The Morning of Paris

the Morning of Paris is a daily newspaper French founded on March 1st, 1977 by Claude Perdriel and disappeared in 1987 (voluntary liquidation the May 6th). The creation of the newspaper is the subject of the Documentary film Numéros zero of Raymond Depardon.

The Morning of Paris: the daily newspaper of Nouvel Observateur

Founded in 1977 by the chairman of Nouvel Observateur, the Morning of Paris division its director, his capital, his journalists and its structures with the weekly magazine of Jean Daniel.

The bonds are initially of capital intensive nature insofar as, by the means of SA “the Nouvel Observateur of the World” (with 2 franc million) or by that of its chairman Claude Perdriel (with 2,24 franc million), the weekly magazine and its director control 53% of his start-up capital. One later, in February 1978, the availability of the Morning by Nouvel Observateur of an account running equipped with: 1750000 francs constitutes a new financial aid against which the personnel of Obs protests.

This financial support is translated within the board of directors of the daily newspaper by a very strong presence of persons in charge of Nouvel Observateur. Thus, at the sides of its general administrator Bernard Villeneuve, “faithful right-hand man of Claude Perdriel” discharged of the direction of the promotion and the diffusion of Nouvel Observateur, are present Gilles Martinet (cofounder of Nouvel Observateur), Philippe Viannay (to advise drafting of Nouvel Observateur) and, until its death in May 1979, Jacques Deshayes (adviser technical and member of the steering committee of Nouvel Observateur). This presence is reinforced in April 1981 with the entry of Jean Daniel (directing of the drafting of Nouvel Observateur) and of Roger Priouret (leader-writer with RTL and Nouvel Observateur), only Roger Colombani (writer as an chief-assistant of the Morning resulting from France-Evening) not being historically related to the newspaper of the street of Aboukir.

Lastly, the presence of Nouvel Observateur or the Perdriel group within the daily newspaper is also made feel by the number of collaborators who of it come, to start with his managing director who provides it at the same time functions of managing director of the publication, chairman of SA the New Daily newspaper and director of the drafting. But it is also by the occupation of the post of editor association by François-Henri de Virieu (member of the political service of the Nouvel Observateur of 1974 at 1977) that this influence is made feel. Contrary, except for the service Culture and Guide directed by Paul Ceuzin (resulting from the Perdriel group as an editor association from Sciences and Future), the services of the daily newspaper are not under the supervision old group but rather of former collaborators of François-Henri de Virieu with Info First like Guy Claisse (rocardien passed with the Express train of 1974 with 1976) in the political service or Jean-Pierre Mithois (old of the Daily newspaper of Paris) with the international service. However, the presence of old of Nouvel Observateur is made feel in certain services like Elisabeth Stroman with the Culture service and Guide, Herve Chabalier, international reporter to the service Evènement, Jean-Pierre Delaval with the editorial office or Claude Guérant, person in charge of the revision and the correction. This presence of old of Obs is also made feel with the head of engineering services like the artistic director - with Catherine Pompanon - or the drafting as a technical chief - with Bernard Roy, in addition managing workshop of photocomposition. Lastly, the pooling of elements or commercial structures is symbolized by the person of Jean-Claude Rossignol (at the same time with the head of the direction of the sales of the Morning and Nouvel Observateur) and, that of Didier Orélio, become director of promotion starting from 1980 and, this, after having been with Obs that of publicity during one year. It results from it a co-operation at the commercial level (offers of reduction of subscription to the common subscribers, use of the same system of counting limiting unsold goods) and of the financial resources (shared headings of advertisements of in June 1980 employment, purchase of ad spaces by Nouvel Observateur and advertisers of the Perdriel Group).

A very committed daily newspaper at the sides of the PS

a newspaper which falls under a logic more political than commercial

Posting as of its launching its support for the noncommunist left, the Morning of Paris is registered from the start in a logic more political than commercial. Indeed, in a hurry to take part in the countryside of the municipal elections and to prepare the legislative elections of March 1978, its direction prefers to offer to the mass first readers a “impression in the form of catastrophe” conferring to him “the illegible paleness of the worst numbers of the old Combat” rather than to wait to print it in Offset. As for its launching in spring, i.e. before one summer period digs particularly not very profitable for the written press, it places it from the start under the seal of financial problems.

Politically, it is " genetically related to PS" insofar as beyond the subscription files of the Nouvel Observateur, “of the files to which it could have had access to the Socialist party” are used by Claude Perdriel for the subscription preliminary to its launching. This base of subscribers commun run with the PS causes “a great fury” of the first secretary who considered whereas “this newspaper was to be it his”. But the autonomy posted by its drafting leads the direction of the PS to take an official distance to its regard, history to render comprehensible well with its militants whom the newspaper does not express the thought of its chief.

a socialist orientation which privileges the friends of Michel Rocard

Born on this basis, the relations of the newspaper with François Mitterrand and his friends are tightened with the fur and measures internal competition for the presidential election, the paroxysm of this antagonism being made up, the day before the congress of Metz, by virulent attacks of the Unit of May 21st, 1979 with regard to the daily newspaper. Certain newspapers of right-hand side analyze besides the project of Claude Perdriel like " an operation of Rocard for which a daily newspaper would make it possible to increase its influence at the socialistes". It is necessary to say that beyond Claude Perdriel - which “makes readily display of its friendship for Rocard or other leaders of the left, including Edmond Maire” -, Philippe Viannay does not hide its frequentation of Michel Rocard with the PSU and Gilles Martinet, like Alain Touraine, is politically committed at its sides. Guy Claisse is as for him a notorious rocardien, regularly expressing its support in its platform (“Politically Yours”). He declares besides in 1980: “One cannot deny that the Morning has inclinations rocardiens. The creation of the newspaper, we sought a detached leader-writer of the parties. We thought of Alain Touraine without providing that it would become completely rocardien. He gives the tone to the pages “Comments”. In addition, the drafting of the Morning is a young drafting, sensitive to all the topics resulting from May 68. There are convergence of sensitivity between the entourage of Rocard and the team but, in the political pages, one keeps a certain distance.”

Its support for Michel Rocard appears through the ahead regular setting of the growing popularity of the deputy of Yvelines. Publishing as of on October 6th, 1978 a survey Louis Harris - the Morning presenting it like better candidate than the 1st secretary, it multiplies the Ones and the large titles on this topic (“Rocard outdistances Mitterrand” on December 1st, 1978, “Rocard in rise, Mitterrand lowers by it” on January 13rd, 1978, “the Retreat of Mitterrand” on January 17th, 1980, “the Confirmed Push of Rocard” on January 18th, 1980). Presenting Rocard like “the only recourse” of the left vis-a-vis the candidature of Valery Giscard d'Estaing, the daily newspaper encourages Mitterrand to decide as fast as possible so that Rocard “is not obstructed by its great shade”. Estimating initially that any withdrawal of its candidature per Michel Rocard “would be to perhaps compromise his political career for a long time”, it then presents like “all to the honor of Michel Rocard to be immediately withdrawn”.

The decision taken since 1978 by François Mitterrand of launching a daily newspaper of the socialist party (Socialist Combat) then mark a rupture with the Perdriel group which, according to Minute, would have worried Claude Perdriel “so much so that it would have announced, place of the Palate-Bourbon, than it was laid out to put out of night light the rocardism of his newspaper”. But it has the merit to clarify their relations and to make it possible its direction to frankly support only but the Socialist personalities which are expensive to him.

the Morning Magazine, the Morning of North, the Morning of Yvelines: supplements with the service of political friends

Progressively of its development, the Morning multiplies supplements in a logic before any policy, not to say politicking

Most important wants to be a reaction to the success of the Figaro Magazine, true platform of the ideas of the New Right-hand side which seeks to sap the any power of the left on the world of the ideas and the culture. The transformation by the Morning of its supplement weekend (the Morning Saturday-Dimache) into Morning - Magazine in May 1980 thus reproduces very clearly the model created then by Le Figaro and Le Figaro Magazine but poses problems of competition with Nouvel Observateur. Adopting its format on May 10th, 1980 and a pagination of 30 then of 60 pages, it then wants to be less a news magazine that “a newspaper of report” wanting “to clarify the events starting from the personalities of the men who has it make”.

Launching, on September 29th, 1980 of the Morning of North more clearly marks as for him the orientation mauroyo-rocardienne of the Morning. Advanced as of June 1979 during discussions between Pierre Mauroy, Jean Le Garrec and Claude Perdriel, this idea of regional formula meets the need for a regional socialist daily newspaper after the repurchase of North-Morning by Harrowing. Delayed a long time by engineering problems (difficult negotiations with the trade union of the book, exclusion of the system of bearing in residence) and the incapacity of the federations P.S. to hold their financial liabilities, his launching is carried out for “reasons of support for Pierre Mauroy” who, in exchange, offers the access to certain files. The daily newspaper is then the object of a press campaign of the regional communist daily newspaper Liberté (relayed by Humanity at the national level) which denounces the use of files of the city and trade unions (like CFDT and the SNI) in spite of the protests of the mayor of Lille. Moreover, the daily newspaper is confronted has a very competing regional market (with already six daily newspapers) and little opened with its national formula (2500 to 2800 specimens in October 1980). Lastly, in spite of the creation of a local team under the direction of pol. Alderman (chief of the social service of the Morning), it devotes little place to the local topicality (on average five regional pages) compared to its competitors. In front of the failure of a regional formula, not exceeding the agglomeration inhabitant of Lille, Claude Perdriel decides repatriation on Paris of its technical infrastructures before ceasing the publication in 1982 of it. “Having especially reflected the opinion of only one party, the PS, and more precisely that of the current Rocard”, its customers “as vast as was not hoped and the Morning of North caused mistrust and opposition of part of the socialist electorate of this area”. The Morning of North east Doc. very quickly an “expensive” failure even “disastrous”).

This orientation rocardienne reaches its paroxysm with the title which the newspaper of countryside of Michel Rocard with the legislative elections of 1978 takes. If its impression by the engineering services of the newspaper is not in oneself a political marker considering whom they also print of the electoral newspapers leaders of right-hand side (Harrowing Robert and Ayamar Achille), his title, “the Morning of Yvelines”, and the breadboarding, as well reactions cause as Michel Rocard prefers to give up it.

The bringing together with Mitterrand and its close relations after the withdrawal of the Rocard candidature is also translated, during the presidential elections of May 1981, by the publication of the electoral newspaper of Claude Estier in Paris with the legislative elections of June. Mitterrandien and old of the drafting of Obs, it benefits thus from a newspaper of countryside which reproduces the title, the format and the presentation of the daily newspaper. But this publication causes a motion of the Company of the Writers denouncing an attack with their professional ethic so much so that Perdriel comes from there to recognize a “unhappy error of which it did not have itself knowledge in its final form”.

Anguish of the Morning of Paris

After the victory of the left to the presidential election of 1981 and the nomination of Pierre Mauroy in Matignon, the Matin of Paris loses the third of its sales. Its paid diffusion, which was around 110.000 specimens, with a point with nearly 180.000 specimens in 1981, falls brutally the years suivantes.
As from 1984, several leadership teams follow one another at the same time as various solutions of financing are required. max Théret, the creator of the Fnac, invests in the title and max Gallo, up to now government spokesman, becomes director of the drafting. Its former principal private secretary, François Holland, joined it then. Then the Italian financier Giancarlo Paretti, which will be implied in the business of LCL, becomes the majority shareholder of the Matin of Paris . The socialist deputy Paul Quilès takes the head of the drafting. The bonds with the Socialist party, increasingly visible, compromise the credibility of the journal.
In 1987, the daily newspaper exceeds hardly 50.000 specimens. A group of journalists leads an action to the bankruptcy court to preserve the title, then in voluntary liquidation, and to prevent Paretti from seizing some. Negotiations are started with Francis Bouygues, which directs the first world group of the BTP and which had just repurchased TF1, to propose to him to take again the Morning of Paris on the basis of 100 franc million. Fault of managing an agreement, the Compulsory liquidation of the newspaper is marked six months later.

Former collaborators of the Morning of Paris

Evolution of pullings

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