JANUARY

15 January. The Conseil adopted a recommendation to television channels to offer more programs for hearing impaired persons with specific sub-titles and translation into sign language.

17 and 18 January. At the CSA’s request, polling institute BVA conducted a survey of how the new youth protection signaling system introduced in November 2002 was perceived : 83 % of the parents found it easier to understand than the previous one and 74 % took it into account when deciding what programs their children should watch.

24 January. Hélène Fatou’s and Pierre Wiehn’s terms of office having ended, two new Conseillers were appointed to the CSA by décret by the President of the Republic: Agnès Vincent-Deray, designated by the President of the Republic and Christian Dutoit designated by the Chairman of the Assemblée Nationale. The appointment of Élisabeth Flüry-Hérard who had been designated by the Chairman of the Sénat and appointed on 6 April 2002 was renewed.

The Conseillers’ areas of expertise were redefined by the Board (Collège).

28 January. The Conseil issued its opinion on the draft décret modifying legal provisions applicable to cable and satellite channels.

FEBRUARY

3 February. Dominique Baudis and Élisabeth Flüry-Hérard welcomed Évelyne Lentzen, Chair of the Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel de la Communauté française de Belgique, and Jean-François Furnémont, deputy general secretary, in order to reinforce bilateral cooperation between the two bodies

4 February. The Board adopted a code of ethics setting forth the specific obligations to which the Members of the Conseil accept to commit in order to carry out their regulation mission in full independence.

The license of television channel Antenne Créole Guyane was renewed.

5 February. The Chairman of the CSA went to Morocco to attend a conference on the liberalization of the broadcasting media. He met with Mr. Driss Jettou, Prime Minister of Morocco.

12 February. The Conseil welcomed Mr. Jean-Jacques Aillagon, Minister for Culture and Communication for a work meeting on the issues on which work was in process : TNT, the expansion of local channels, youth protection and changes to legal provisions applicable to audiovisuals.

26 February. A call for tender was launched for the broadcasting of new local channels in Guadeloupe.

MARCH

4 March. Three new radio stations were granted a license to broadcast in Picardie and in Île-de-France.

11 March. A call for tenders was launched for the operation of several radio frequencies in the Picardie and Nord-Pas-de-Calais regions and in the French West Indies.

12 March. The Conseil issued an opinion relating to the draft décret relating to the retransmission of major sport events.

Nine candidates were pre-selected for the operation of medium-wave radio stations in Marseille, Nancy, Paris, Rennes and Toulouse. Six of them proposed novel projects.

18 March. The Conseil issued a recommendation for the attention of the broadcasting media to use a high level of caution in their treatment of the conflict in Iraq. It requested them to “verify the accuracy of the information broadcast” and to “ensure that no gratuitous exploitation be made of documents that border the unbearable”.

A consultation was organized with a view to launch calls for tenders for local television channels in terrestrial hertzian analogue mode. It was organized in eight zones : Le Mans, Montpellier, Marseille, Lille, Angers, Nîmes, Orléans and Tours.

24 March. The CSA summoned Michel Kik, head of the Paris office of television channel Al-Jazeera following the broadcasting by Al-Jazeera of images of prisoners of war whose faces could be identified and of a sequence showing a group of dead bodies for several minutes. In a communiqué, the CSA specified the terms of its recommendation dated 18 March 2003 in particular as regards compliance with the provisions of the Geneva Convention and contacted the Chairs of the broadcasting regulatory bodies of the European Union in order to define a joint position with respect to the broadcasting of images of, or statements by, prisoners of war.

25 March. The Conseil adopted a deliberation that specifies and spells out in greater detail the guidelines which will serve in the future as the basis for the review of the broadcasting license requests for pornographic or very violent programs (category V programs).

Launch of a call for tenders for the broadcasting of local channels in Martinique.

27 March. Entertaining the CSA’s claim which had referred the matter to it at the beginning of the month, the Conseil d’Etat ordered TF1 and M6 to carry out within one month the reorganization of the analogue frequencies that had been decided on 30 April 2002 as part of the planning of TNT, failing which TF1 would be imposed a penalty in the amount of € 30,000 per day of delay and M6 € 15,000 per day of delay.

At the European Commission’s request, the Conseil participated in the meeting in Brussels of regulators for the review of the Television without Frontiers directive.

APRIL

1 April. A call for tenders was launched in Haute-Provence and Luberon for the creation of a local channel.

Adoption of draft legal agreements for the following channels : Senior Club TV, Pink TV, Kiwee TV, Chaï TV Preview, Nice People.

3 April. Jacqueline de Guillenchmidt, Chair of the CSA’s Radio Working Group and Music Mission held a meeting of representatives of the music industry.

10 April. The Conseil published a list of the frequencies identified on the 15 sites making up the third planning phase of the deployment of terrestrial digital television.

18 April. The Conseil issued a condolence communiqué on the occasion of the death of Jean Drucker, Chairman of M6’s conseil de surveillance (supervisory body).

30 April. Adoption of draft legal agreements for channels Euréka ! and La Boutique des chefs.

MAY

6 May. Execution after six months of negotiations of the legal agreements for the private channels selected for TNT.

The Conseil issued an opinion on the draft décret relating to TNT local channels.

Launch of a call for tenders for the operation of several radio frequencies in Midi-Pyrénées.

14 May. Following the judicial liquidation of Aqui TV, the company behind the broadcasting of the Dordogne channel of the same name, the Conseil repealed the broadcasting license which had been issued and launched a call for tenders for the broadcasting of a new channel in the area.

The Conseil forwarded to the Conseil de la concurrence (competition council) its comments relating to the complaint lodged by LCI against Groupe Canal+ and CanalSatellite.

20 May. Adoption of draft legal agreements for channels T’Fou and Live 1.

27 May. The Conseil adopted an opinion on the bill relating to electronic communications to incorporate into French law the so-called European “telecoms package” which groups several European directives and one decision in such respect.

After the execution of a legal agreement with Canal 10, a television channel in Guadeloupe under which the channel’s ethical obligations are made stricter, the channel’s license was renewed together with that of thirteen radio stations in French Guyana and in the French West Indies. Eighteen radio stations were granted a broadcasting license in Languedoc-Roussillon.

Decision to impose a series of penalties on channels Action, Mangas, Ciné Palace and 13e Rue, for not meeting their broadcasting quota of audiovisual or cinema works during the course of 2001.

JUNE

10 June. The Conseil issued the broadcasters of those channels selected for TNT with their license to broadcast and finalized the make-up of the future multiplexes.

Adoption of a draft legal agreement for channel Alliance TV.

11 June. The Conseil issued a recommendation to the broadcasting media relating to the vote to take place in Corsica on 6 July 2003 on the possible change in the organization of the island’s legal institutions. At the same time, it organized the official campaign on radio and television.

12 June. First meeting of the TNT mission entrusted by the Prime Minister to Michel Boyon and to which the CSA takes part. Following the appointment of Michel Boyon as principal private secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. Daniel Boudet de Montplaisir has been appointed as chair of the mission.

24 June. Initiation by the Conseil of a consultation with radio station operators broadcasting talk radio or open air programs targeting a young audience, the objective being to avoid the occurrence of excesses such as those witnessed on some of such programs over the preceding months.

Renewal of the licenses of seven radio stations in the French West Indies and in French Guyana ; no calls for tenders were organized.

JULY

1 and 15 July. Renewal of the licenses of forty-three radio stations in the French West Indies and in French Guyana ; no call for tenders were organized.

Adoption by the Conseil of its response to the public consultation launched by the European Commission for the review of the Television without Frontiers directive.

8 July. Issuance of a broadcasting license to ten new radio stations in Champagne-Ardenne.

10 and 17 July. Meeting of the CSA with the management of the national private and public channels for a review of 2002.

Issuance of a broadcasting license to ten new radio stations in Champagne-Ardenne.

15 July. Adoption of a draft legal agreement for channel Star Academy Saison 3.

Launch of a call for tenders for radio stations in Auvergne and Limousin.

22 July. Issuance by the Conseil of its opinion on two draft décrets to permit the press, book publishers and retail to advertise on television.

Adoption of draft legal agreements for channels TPS Cinextrême and TPS Cinéfamily.

Issuance of broadcasting licenses to six medium-wave radio stations in Paris : Ciel AM, Radio Nouveaux Talents, Radio Livre Télérama, La Radio du temps libre, Superloustic and La Radio de la mer. Twelve new radio stations received license to broadcast on the FM band in Aquitaine. Launch of calls for tenders in the CTR of Nancy and in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon.

30 July. In response to the claims lodged with it by several sociétés d’auteurs (authors’ unions), the Conseil d’État confirmed the CSA’s decision to grant the program Popstars, broadcast in 2001 on M6, the status of œuvre audiovisuelle (audiovisual work).

The Conseil welcomed Mr. Guillaume Soro, Minister of Communication of Côte d’Ivoire.

AUGUST

11 August. On the occasion of Jacques Deray’s death, the Conseil paid tribute to the movie director, husband of Agnès Vincent-Deray, CSA Conseiller.

SEPTEMBER

3 September. The Conseil officially recorded that the multiplex operators had been designated in due time by the broadcasters of TNT services.

8 September. The Chairman of the CSA and the Conseillers delivered the CSA’s 2002 annual report to the President of the Republic.

9 September. The Conseil initiated the review with cable and satellite channels of their legal agreements following the change introduced by Décret number 2003-764 of 1 August 2003 to the legal provisions relating to the broadcasting of audiovisual and cinema works and to production development applicable to them.

Termination of the legal agreement relating to Khalifa TV following the liquidation of the broadcasting company behind it.

Registration with the Conseil of channel Aéo, broadcast in the Paris airports.

Pre-selection of two new radio stations to share frequency 93,9 MHz in Paris, which had been surrendered by Radio France in 2001 : Radio Campus Paris, for students, and Vivre FM, about disabilities.

16 September. Pre-selection of local channel TLP-Luberon’s project following the call for tenders launched in the area on 1 April 2003.

23 September. Pre-selection of Carrib’In TV’s project following the call for tenders launched in Guadeloupe on 25 June 2002.

Broadcasting licenses were granted to six new radio stations in Mayotte.

23 and 30 September. License to broadcast on channel 35 in Paris was granted to six temporary channels.

30 September. The CSA issued a new tranche for the reorganization of analogue frequencies for the purpose of the deployment of TNT and postponed the deadline for the reorganization of the preceding tranche to 31 March 2004 at the operators’ request.

Given the results of the consultation launched on 18 March 2003, the Conseil decided to launch three series of calls for tenders for the broadcasting of local channels in eight large French cities before April 2004.

Following the lodging by Towercast of a claim with the Conseil de la concurrence (competition council) against TDF regarding the broadcasting conditions of Radio France programs, the CSA forwarded its comments to the competition council.

OCTOBER

6 October. Following the lodging by Groupe Canal+ and i Télévision of a claim with the Conseil de la concurrence (competition council) against TF1, LCI and TPS for abuse of dominant position on the French television news market, the CSA forwarded its comments to the competition council.

Adoption of a draft legal agreement for channel Ma Planète.

14 October. An official notice is served to NRJ following the use on the air in August 2003 of abusive and pornographic language during the program hosted by Maurad.

21 October. Adoption by the Conseil of a recommendation relating to the broadcasting of category V programs following the deliberation of 25 March 2003. It broaches double-locking of such programs, promotional offers relating to them, the marketing of the channels broadcasting them and the information to be provided by their broadcasters to the Conseil.

The Conseil issued their licenses to the four multiplex operators designated to broadcast the private national TNT channels.

Licensing of three new radio stations in Languedoc-Roussillon.

22 October. Following the death in Abidjan of journalist Jean Hélène, the Conseil extended its condolences to the Chairman of RFI.

22-24 October. Christian Dutoit, Chairman of the Foreign Audiovisuals working group represented the CSA at the eighteenth meeting of EPRA (European Platform of Regulatory Authorities) in Nicosia (Cyprus).

NOVEMBER

4, 18 and 25 November. Broadcasting licenses were granted to sixteen new radio stations in Champagne-Ardenne, four in Poitou-Charentes and, nine in Bretagne and Pays-de-la-Loire.

5 November. The Conseil issued four recommendations concerning the votes to take place on 7 December 2003 in Martinique, Guadeloupe and the islands of Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy regarding a possible change in such départements’ legal status. It then organized the broadcasting on the RFO channels of the official radio and television campaign.

Adoption of a draft legal agreement for the children television channel launched by TPS Jeunesse which was named Piwi a few weeks later.

18 November. Three new local Paris channels were granted a temporary broadcasting license on channel 35.

20 November. The Conseil issued a deliberation stating its position on the proposed sale by Suez group of a portion of its shares in the capital of Métropole Télévision, the company behind M6 : in the Conseil’s opinion, new provisions will have to be inserted in the legal agreement of M6 in order to guarantee pluralism of the shareholders.

25 November. Local channels AB7 (Loire département) and TLP-Luberon (Haute-Provence and Luberon area) and four new radio stations in Deux-Sèvres were issued with their license to broadcast.

Pursuant to its decision dated 1 October 2003, the Conseil launched three calls for tenders for the creation of a local channel in Marseille, Nîmes and Montpellier.

The CSA welcomed the Chair and the members of the Haut-Conseil à l’intégration (high council for integration) as part of its efforts for a more accurate representation on the air of the various components of the national community. The CSA’s Chairman made several proposals for actions to be taken and requested from the Minister for Culture and Communication that an equivalent provision to that inserted by the CSA in the private channels’ legal agreement be inserted in the public channels’ terms of reference requir