New Chiefs At France Tv Nets

Sweeping changes have been announced at the top for French state-owned broadcaster France Televisions' five main channels (HR 8/26).

Philippe Baudillon, an adviser to former French Prime Minister Eduoard Balladur and former head of Canal France International, has been appointed managing director of France 2.

Genevieve Giard, currently deputy managing director at France 5, will take over as head of France 3 while producer Claude-Yves Robin, until recently head of the Lagardere group's Canal J and Tiji kids' channels, will head France 5.

Francois Guilbeau will retain his post as head of RFO, which broadcasts to France's overseas territories.

A new head for France 4, launched to coincide with the introduction of digital terrestrial television in France at the end of March, will be announced later, the group said in a statement.

The changes come hot-on-the-heels of new chief executive Patrick de Carolis taking charge early last week.

The board of directors greenlighted the appointments, nominated by de Carolis, who had earlier indicated that a new management team would be put in place once he took over.

The group also appointed Ulysses Gosset as head of France's much-delayed project to launch the 24-hour French news channel, temporarily christened CFII (French international information channel). A well-known journalist, Gosset was recently U.S. bureau chief for commercial broadcaster TF1, based in Washington.

The new team will be presented Sept. 5 at the France Televisions conference.