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watching another programme at that time…
Also, what is considered an interesting subject varies from one
country to another. A theme evening about Algeria or the French
singer Georges Brassens is followed with great interest by the French
public while leaving the German audience largely indifferent. The
same applies, the other way round, to a programme about the German
author Thomas Mann or the Weimar Republic. Interestingly enough,
the programmes that are successful in both countries are often
programmes that have nothing to do with either France or Germany.
For instance, ARTE’s programmes about the Iraq crisis were followed
with huge interest in both countries. The same is true for the famous
movie
Out of Africa
, one of our all-time audience records. These
programmes have a universal appeal, because they deal either with
political “hot issues” or issues that touch us as human beings – rather
than as British, French or German citizens.
The added value of ARTE: the broader perspective…
ARTE is widely recognised for the way it treats a great variety of issues
in depth and from different points of view. Its theme evenings have
become a popular hallmark of the channel, imitated by other broadcasters.
Typically, a theme evening is composed of a film and a documentary or
several documentaries dedicated to a single social, cultural or political
issue. To date, more than 1500 theme evenings have been aired onARTE,
covering a broad range of topics, from Aids to ageing, from Brigitte
Bardot to the Beatles, from Gandhi to genetic engineering.
In addition to “going deeper”, ARTE also strives to put issues in a
broader perspective. During the war in Iraq, for instance, ARTE tried
to help understand the broader geographical, historical and political
context rather than confining itself to a day-to-day coverage of the
conflict. The programme dedicated to the conflict included
documentaries on the first Gulf War, the history of the CIA, the
problem of bio-terrorism, the regime of Saddam and the mood of
public opinion in the neighbouring countries. By showing the “bigger
picture”, ARTE enabled its viewers to form their own opinion about
a conflict which loomed long before 2002 and is stretching far beyond
the official “end” of the war in April 2003.
Across borders
Today, an estimated 80 % of all relevant political decisions are no
longer adopted by the national parliaments in Paris, Berlin, London
and elsewhere, but by the European parliament in Brussels. Most
of the so-called “national issues” have become a common concern
for all European countries – a reality largely ignored by national
broadcasters. That is why the ARTE news magazine, ARTE info,
rather than covering current events from an exclusively national
point of view, tries to “look across the border” by comparing the
debates, solutions and practices in France and Germany – on topics
such as social and health care reform, unemployment or foreign
policy. Some months ago, there was an intensive debate in France
as to whether Islamic headscarves should be banned in schools –
at the same time, a similar debate developed on a regional level in
Germany. By explaining the historically different approaches of
both countries, ARTE offered additional information to the viewer,
who, at the same time, learns a great deal about contemporary life
in the neighbouring country.
A great number of ARTE’s afternoon magazines are dedicated to
everyday life in Europe, touching on topics such as health, life-style
and youth. Thus, by promoting mutual knowledge and understanding,
ARTE not only contributes to strengthening the cultural relations
between France and Germany, but also helps shaping a post-national,
European identity. Without “mental integration” it will be difficult
to make European unification a reality – not only in the pockets, but
also in the minds of the citizens of Europe.
Epilogue: Working at ARTE – a personal point of view
How do the 400 French and German employees work together at
ARTE? In actual fact, how big are their cultural differences? Obviously,
these questions can only be answered from a personal point of view.
Here is mine: Yes, French and Germans are different in their way of
working. Every day brings new evidence of the “cliché” that Germans
tend to be more formal than their French colleagues. Germans are
very keen on “minutes” and written agreements, and spend hours
discussing what they believe has been said and agreed upon in this or
that meeting. My guess is that many of my French colleagues never
even read those minutes… and they prove to be much more flexible
when it comes to adapting to a new situation, whereas their German
colleagues are inclined to cling to what has been agreed “
noir sur
blanc”
. “Why don’t you keep to our written agreement ?” the German
might ask – “Why should I care about something which no longer
makes any sense ?” his French colleague might reply.
The difference in formality implies differences in the way we
communicate. Many of my German colleagues still believe that
important decisions
are taken in official
meetings, whereas
the French prefer the
informal atmosphere
of a lobby or a
restaurant to “make
deals”. Otherwise,
they are not in a mood
to make any deal at
all – something a
German, who strictly
separates
work
environment from leisure sphere, will never really understand.
Another “clash of civilizations” could be observed in the early days
of ARTE: when the first joint meeting was to be held at ARTE, ten
years ago, the Germans showed up “on time” – at 10 o’clock on the
dot. The French, who are used to starting their meetings a quarter of
an hour later, entered the room at 10.15 am, “on time” according to
their definition. Some months later, “punctuality” was no longer an
issue and the Germans sometimes even ended up coming in later
than the French…
But, to be honest, these differences are rather tiny and insignificant
compared to the shared enthusiasm for this original project calledARTE.
Just like in a couple, being different adds to the
charme
of living and
working together – provided that there is enough common ground for
understanding and that the differences are not too big. At ARTE, those
differences have resulted in a very specific corporate culture,
characterized by open, “warm” communication and a tendency for
consensual decision making – which sometimes induces the participants
to come up with a lukewarm compromise even before everybody has
made his position clear. And we have a specific ARTE jargon which
often makes us laugh, both French and Germans, at the same time!
ARTE contributes to cultural
relations between France and
Germany and helps shape a post-
national, European identity
ARTE info - the four news readers and the
head of news,
Gérard Saint-Paul
(far left)
