 team in July 2010, attracting 2.1 million viewers for his first appearance

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News at RTL Group

Philippe Antoine, the first non-American journalist to set foot in Haiti after the earthquake, returned there in February 2010. Not for a scoop but because, as a journalist, he thinks it’s essential to keep RTL Radio audiences informed for the duration. RTL Radio, France

M6’s significant investment in a new evening news show is paying off. Le 19.45 attracted a peak audience of 3.7 million on its first airing in September 2009 and by the end of that year had become the only televised news broadcast in France to attract new viewers. Le 19.45 is particularly popular in the main commercial target group of house-wives aged under 50, scoring an average audience share of 19.9 per cent in 2010. M6, France

In 2011, the RTL Journalistenschule (RTL School of Journalism for TV and Multimedia) celebrated its tenth anniversary. The two-year course includes internships in the editorial departments of RTL Television, RTL II, Vox and N-TV, as well as political workshops in Berlin and visits to the United States. Since the classes first started on 2 January 2001, a total of 145 students have successfully completed their training as TV editors. All graduates found jobs following their graduation and today work primarily on editorial teams at Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland or at public-service and commercial broadcasters, TV production firms and other media companies. RTL Television, Germany

In RTL Group’s home country of Luxembourg, the local unit RTL Lëtze-buerg is entrusted with public service TV and radio broadcasting, following the concession agreement with the Luxembourg government. Each year, RTL Lëtzebuerg produces almost 300 hours of local TV news and information programmes and 2,200 hours of radio news and information. RTL Lëtzebuerg, Luxembourg

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News at RTL Group

2 talking the vieWers’ languageThere are many ways to tell a story, but few ways to tell it well. RTL Group’s broadcasters find the right ‘translation’ of social and political issues which, combined with skilful use of today’s technology, keeps audiences engaged and informed.

RTL Radio’s flagship show L’Expédition RTL sends journalists to environ-mental ‘hotspots’, to emphasise how issues such as deforestation or melting ice caps thousands of miles away, directly affect the listeners in France. With the new season 2010/11, the programme has been renamed Destination RTL, and focuses on locations in Europe. RTL Radio, France

When RTL Nachtjournal was first conceived, many critics felt a US-style late-night news magazine show wouldn’t work in Germany. Sixteen years later, with an average 18.0 per cent of 14 to 49-year-olds tuning in to watch (January to December 2010), no one needs convincing that the formula works. RTL Nachtjournal reports on politics against the backdrop of living rooms, doctors’ offices or manufacturing halls – the places specifically affected by politicians’ decisions. RTL Television, Germany

As the local market leader in news and information, proximity is the key word for RTL Lëtzebuerg’s audience success, reaching 76.0 per cent of Luxembourg’s population every day. “Whether it’s a new tax law, or traffic jams due to road repairs, first and foremost we focus on the concrete consequences for our audience before we turn to official statements,” says Alain Berwick, CEO of RTL Lëtzebuerg. RTL Lëtzebuerg, Luxembourg

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News at RTL Group

In Germany’s 2009 election year, RTL Television news anchors Peter Kloeppel and Lothar Keller presented a novel approach to gathering people’s views with the Election Street and Election Bus. Election Street canvassed the wide-ranging and representative views of a cross-section of society from a single street in Frankfurt, while the Election Bus travelled across Germany to do the same. RTL Television, Germany

RTL Nachtjournal presenter Ilka Essmüller keeps viewers awake for Germany’s most

watched late-night news

Destination RTL reporter Sophie Joussellin in Chernobyl, about 300 metres away from the reactor which exploded in 1986

Házon kívül – the political and public life magazine with documentaries presents a pictorial diary of today’s Hungary – has been on air every week since 2005. One of the show’s most popular features is when everyday people get the chance to put their questions to important decision-makers. RTL Klub, Hungary

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News at RTL Group

3trusting the anchorHaving engaging and popular personalities as anchors helps to establish and maintain enduring, trusting relationships with viewers. Success also comes through having a strong local presence, with operations run by local managers and editors.

Having worked for CNN before becoming a news presenter for RTL Véronique, Rick Nieman has been anchor for RTL Nederland’s RTL Nieuws since 1996. In 2010, highlights of his show included hosting the Dalai Lama to discuss the struggle for an autonomous Tibet, as well as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who participated in a wide-ranging discussion on foreign affairs and the relationship between the United States and the Netherlands. RTL Nederland

RTL Nederland’s Rick Nieman interviews Hillary Clinton

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News at RTL Group

Alpha News’ audience share increased by 51.0 per cent from 2008 to 2010. In 2009, the news show was moved to a new time slot at 19:00, and Antonis Sroiter took over as presenter. His contract was renewed in March 2010, securing him for another two years. Alpha TV’s News and Current Affairs Director, Vassilis Papadrossos, says: “Every day, Antonis demonstrates his journalistic skills and his talent as a news anchorman.” Alpha TV, Greece

Christoph Teuner has been with N-TV for more than ten years, and has come to personify the quality, continuity and reliability of the news channel. His life and work are based around his motto, “Just tell the news”. N-TV, Germany

Peter Kloeppel, Mélissa Theuriau and Jean-Michel Aphatie are just three of the many well-respected and highly rated news presenters across RTL Group – read more about them on pages 26, 41 and 51. RTL Group

Antena 3’s news programmes achieve the highest viewing figures for news in Spain. In addition, Matías Prats, presenter of Noticia 1 and Noticia 2, was voted best news presenter for the seventh consecutive year and also TV’s personality with the best image. Antena 3, Spain

Following 11 years as the presenter of RTL-TVI’s 19 heures, the most popular news bulletin in French-speaking Belgium, Laurent Haulotte took over the duties of editor-in-chief at the station. RTL-TVI, Belgium

RTL Nederland’s Rick Nieman interviews Hillary Clinton

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News at RTL Group

4 going Big for Big neWsRTL Group provides more wide-ranging and deeper insights into the big events and breaking stories, with correspondents on the spot as key world events unfold. In 2005, RTL Televizija became the first broadcaster in Croatian history to televise a presidential debate. It repeated the hugely successful concept in 2010, this time in a specially designed studio, hosted by Tomislav Jelicic. RTL Duel scored a total audience share of 45.9 per cent. This means that almost 25.0 per cent of the total Croatian population followed the debate. RTL Televizija, Croatia

On radio, television, and online, editorial departments across RTL Belgium worked flat out to bring home the gravity of February’s Hal rail accident for viewers across the country, with 45.6 per cent of the evening’s audience tuning in for a special edition of Le Journal. RTL Belgium

In the lead up to the Dutch elections in June 2010, RTL Nederland organised a series of special broadcasts to ensure viewers were kept informed about all important matters. In addition to its already compre-hensive news coverage, the company broadcast half-hour election specials in the 12 days prior to the vote, two major TV debates involving all the leading politicians, the first ever Twitter debate, and, of course, live coverage on election day itself. RTL Nederland

Micheline Thienpont was on location in Haiti in March 2010, presenting an hour-long feature on the aftermath of the earthquake, with in-depth reports and features giving viewers a clearer picture of the situation. RTL-TVI, Belgium

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News at RTL Group

When US citizens voted for president in 2008, RTL Group brought the best possible coverage of the gripping build-up and the nail-biting election night to its viewers across Europe, with correspondents in key locations across the United States. In Germany, RTL Television teamed up with the N-TV news channel to broadcast live from New York, while in Belgium RTL-TVI’s reports were in the style of road movies; in the Netherlands RTL 4 visited and interviewed Dutch celebrities in California while RTL Radio in France broadcast a nine-and-a-half-hour live special, La Nuit Americaine. RTL Group

Over a thousand guests from politics, business and the media visited Bertelsmann’s Berlin premises during US election night 2008. The party was jointly hosted by CNN, RTL Television and N-TV

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News at RTL Group

5 Being independent At RTL Group’s TV channels and radio stations, the audience is king – this also means withstanding political pressure groups, promoting media pluralism, and maintaining diversity and credibility. Our local journalists decide what’s relevant for the viewers, and no one else.

RTL Televizija co-produced the documentary 10 godina poslije (10 years later), which follows President Mesic from the night his successor, Ivo Josipovic, was elected in 2009, to the new President’s inauguration. The programme was a sequel to a documentary portraying the country’s first democratic elections. RTL Televizija, Croatia

Controversial commentator Eric Zemmour applies his unique outlook daily during the week on RTL Matin, the most popular morning radio show in France, where he offers his view on the major issues of the day. A special film version is later made available on the RTL.fr website. RTL Radio, France

In January 2011, RTL Nieuws launched the website Ruttesrapport.nl. The aim was to track the progress of the political agenda of Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s cabinet and give visitors an insight on the developments in

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News at RTL Group

implementing their pledges regarding areas such as security, finance, immigration and public health. In March 2011, the website inspired an information magazine broadcast on RTL Z, the news programme of RTL 7. The monthly magazine pursues the same goal as the website but goes a bit further. During each show, the presenter questions members of the Dutch Government on activities related to their policy areas. Viewers can also ask questions via Twitter. RTL Nederland

Bel RTL is now showcasing European news, with a special section each Friday evening in the prime-time show L’Essentiel. RTL Belgium

Vox has been presenting a series of in-depth, four-hour documentaries on topics including history and science. They are well received by viewers, even though they air in prime-time Saturday night viewing slots. Vox, Germany

Croatian presidential candidates Ivo Josipovic and Milan Bandic greet each other on RTL Televizija. One in four Croatians watched the televised debate

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News at RTL Group

Laurent Haulotte, who had been RTL-TVI’s news anchor for 11 years and is now the editor-in-chief of RTL Belgium, explains the channel’s news studio to King Albert II of Belgium

The increase in audience share for Alpha News from 2008 to 2010

+51 PER CENT

M6 has 100 journalists cover-ing dai ly news, and another 200 working on its popular magazine formats such as Capital and Zone Interdite

92 OUT OF 157

In the EU, Croatia and Turkey, 92 out of 157 news channels are commercial broadcasters

The amount of monthly footage produced by Info Network, a subsid-iary of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, for i ts dai ly and weekly news and magazine formats

Over 170 hours

100 & 200rTL Group 23

News at RTL Group

28 February 2010

Facts & Figures

The date RTL-TVI’s most-watched news show in Belgium broke its previous audience record with a 54.5 per cent total audience share

…of l ive news have been broad-cast by N-TV, the f irst German news channel, in the 18 years s ince i ts founding. each day, as many as 400 video clips are produced by the channel

In autumn 2007, Punkt 12 , Ger-many’s most-watched lunchtime magazine, was extended by one hour. Since then the maga-zine programme has provided even more news, services and background reports from Mon-day to Friday. Extending RTL Television’s midday information programming has proved a great success. The average audience share among young viewers over a two-hour period is 24.0 per cent (January to December 2010), compared to 3.3 per cent and 3.8 per cent for the lunch-time magazines of the publ ic broadcasters ZDF and ARD

+1 hour

110,000 hours …

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News at RTL Group

In the run up to the 2009 German elections, Chancellor Angela Merkel answers the studio audience’s questions, hosted by Peter Kloeppel and Maria GreszIn the run up to the 2009 German elections, Chancellor Angela Merkel answers the studio audience’s questions, hosted by Peter Kloeppel and Maria Gresz

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Peter Kloeppel, RTL Television’s editor-in-chief and anchorman

RTL Aktuell presenter Peter Kloeppel is the longest-serving anchorman on German television. He has been described as the country’s most popular tele-vision news presenter, and one of the public figures Germans trust the most. We caught up with Peter in his brand new state-of-the-art news studio in Cologne, to talk about news at RTL Television – past, present and future.

a Look aT The face of German neWs

“We started in 1984, a small fish in a large pond, with two other very big fish in it,” says Peter, referring to Germany’s big public broadcasters ARD and ZDF. “But those two fish had a very traditional approach to news, covering world politics and current affairs. We decided to try something that was maybe a bit more relevant to people’s daily lives. From 1988, we started to air to more of Germany and we had the feeling people liked to watch our news. I don’t think we thought then we could catch up with the existing public broadcasters, but we have, and it shows we made the right decisions.”

rTL Group 27

News at RTL Group

So what were those decisions? “Well, there are a number of different pieces to the puzzle. One is to take the viewers seriously by, as I mentioned, covering issues they find relevant, and are talking about. Then you have to deliver what people expect – politics, sport, crime, weather – but also something unexpected, like new stories or new approaches to their daily lives. Bring the two together, expected and unexpected, and the result is something worthwhile. Continuity is im portant as well. The same starting times, presenters people know, familiar formats – and so news becomes a stable pillar in TV consumption.”

Investment is another important piece to the puzzle. “News is expensive,” says Peter. “You need a good number of journalists, and correspondents in many parts of the world. You can provide much better stories with people out in the field finding them, and flexible as to where they go. But you have to spend money in the right way – quality of stories is more important than quantity. Editorial independence is important, too. We’re not controlled by any government body or influenced by any lobbying group or business. As editor-in-chief, I can do what I think is right.”

What makes a good presenter? Peter modestly overlooks the fact that the question is clearly asking him to talk about himself: “People need to believe an anchor is there for their love of the news, not because they love being on TV. Viewers need to see passion in a presenter – someone who’s interested in the stories, and who’s on air most of the week. So credibility and continuity, the same qualities as for the show itself. And remember the viewer has invited you into their living room, so they expect some friendliness alongside the serious moments – it’s about getting the balance right.”

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News at RTL Group

Peter Kloeppel and Ulrike von der Groeben on duty in the fully digitised news studio at Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland’s new broadcasting centre in Cologne-Deutz

Do people expect entertainment? “To me entertaining news is not about the celebrity stories, but about interesting public information – how to save money, save energy, medical breakthroughs, things like that,” explains Peter. “But if sometimes people describe our news output as too entertaining, well, I can live with that.”

It looks like the future is in good hands, too, with RTL’s School of Journalism producing a steady stream of willing and able talent to take up the reins. “The school takes 30 students from about 500 applicants every two years, and quite a few former students are senior correspondents with us now.”

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News at RTL Group

Peter Kloeppel received much praise for his seven-hour live presentation on 11 September 2001. German broadsheet Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote: “Anyone who wanted to be best informed on the afternoon of 11 September 2001 without watching CNN found RTL was the best place to go.”

But what about the digital world – how is that changing things? “We have a whole family of channels, all under one roof now,” says Peter, referring to the new headquarters of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland. “And just like different newscasts throughout the day, each channel and programme caters to a different audience, and we do our best to present what they expect. Then there is the internet. People can get our news whenever and wherever they want by downloading newscasts, specific clips or condensed newsflashes for mobiles.”

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News at RTL Group

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Reaching young viewers

RTL Aktuell has an average audience share of 19.9 per cent among viewers aged 14 to 49, positioning RTL Television’s main news show well ahead of both public service formats from Das Erste and ZDF. It has been the most-watched news show in this age group for 18 consecutive years. Among viewers aged 14 to 29, RTL II News has a higher audience share (8.3 per cent) than Tagesschau on Das Erste (7.8 per cent).

(Audience shares: January to December 2010)

But is there a role for TV news when people can get all they want from the internet? “It’s actually making the TV newscast even more valuable,” counters Peter. “With the amount of information people are flooded with, and all the different sources, the TV news is the beacon people can follow, to make sense of it all and understand what is important, and what to believe. It’s a role we take very seriously and one we have to work hard at, to make sure we always have the top stories. Of course it helps that we are a known and trusted brand.”

A brand built over many years. “Yes. I started as an intern a long time ago,” says Peter, “so I’m happy and proud to be part of that story – and maybe one little piece of the puzzle.”

News at RTL Group

Wherever you are, The neWs is here

and noWTV consumption is on the rise, and this is hardly a surprise. Today’s viewers can watch whatever they want, whenever and wherever they want it – and that suits today’s busy lifestyles. It’s no longer just a handful of channels on a traditional living room TV set. There are whole families of digital channels, video on demand, mobile TV, and countless smartphone apps. The same is true for radio, with digital radio stations, internet streaming, videos on the stations’ websites, podcasts and mobile applications. With content created specifically for each different platform, people can exercise their choice, and are always in touch with up-to-date news.

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News at RTL Group

N-TV.de’s refreshed video service is now more prominent and easier to navigate. Users can also access related articles, picture galleries and entire news programmes as video on demand via the site’s home page.

RTL Radio in France has extended its I-Phone app news alert service to all mobiles as an SMS text service.

M6 and MSN brought unrivalled interactivity to the 2010 regional elections, with exclusive online coverage on the M6 and MSN Actualités websites.

RTL Lëtzebuerg has become a truly integrated media company, offering the RTL brand on all platforms – TV, radio, and a comprehensive range of

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News at RTL Group

multimedia services such as news websites, online videos, and mobile applications. Intensive cross promotion between the media channels is part of the strategy: for example, breaking news is reported immediately on radio and internet, referring the audience to the main TV news show in the evening which follows up with more insights and reactions. The result: when Luxembourgers look for information, they turn to RTL.

M6’s primetime 15-minute bulletin Le 19.45 brings viewers concise but comprehensive news and current affairs, and through Microsoft’s MSN portal, viewers can submit questions to be answered live.

N-TV.de had 24.9 million visitors in June 2010, breaking its May record by 600,000. The new n-tv mobile app gives smartphone users access to news, football results, finance and weather information.

RTL Klub’s news website RTLhirek.hu was renewed in 2010, with greater use of video content. Viewers can upload their videos, some of which have already featured in the channel’s main news show Híradó.

rtl radio’s latest I-Phone app in France takes even more of its hugely popular audio and web news and information content to the mobile domain with live streaming, ‘listen again’ features, podcasts and video.

RTL Nederland’s channel rtl 24 broadcasts content made specifically for mobile, including news and sports bulletins.

In June 2010, RTL Nederland’s RTL Twitterdebat received more than 30,000 Tweets between 21:00 and 21:30 as part of its election coverage, making the debate the number one trending topic on Twitter.

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News at RTL Group

With RTL Belgium’s new rtl info app, I-Phone users can receive news bulletins directly to their phone at no cost, and can send news to RTL’s editorial departement.

Over 120 editorial staff and reporters work daily to create the very latest accurate TV news for RTL Nieuws. RTL Nederland’s website editorial team ensures this is also readily available on RTLNieuws.nl, RTL Text and RTL Nieuws for mobile phones and the I-Pad.

ENEXPooling resources to improve news distribution

Enex (European News Exchange) is a non-profit organisation for

broadcasters to pool news footage. It was set up in 1994 to

meet RTL Group’s need to pool resources and reduce the high cost

of satellite broadcasting. It now has 34 full members including

both RTL and other broadcasters from all over the world, and pro-

vides more European footage than Associated Press or Reuters.

Partners contribute video via satellite to Enex’s base in Luxembourg,

where Enex then makes it available through its homepage. There

are seven fixed time feeds offering broadcasters news footage at

very competitive prices, sometimes as low as one fifth of the market

price. There are also special flashes for breaking news, where

Enex takes the feed from the local partner to a major event, making it

available to other members.

Enex (European News Exchange) is a non-profit organisation for

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News at RTL Group

French Prime Minister François Fillon explains the government’s social reforms to Capital presenter Guy Lagache

sTay informed WiTh m6

Mélissa Theuriau has been presenter and editor-in-chief of Zone Interdite since September 2006

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News at RTL Group

Back in the late eighties, the ‘young’ French channel M6, known at first as a music-oriented channel, launched Six Minutes, a new concept presenting current affairs in pictures, without a presenter in a studio. Not long after, in 1990 and 1993, came the debuts of magazines Capital and Zone Interdite. These information shows soon came to define M6. Jérôme Bureau, Director of Information and Magazines at M6, picks up the story...

“The idea of information programming was there from the start, though it wasn’t necessarily our strategy. But we wanted to get close to the viewers, and we wanted to build the identity of M6 by doing something nobody else was doing.” Zone Interdite was a new way of doing news, examining one important subject. And as nobody had ever really explained finance and the economy to the general public on TV before, M6 developed Capital. The original anchor wasn’t a TV person, but a businessman on TV. The channel also had its car magazine Turbo and a science programme, E=M6. All four are still running today, and are well-known programme brands.

Capital was launched in prime time on a Sunday, the big TV evening of the week. Two-thirds of the public watched the big movie on the main channel and the other channels competed with movies. “We could have competed with down-market entertainment,” Jérôme points out, “but we did the exact opposite – a financial magazine. And we discovered it worked.” The quality of the programme was important, of course, and it has maintained those standards. When people switch to Capital, they know what they are going to get.

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News at RTL Group

“Like all our magazine programmes, we devised the format,” says Jérôme.“Now we’ve become known for our information magazines – it’s part of the DNA of the company, and competitors try to copy the formats.” M6 now shows more information programming in prime time than any other channel, and all Groupe M6 channels – apart from the music ones – broadcast a lot of informative content.

In addition, M6 can extend its successful programme brands to cover other topics. That’s the reasoning behind its occasional show Capital Terre, which discusses environmental issues from an economic point of view. By its association with the Capital brand the channel has been able to attract large audiences from the start.

At the beginning, the information magazines might have been the only thing that attracted older viewers to M6. But now there’s a whole younger genera - tion that has grown up and received an economic education with Capital. “There’s no reason why the programme shouldn’t still be there in another 20 years,” says Jérôme. “There’s always something new to explain.”

Jérôme Bureau, Director of Information and Magazines at M6 since 2004

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News at RTL Group

‘forbidden’ subjects thAt deserve public debAte Journalist Mélissa Theuriau presents the highly rated Zone Interdite (Forbidden Zone), which airs on M6 every other Sunday at 20:50. Here she explains the show’s popularity.

What is Zone Interdite? It’s a social magazine show. But we’re not always reacting to things that are going on right now. We can investigate a subject for several months for a show, and put any personal judgement out of our mind. We tackle different subjects that people are genuinely interested in, and that’s given us some great ratings.

What sort of subjects? We’re proud of dealing with some really difficult topics: euthanasia, memory loss, treatment of the elderly – things that aren’t really addressed in prime time. We were the first programme to cover the issue of homelessness. No subject is out of bounds for us, and the company fully supports what we do.

How do viewers react? Our programmes bring comfort to people, allowing them to express their views. Many people write to thank me, particularly when we discuss previously taboo subjects such as organ donation, a show that caused a lot of reaction. We even inspired Guy Bedos’s book on euthanasia, and Jacques Chirac stepped in to help a family with housing problems after seeing our programme.

And what do you most enjoy? The interesting thing about Zone Interdite is that we’re one link in a big chain, not just on-the-air reporting. As journalists we can really delve into our subjects beforehand, and we try to choose the most relevant guests, so we can go that bit deeper into each subject after presenting the facts. I choose the guests with our editor, and having that kind of freedom is interesting. All of these different aspects mean I really enjoy my job.

Zone Interdite: a duty to society, or a duty to attract viewers? We set out to inspire people. We do that by tackling issues people feel are important, such as unemployment. So yes, we attract viewers, but at the same time we feel we’re actually playing a useful role in society.

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News at RTL Group

Antonia Rados won the German TV Award and the Hanns Joachim Friedrichs Award for her wartime coverage from IraqAntonia Rados won the German TV Award and the Hanns Joachim Friedrichs Award for her wartime coverage from Iraq

anTonia rados in The spoTLiGhT

Antonia Rados reports live from Tahrir Square in Egypt

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News at RTL Group

RTL Television reporter Antonia Rados is a Middle East expert who has won numerous awards for her documentaries on crisis-torn regions. In around 50 visits to Afghanistan for RTL, she has produced many documentaries, several highlighting the plight of women in that country. Most recently she has reported from Egypt and Libya and even interviewed Muammar Gaddafi. Antonia took time out of her busy production schedule to answer some questions.

what drives you to want to report from troubled places? Nothing except journalistic curiosity. I simply cannot resist it.

how sensitive must you be to opposing sides of a conflict or issue, especially if interviewing someone with hard-line views? In the age of extremes we are now living in, journalists should try to keep to the middle ground. Moderation becomes necessary when everybody tends to be extreme. We should confront hard-liners with courage. But our job is to interview them, not to fight them.

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what dangers have you faced? The list of dangers I haven’t had to face would be shorter.

what are the other frustrations and difficulties you face in these places? Strangely, I am rarely frustrated by difficulties, but draw inspiration from resolving them.

is there sometimes a concern that some of your subjects could be put in danger simply by association with a reporter? Not often. A reporter is more a sort of protection for oppressed or under-privileged people, and not a danger. For the powerful, it should be the other way round.

what do you appreciate about working for rtl, and what brought you back after a move elsewhere? Very simple: RTL keeps problems off my back when I am in a war zone. You appreciate it enormously when you have this support and under-standing.

how much can and should news reporting help to be part of the solution to problems in the world? Reporting has to keep out of the business of problem-solving. Others are better placed to do that. We are here simply to bring certain matters to wider attention – a task which is already difficult enough.

what do you see as your future major reporting assignments? I would say the Near and Middle East are going to stay with us as major conflict zones and areas of friction... from the question of oil to the question of religion.

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Antonia Rados interviewing Muammar Gaddafi in March 2011, becoming the first German-speaking journalist to interview the dictator since civil war erupted in Libya

“ rTL keeps probLems off my back When i am in a War zone.”

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Following the devastating earthquake, RTL Radio’s Philippe Antoine was the first non-American journalist in Haiti

The sTaTion in The knoW

Jacques Esnous welcomes French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy to RTL’s studios in Rue Bayard

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Whether it’s issues of a grave nature (such as up- to-the-minute, first hand reports from the earthquake in Haiti), or the pick of the gossip (like the announce-ment of President Sarkozy’s wedding date), RTL Radio is the place you’ll hear them first in France. Not only that, if high-ranking politicians have something to say, they tend to make a beeline for Rue Bayard in central Paris, where the radio station is based. For the inside story on this journalistic institution, we turned to Jacques Esnous, the station’s News Director.

why do politicians favour rtl radio when they have a message to impart?It’s a combination of reasons, including the size and breadth of the audience, the quality of our journalists and their objectivity. Public figures want to make an impact when they speak, so they choose the radio market leader. Historically the French listen to the radio a lot, particularly in the morning – between 7:30 and 8:30 we have over two million listeners every minute. Surveys also show that people regard radio as the most credible source of information. So it’s a good audience for a politician. An audience with a wide profile, too, from senior professionals to the man in the street, and from all political standpoints. At the last presidential election, polls of RTL listeners showed the same profile as the national vote split.

Then there are the presenters. Jean-Michel Aphatie and Alain Duhamel are two of the country’s most respected political journalists and they are

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on every morning. Jean-Michel, particularly, is known for getting answers to tricky questions, and not letting politicians off the hook, so the listeners get what they want as well. He’s also the presenter of Le Grand Jury, our Sunday show which has hosted all the major politicians of the last 30 years. Finally there is our independence and neutrality. We balance the talk time between different parties, and ask listeners for their opinion on air. We are not open to any influence, and both politicians and listeners know this is not the way we work – which of course makes things very comfortable for me.

how do you ensure you get more scoops than the competition? Well it’s true, we seem to have a scoop every week. For example, this week we announced the police were looking for a female terrorist and several hours later the government confirmed it. To get these stories, we have organised our staff to give our journalists the time and freedom to investigate subjects, and get in touch with people in the know.

Also, because we are the route to the largest audience, we sometimes get the stories from official sources. The wedding date of President

“ We broadcasT over 12 hours of informaTive conTenT a day.”

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Sarkozy and Carla Bruni was a good scoop. We were able to announce it during our midday news when our guest was Bernadette Chirac, a former first lady – so a doubly good situation. Other recent examples where we were first to the news are the death of former minister Philippe Seguin, where a firefighter alerted us, or the complications with Johnny Hallyday’s surgery. Then when the earthquake hit Haiti, nobody could get in or out of the country by air, so our journalist Philippe Antoine hitchhiked from the Dominican Republic with a local family to make sure he was first on the scene. So there’s also a spirit and attitude of wanting to be first with the news. Most importantly, it’s not a race to get there first regardless – we double-check and confirm every story meticulously before we broadcast.

what about other informative content, over and above news and politics? tell us about that. We broadcast over 12 hours of informative content a day. I think we have an important role to play in keeping people up to date and helping them form their opinions about many different issues. As France’s biggest radio station I think it’s our responsibility to our listeners. For example, our shows L’Expédition RTL and Destination RTL sent journalists to environ-mental hotspots around the world to alert our listeners to the dangers that face the planet, but which also directly affect us here in France.

Then in response to the economic crisis we launched our Journée RTL Emploi or Job Creation Days – one day a month dedicated to employ-ment issues, where job providers post ads on our website for free. We get up to 30,000 ads each month. These things aren’t just about the story. They’re helping people find a solution.

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Despite the probing questions of RTL Radio technician Dominique Bierra, Sérikbaï’s camel has no comment for L’Expédition RTL on the consequences of desertification in the Aral Sea region

varieTy is The spice of Life – even in The neWs deparTmenT

rtl television And n-tv in germAnyFor Germans a mixture of politics, tragedy and triumph:• The resignation of Federal President, Horst Köhler.• July’s disaster when crowds panicked at the Loveparade, causing 19 deaths.• The Chilean miners’ survival and rescue (see above).The Loveparade disaster and the Chilean miners’ ordeal significantly increased N-TV’s audience share among young viewers, to 7.9 per cent and 5.5 per cent respectively. The actual rescue of the miners also increased visits to the N-TV.de home page by 50.0 per cent.

rtl nederlAndWhile the parliamentary election attracted a million and a half viewers for the RTL Nieuws-hosted party leaders’ debate, the top news items were:

National, international, disaster, feel-good, scandal, politics, human interested? What news stories interested audiences most in 2010? Here are the replies of some of RTL Group’s news departments around Europe.

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• the news flash announcing the death in Afghanistan of two Dutch soldiers – to date, the station’s highest-rated news programme in 2010.

• the homecoming of the Dutch football team from the World Cup final.• the traffic chaos caused by heavy snowfalls in January.

m6 in frAnceHere a mixed bag of football scandal, financial scandal, and human disaster: • Thierry Henry’s handball against Ireland to help France qualify for the

World Cup was a news attraction, and also provoked 47,000 comments to the M6 website.

• The earthquake in Haiti was in many people’s minds.• Jérôme Kerviel, the rogue Société Générale trader created much interest.

rtl televiZijA in croAtiAThe crash of two Mig 21 fighters, wiping out a quarter of Croatia’s air force, caused much interest. As did the dramatic helicopter rescue of a man who refused to leave his sinking boat on the Sava River.

AlphA tv in greeceLocal stories also interested the Greeks most: the tragic death of three bank employees trapped in a burning building during a protest march; the terrorist murder of journalist Socratis Giolias; the billions of euros spent on public roads that remain unimproved; and the many professionals who try to evade taxes.

rtl belgiumPolitics and tragedy for the Belgians: the muddled political situation kept people on their toes, for which one special edition of the main news show scored a total audience share of 46.9 per cent, while a special programme about the tragic Hal rail accident attracted 35.2 per cent of the audience.

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When LeadinG poLiTicians have a messaGe To GeT across, rTL’s audiences soon knoW abouT iT.

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