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I still think the name is unfortunate. For outsiders, it restricts the channel to being mostly thought of as a French channel and not necessarily a peer of CNNI, AJE, or BBC World.
I believe that's their point. To market themselves as a channel with world news from a French perspective.
Yes, I understand that, and I think that the channel serves an important purpose. However, having the country name directly in the name (versus hiding it somewhat in an acronym, or not including it at all) restricts the Anglophone world into mistakenly thinking that it is only a French news channel or a channel about French affairs, when the channel is truly much broader than that. I think the same problem would occur with viewers being more aware of which country's perspective is trying to be represented if it were called, say, USA 24 instead of CNN, or UK 24 instead of BBC World, or Qatar 24 instead of Al Jazeera, etc. I think there's a big difference in those channels' names that cause international news viewers to think of them as being more globally oriented and less provincial. I understand that the French government is probably more overtly trying to present the French perspective on the news than the aforementioned countries and channels, but I'm still not sure France 24 would have been the direction I would have gone with.
Not an issue, since this channel is for foreign consumption (like BBC World News).
Besides, it's not like France 4 is on DTT channel 4 (it's actually on channel 14) and there is such a thing as a "channel Ã" for France Ã.
BTW, while France 2/3/4/5/à are owned by France's public-service television broadcaster, France Télévisions, France 24 is directly owned by the French state, through France Médias Monde (also the parent of Radio France Internationale).[/quote]
Maybe it's not an issue, though I've noticed that not many French people here are aware of France 24, and when I have mentioned it in conversation in front of a TV, at least two of them tried turning to channel 24 to find it! It's only an anecdote, and perhaps it doesn't mean anything, though if at least a few people are confused by the name, then perhaps it's not a good sign. Even if it's not intended for a domestic audience, I find it strange then, that it's been on the majority of cable systems I've used here, and even so, it's a shame that the internationally-oriented news channel with a broader perspective than just the home country is yet again trumped by the (somewhat sensationalist) domestic news channel. The same is true for CNN International in the US and BBC World in the UK. I wish more people would be able to discern that difference and choose to have a broader, global perspective in their news everyday.
I still think the name is unfortunate. For outsiders, it restricts the channel to being mostly thought of as a French channel and not necessarily a peer of CNNI, AJE, or BBC World.
I believe that's their point. To market themselves as a channel with world news from a French perspective.
Yes, I understand that, and I think that the channel serves an important purpose. However, having the country name directly in the name (versus hiding it somewhat in an acronym, or not including it at all) restricts the Anglophone world into mistakenly thinking that it is only a French news channel or a channel about French affairs, when the channel is truly much broader than that. I think the same problem would occur with viewers being more aware of which country's perspective is trying to be represented if it were called, say, USA 24 instead of CNN, or UK 24 instead of BBC World, or Qatar 24 instead of Al Jazeera, etc. I think there's a big difference in those channels' names that cause international news viewers to think of them as being more globally oriented and less provincial. I understand that the French government is probably more overtly trying to present the French perspective on the news than the aforementioned countries and channels, but I'm still not sure France 24 would have been the direction I would have gone with.
For the French, it's confusing, because it's not on channel 24.
Not an issue, since this channel is for foreign consumption (like BBC World News).
Besides, it's not like France 4 is on DTT channel 4 (it's actually on channel 14) and there is such a thing as a "channel Ã" for France Ã.
BTW, while France 2/3/4/5/à are owned by France's public-service television broadcaster, France Télévisions, France 24 is directly owned by the French state, through France Médias Monde (also the parent of Radio France Internationale).[/quote]
Maybe it's not an issue, though I've noticed that not many French people here are aware of France 24, and when I have mentioned it in conversation in front of a TV, at least two of them tried turning to channel 24 to find it! It's only an anecdote, and perhaps it doesn't mean anything, though if at least a few people are confused by the name, then perhaps it's not a good sign. Even if it's not intended for a domestic audience, I find it strange then, that it's been on the majority of cable systems I've used here, and even so, it's a shame that the internationally-oriented news channel with a broader perspective than just the home country is yet again trumped by the (somewhat sensationalist) domestic news channel. The same is true for CNN International in the US and BBC World in the UK. I wish more people would be able to discern that difference and choose to have a broader, global perspective in their news everyday.
