Arte defends independence

The Franco-German cultural channel Arte has announced that it will defend its independence against the Parisian government. According to newsroom.de, a letter is currently being prepared for Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and Dominique Baudis, President of the French media regulatory authority CSA. The reason for this is a letter from Baudis to the French head of government demanding "clear clarification of the channel's legal status". Under discussion is whether Arte is subject to the supervision of the French media authority, as its headquarters are located in Strasbourg. According to the cultural broadcaster, however, this is not the case under the Franco-German Arte Treaty, as this does not provide for supervision by either country. In his motion, Baudis points out that Arte violated French regulations with its vodka advertising. Meanwhile, Arte's general assembly has given the green light for a Belgian Arte offshoot. From September, a magazine dedicated to Belgian cultural events will be available via cable in the French-speaking part of Belgium. The rest of the program will initially be similar to the French one. According to the media magazine DWDL.de, channel offshoots are also planned for Spain, Italy and Hungary. In this way, Arte wants to establish a European chain of channels specializing in cultural content.