France 24 (English)

Stuck somewhere for a few days and this is the only news channel. Couldn’t find an existing thread.

Quite interesting style. Reasonable content. Nice set.

But what’s with those long goose-neck microphones on the desk?

Those are probably back-up microphones, just in case the lapel have issues. ABC News (Australia), NHK World and South Korean newscasts also have those.

But they’re huge! Why not go for something more discreet?

I’ve just noticed something else: I think I can count four different font styles in the lower thirds. Surely that can’t be a good thing?

Yes, it's genuinely a French news channel in terms of scheduling, presentation and those desk mics! Recently, there have also been some presentation changes with Claire Pryde being made a senior producer, Laura Cellier moving to 1400-1800CET Mon-Thu, Tom Burges-Watson to 2000-2145CET Mon-Thu and Thomas Waterhouse to 1400-1800 Fri and weekend lunchtimes. They have also ramped up magazine programmes on Europe, the environment and "French Connections Plus", a long-format version of the weekly segment on French culture as seen by expats and the rest of the world.

The only thing I find frustrating with France 24 English is when they occasionally dub reports from F24 Français.

I remember watching F24 Français and remember seeing a F24 English reporter redoing a VT in French, complete with PTC.

I will admit that I have always preferred France 24 to other international channels, and I suspect that is because of, as TheTravelcard said, the French style of scheduling and presentation. Just to expand on the mics though. Whilst they do seem slightly silly to some viewers, you will notice then across many French news channels and programmes. After a while though, you tend to stop noticing them.

That's a very good point, if you watch French-speaking news you do indeed stop noticing them. Some outlets, in fact, ONLY use the desk mics and do not lapel mic their presenters - notably Swiss Le 1245 (RTS), some French 12/13 and 19/20 regional editions (France 3) and every Belgian bulletin presented from the main studio of LN24. So they aren't as ugly/impractical as at first glance.

Some of Franceinfo's scheduling reminds me of F24 (F24 are one of the backers of the channel) where at weekends you'll have a wheel of news where you have 15 min bulletins with 15 mins of padded programmes.

The 15 min fillers can be quite good, Encore! is updated every weekday with some decent features on the arts/cinema, France in Focus is another good format and French Connections is usually fun for Francophiles who like to learn about France's quirky side.

I’m presently watching “The Debate”, “LIVE from Paris”.

Dominated by the B-word. But it’s bloomin’ good! Nice programme; well handled by an English-Speaking French anchor.

And that desk!!!!!!! Wow!

Francois Picard!

Franceinfo for me anytime. Its streaks ahead of most other News channels in terms of presentation and use of graphics. It's what Sky News really should be doing or emulating here.

Makes some of the UK news channels presentation look archaic in comparison.

I’ve been watching since not too long after they launched. They used to be a much scrappier operation. The whole channel has really matured into a high quality service in the last few years.

I used to watch the English channel and then flip over to French to try to improve my comprehension. Back then, the newscasts on all three language versions were much more closely-linked. It was almost like watching a near translation of the same newscast. They now stray a little more to cater to their respective audiences, though they still share a common view of the world that’s based in France.

As far as graphics go, I somewhat miss the almost cartoonish-yet-French look that they originally had. The current look is great, and it’s amazing to see it has now lasted six years with only very minor changes. The current sets are flexible and fine, though I miss the old newsroom backdrops.