After a general assembly where it was decided to wait for the upcoming and promised visit of Philippe Hersant, the employees of the Nice Matin group still do not know what fate awaits them. Some might be spared, but a significant number of others, around a hundred, likely face redundancy. This situation has been highlighted online by the Nice Matin Resistance group, which counts more than 2000 supporters.
Certainly, you can criticize it, sometimes even poke fun at it, while still having subscribed for years. But can you imagine regions like the Côte d’Azur, the Var, or Corsica without the unique local daily news provided by the group’s editions? Hard to believe, yet this might happen after the first expected “purge” with the arrival of investors who will only partake at the cost of a social plan that might see 150 to 200 out of the 600 existing jobs cut. A judicial recovery seems inevitable by the end of the year and the following year.
Miraculously saved from a desperate financial situation thanks to the “cooperation” of the same bankers who had generously financed the Hersant editorial group, Nice-Matin (along with Var-Matin and Corse-Matin) was put back on track by a highly criticized rescue operation involving the Tapie-Hersant tandem (yet again), and is now once more struggling with negative operating accounts and the inability or unwillingness of its shareholder to invest for effective and permanent recovery.
The arrival of Bernard Tapie followed by his rapid departure, the takeover by Hersant… These events have unfolded for the local newspaper’s employees, but the end of the story risks leaving a very bitter taste. The unions are also concerned and organizing because if a restructuring occurs, it will happen in the next two months with only the legal minimum for departures.
Currently, the only known action is the increase in sale price (from 1 to 1.10 euros) which could improve cash flow but might negatively impact sale volumes and ultimately, not benefit the overall revenue as anticipated.
Even though, with the elections approaching, the “affectionate” attention of local politicians will certainly not be lacking, the situation risks worsening and leading to a significant weakening of the beloved regional daily cherished by Azurian readers.
If some analysis and forecast reports announce the end of printed press by 2020-2022, it would indeed be a pity to see this prediction accelerated on the Côte d’Azur.
To find out more: the Nice Matin Resistance group
