Will the daily press on Reunion Island see spring 2024? His two regional titles are more than ever on hold. The erosion of newsstand sales, the decline in the advertising market and Inflation, much higher than in mainland France, weakens both companies.
The Reunion Daily, with a progressive editorial line, has just seen its request for continuation of activity for three additional months, until April 4, 2024, validated by the Saint-Denis commercial court, this Wednesday, December 13. The title, founded in 1976, placed in liquidation since the beginning of October, still has a little time to find a buyer. The respite is linked to the granting of an exceptional subsidy of 600,000 euros by the regional council at the beginning of December.
The second, rather conservative, Reunion Island Journal (JIR), is not getting better. He could file for bankruptcy on January 10, 2024, according to our information. Payrolls for December and the thirteenth month should not be paid until January 15, and would be so through the salary guarantee scheme. The CEO of the title, Jacques Tillier, who has execrable relations with Huguette Bello, the president of the region (related to the New Ecological and Social Popular Union), is angry at not being able to receive the same aid while the JIR totals 108 employees, compared to 53 for The Daily. While Mme Bello asked, Wednesday, ” transparency “ on the use of the previous regional subsidy, Mr. Tillier criticized ” a statement (…) Stalinist who exudes bad faith ».
While the looks of the employees of the Daily turned to the shipowner Rodolphe Saadé, at the head of CMA-CGM (also owner of Provence and of Corsica-Morning), or the founder of Free, Xavier Niel (individual shareholder of World and of France-Antilles through its holding company NJJ), neither of the two billionaires made a takeover offer. As revealed Press Correspondenceonly one offer, that of Media Capital, led by its CEO, Henri Nijdam, was presented a few hours before the deadline, in mid-November.
“The round table is very advanced”
This was deemed inadmissible by the judicial administrator for several reasons. “The entire business plan is based on the takeover of the two dailies while only one is for sale and placed in collective proceedings today”, explains Edouard Marchal, of the National Union of Journalists (SNJ). Also, Mr. Nijdam does not want to settle the transfer clause – a device which allows journalists to leave their company while receiving their severance pay – and a few weeks ago still conditioned the takeover on obtaining a guaranteed loan by the State of one million euros, even though the system no longer exists.
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