Sud-Ouest (newspaper)

Sud-Ouest is the third regional daily in France in terms of diffusion. [http://www.esj-lille.fr/spip.php?article194 Groupe Sud-Ouest] Ecole Supérieure de journalisme de Lille] It was created in Bordeaux, on August 29, 1944 by Jacques Lemoine, as a successor to "La Petite Gironde". In 1949, the Sunday edition, "Sud-Ouest Dimanche" was launched.Sud-Ouest covers the Gironde, the Charente, the Charente-Maritime, the Dordogne, the Pyrénées Atlantiques, and the Lot et Garonne départements. It is owned by the Groupe Sud-Ouest, which was directedby Jacques Lemoine from 1944 to 1968, and by his son Jean-François Lemoine from 1968 to 2001. The president of the group is Pierre Jeantet since February 2008. 80% of the group belongsto the Lemoine family, 10% to the journalists, and the remaining 10% to the staff. The paper circulation is around 300.000 copies. [http://www.esj-lille.fr/spip.php?article194 Groupe Sud-Ouest] Ecole Supérieure de journalisme de Lille]

The Sud-Ouest group

Besides "Sud-Ouest", the group has progressively broadened and now also owns "La Charente Libre", "La Dordogne Libre", "La République des Pyrénées", "L’Eclair des Pyrénées-Pays de l’Adour". In 2007, the Groupe Sud-Ouest bought "Le Midi Libre", "L’Indépendant", "Centre Presse (Aveyron)" and "Montpellier Plus" from the group Le Monde, which was forced to sell this titles due to its crushing debt. These local papers of the Languedoc-Roussilon region, allow Groupe Sud-Ouest to extend outside the Aquitaine and Poitou-Charentes regions. Besides the dailies, the Groupe Sud-Ouest also owns the weekly magazines "Le Résistant" (Libourne), "Haute Saintonge" (Jonzac), "Haute Gironde" (Blaye), "l’Hebdo de Charente Maritime" (Surgères), "La Semaine du Pays Basque", "La Dépêche du Bassin" and "Le Journal du Médoc". The weeklies "La Semaine du Roussillon", "le Journal de Millau", "l’Aveyronnais", "le Catalan Judiciaire", "Terre de Vins", "Terres Catalanes" all published in Languedoc-Roussillon have also been sold by Le Monde to Groupe Sud-Ouest in 2007. Groupe Sud-Ouest publishes various surf magazines, including "Surf Session', "Bodyboard", "Surfer's Journal", a publishing house, "éditions Sud-Ouest", that specializes in local history, tourism and fooding and the local TV TV7 Bordeaux. The revenue of the group was 325 Million Euros in 2006, [http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/speciales/medias__pouvoirs/20070124.OBS8585/qui_possede_quoi_.html Qui Possède quoi ?] Le Nouvel Observateur December 26, 2007] and after the absorption of the Languedoc-Roussillon papers, it expects a 555 Million Euros revenue. [http://www.liberation.fr/actualite/instantanes/hommedujour/308685.FR.php Pierre Jeantet retrouve la direction du Groupe Sud Ouest] Libération, February 7, 2008]

The newspaper

The newspaper "Sud-Ouest" distinguishes itself by a coverage more thorough than usual for a French local dailyof the national and international news. Politically, the paper is rather neutral although it has once compared Bruno Mégret with Philippe Henriot after a meeting of the Front National in Bordeaux in the 1990s. It features an editorial cartoonist, Michel Iturria, and a regular opinion column signed by Franck de Bondt.

ources

External links

* [http://www.sudouest.com the newpaper]
* [http://www.groupesudouest.com/ the Sud-Ouest group]