The Decision How RTL Group’S Channels Cover the US Elections
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30 October 2008 week 44 The decision How RTL Group’s channels cover the US elections United Kingdom France Fiver secures rights for Groupe M6 and SPI conclude reality competition intertrade agreement Germany Hungary Mediengruppe RTL RTL Klub’s Jungle show proofs Deutschland to cover to be a hit handball World Cup COVER: Montage with John McCain and Barack Obama he decision 2 week 44 the RTL Group intranet The US elections in full On 4 November, citizens of the United States of America will vote in a new president. TV chan- nels, radio stations and websites from all over Europe report intensively about this major event in world poltics. The White house Germany - 23 October 2008 From Germany to France, Belgium and the International Herald Tribune, the American United Kingdom – across Europe, discussion of Embassy and featuring leading politicians, world politics is dominated by a single topic such as Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. M6 right now: the US elections. Many channels broadcast an edition of its Magazine 66 have been covering the campaigns and are Minutes to the US Elections. Five dedicated a now anticipating the final showdown. special section of their News to the elections Accordingly, RTL Group companies are gearing and has set up a blog named How America up to provide the best possible coverage for works, in which their correspondent Jonathan their viewers. Samuels reports on a regular basis about diffe- rent jobs he took up during his journey. In In Germany RTL Television has teamed up with Belgium, TV channel RTL-TVI, radio station Bel the N-TV news channel to provide a live broad- RTL and website rtlinfo.be teamed up. Their cast from New York with RTL Television’s edi- reports are “road movies”, crisscrossing the tor-in-chief Peter Kloeppel and N-TV’s United States and giving the Belgian public a Christoph Teuner. The broadcast is accompa- snapshot of American society and a chance to nied by exclusive documentaries on both RTL learn more about a fascinating country going Television and N-TV. In the Netherlands, through an important time in its his history. And RTL 4’s coverage began this week with the first in Luxembourg, RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg will follow episode of Rick’s Road Trip on Monday. The show features RTL Nieuws anchor Rick Nieman visiting and interviewing Dutch celebrities cur- rently living in California, such as movie direc- tor Paul Verhoeven and writer Leon de Winter. On Election Day itself, RTL 4 will broadcast a live show with segments from New York. Before the “night of agonising suspense”, RTL Radio in France aired three special programming, one being L'Autre Amérique, a report that challenge preconceived notions about the US. Six special correspondents are already on location, at the candidates’ headquarters but also in Kenya, in the village where some of Obama’s family lives. Without a doubt, the high point will be the elec- tion night with a nine hours thirty programme: RTL, La Nuit Américaine. A morning meeting has already been arranged at the Grand Hôtel Intercontinental in Paris in partnership with the Peter Kloeppel in Las Vegas 3 week 44 the RTL Group intranet the election in two states: Illinois, Obama’s homestate, and the swing state Wisconsin, home to a significant number of immigrants from Luxembourg. RTL Newmedia has set up a special internet page containing a countdown up to D-Day where users can access portraits of the candidates, an overview of the US elec- toral system as well as related radio and TV content on the latest developments. Backstage spoke to several correspondents and executives who are extensively involved in the coverage about the upcoming elections. Jean-Pierre Martin, RTL-TVI’s special correspondent for the US elections and his cameraman Samuel Lerate (right) mind: a street in Atlanta where, out of a hun- dred houses, eighty had been boarded up after their owners defaulted on their loans and were kicked out. That image of a deserted street speaks for itself. I’m not just talking about the poor parts of town, but also opulent homes, beautiful houses with columns out front and middle-class owners. Another powerful moment was when I met a Wall Street trader who had just been laid off. He was walking down Broadway holding a sign that read: “MIT graduate looking for work”. He had tears in his eyes while we talked. I was incredibly moved by his despair. I was deeply touched by these images; they show us that this crisis marks a turning point in history. It is clearly one of the Guy Weber, Head of news at RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg and the key issues in this election. Luxembourg network’s special correspondent in the US What do you think is the most decisive topic What do you think is the major difference to for the voters? European election campaigns? Guy Weber from RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg: In Jacques Esnous, News Director from RTL view of the housing crisis and its effects on the Radio France, says: I was a young journalist in financial world (and on the economy in gene- 1980 and I still remember my surprise when I ral), the results of the 2008 election will proba- saw a map of the US with all the red-coloured bly not be decided by moral issues (abortion, states representing those won by the homosexual marriage, family values) nor inter- Republicans and Ronald Reagan crowned pre- national affairs (the war in Iraq or Afghanistan), sident of the United States. To my very rational, but rather by economic issues. very French mind, it seemed inconceivable that an actor could become president of the world's Jean-Pierre Martin from RTL Belgium sees leading superpower. the financial crisis as a key topic as well and tells about a rather moving experience he had Jonathan Samuels, Five’s chief correspon- while travelling the US: It was only when I arri- dent: Without a doubt the biggest difference is ved that the sheer scope of the crisis hit me. the amount of time dedicated to the US elec- One very powerful image is burned into my tion. In Britain our politicians have just one 4 week 44 the RTL Group intranet month of campaigning but in the US campaigning starts two years before the actual election. From the caucuses to the primaries to the campaign trail the election goes on for months. In the UK the whole exercise costs about forty million pounds, in the US it costs more than 1 billion dollars. Jean-Pierre Martin: Well, another major theme in the election – and Luc Marteling, Editor-in-chief of RTL Jonathan Samuels, one which is underestimated in NewMedia, the Internet and mobile Five's chief correspondent Europe – is the race issue. Within activities of RTL Luxembourg voters. People are more inclined the hidden confines of a polling booth, will a to rely on the democrats and Obama to solve white man really vote for a black candidate? the economic crisis. Seen in this way, it played That is a very taboo question and the law is right into his hands. stringent when it comes to expressions of racism, so nobody is going to say they’re not Jonathan Samuels mentioned another voting for Obama because of the colour of his impressive topic: I think the most striking skin. And what about us: Would the people of thing for me, having been in America for the last Belgium or France be prepared to vote in a two weeks, is just how unpopular the current black president? Bush administration is. So many people I have spoken to, both Republican and Democrat, Jacques Esnous also talks about ‘race’ being have said they are desperate for change. That a topic in the election. Asked about the most is in Obama’s favour because he has based his striking moment of this election he says: As a whole campaign around the theme of time for journalist, but also as a human being, the most change. For John McCain things are harder – important event was when the Democratic he has to distance himself from Bush without National Convention voted for Obama. For the doing so explicitly. first time ever, a black man is in a position to be elected president of the United States. Finally Backstage asked the experts about the role the media played during the cam- Luc Marteling, editor-in-chief of RTL paign – and which media was the leading NewMedia in Luxembourg, agrees: The victory one in their opinion. of Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton was for me the “event” of this election campaign, but Jonathan Samuels: Americans I met on my also the choice of Sarah Palin as McCain’s run- two weeks travelling took a lot of interest in the ning mate, although this has turned out to be a televised presidential debates, three this year. disadvantage for him rather than an asset – an They love to watch a candidate slip up, make a extravagance for which he is probably going to fool of himself or throw a damaging dagger with pay dearly. a clever verbal putdown. Likewise the big sit- down interviews can trigger interesting covera- Peter Kloeppel, editor-in-chief of RTL ge and debate. When Sarah Palin was grilled Television and RTL Aktuell anchor, also cites by Katie Couric on CBS she was evidently Palin’s nomination: one of the biggest surprises somewhat out of her depth, especially on was the nomination of Sarah Palin as the foreign affairs, and that was pounced on by the Republican vice presidential candidate.