French political row over calls for overhaul and €1bn cuts at public broadcaster

A parliamentary committee of enquiry in France has levelled charges of left-wing bias at state-owned France Télévisions and Radio France, recommending the closure of several channels and a €1bn budget cut. The committee's rapporteur, Charles Alloncle, claims to be a victim of state media prejudice, but industry insiders dismiss the findings as politically-motivated and impractical. The report calls for a total or partial overhaul of the public audiovisual system, which is ill-adapted to modern challenges.