Last week, the board of Presstalis decided unanimously to keep the delivery of national dailies. So it said no to the offer of the regional newspapers which have already started the home delivery of le Monde and are willing to move further with their very efficient networks.
Echoes from the regional newspapers show that they consider the battle is not lost. It is an open secret that the executives of le Figaro and le Monde are more than willing to drop the expensive service of Presstalis and transfer to the regional press network. Yet, the delicate balance of powers inside Presstalis prevents them, for the moment, from taking a drastic decision on a matter which is highly sensitive.
And yet, nobody sees clearly the future of Presstalis Its losses are impressive, about 50 million euros and nobody, neither the government nor the press is willing to foot the bill. The loss of the newspapers delivery would certainly oblige everybody to face a dark reality. It would also be a big help to the impecunious national dailies who badly need a better and cheaper service.
A question: will the actors of this drama be able to wait until June 2012, i.e. the presidential elections? Personnaly, I doubt it.
