Common Themes and News Topics During the Semester

Overall this semester I have noticed many trends in the news and media system in Monaco and Luxembourg and some interlinking.

One big characteristic I noticed was the lack of opinion especially regarding foreign relations. Monaco is not part of EU and for the most part that can be seen in its news content. Most content is local and the news that is not local is reported on because it has some effect on the country (ex. Volcano in Iceland). That being said its strong ties to France acts as a bridge between Monaco and the rest of the European community.

News in Luxembourg circles around business and the bank system along with the dealings with government. It is a member of the EU, but this does not make it any easier to find any thing other than local news on the country. I was very surprised to find nothing being printed or broadcasted over the course of the semester in regards to the financial crisis in Greece and the Euro currency in general.

Other individual subjects frequently reported on included the Monaco Grand Prix, the Odeon towers, and the weather and its effects on events such as the Cannes Film Festival in France and tourism.

By reporting on Monaco I learned about the influence of France on the country. News content in Monaco revolves around France and other French-speaking countries. France especially in the Southern region dedicates a large portion of their media content to news in Monaco. I noticed the power of the RTL group, a media conglomerate that primarily operates out of Monaco and France. I also learned from research that one of the key reasons cited in why their constitutional monarchy is very successful today is because of the great relationship the royal family and the government in general has with the media.

By reporting on Luxembourg I learned about how Luxembourg has a substantial influence on media in the European community especially in the broadcasting genre. I learned that Luxembourg is a hidden media giant and operates/owns many media companies in various European countries.

I have come to realize that the two driving forces behind these two small countries' successful media systems, local and foreign is language and money. Both countries have several widely-spoken languages creating diverse media opportunities. Monaco's use of the French language gives them foreign opportunities not only in France but in the UN and other French-speaking organizations. Also their language capacities helps promote good relations between themselves and other countries. Both countries have a high standard of living and strong local economies giving them the resources to invest in media and more specifically new technology. These two small countries are not to be underestimated. I wish I could have learned more about Monaco, but it was hard finding credible sources. I hope to learn more about their media systems and endeavors in the future.

OECD Releases Luxembourg Economic Survey for 2010

The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) released the economic survey for 2010 stating that Luxembourg must work on its labor market and its role in the international financial crisis, Monday.

According to the OECD website, "an Economic Survey is published every 1½-2 years for each OECD country." This year Luxembourg's survey cites pitfalls in its labor market specifically with the minimum wage. It also goes into detail regarding how Luxembourg will have to adapt to changes most likely to be put in place by the European Union in response to the international financial crisis.

"Some of the recommendations support suggestions made by ministers, such as a pay review which rewards workers based on merit rather than obligation, an idea previously backed by ministers Francois Biltgen and Octavie Modert," as reported on hello.news352.lu

Please view the video below to learn more about the OECD as an organization.

Video Courtesy of Youtube.com

Other recommendations made for Luxembourg by the OECD can be seen on their website along with the economic survey reports for other countries.

Monaco's Shorelines Threatened by Stormy Seas

Immense damages caused by high waves to Monaco's shorefront businesses expected to have a negative effect on both the Grand Prix and Cannes Festival.

Larvotto beach was hit by giant waves causing damages to many shops and restaurants including the Monte Carlo Beach Club. With the Monaco Grand Prix 2010 set to take place from May 13th to May 16th and the Cannes Film Festival set for May 12th to May 23, these damages are expected to be devastating for tourism during this events.

"Everything in the path of the violent seas was swept away, a disaster made all more poignant by the fact that over winter the beach has been completely renewed and with many new facilities added and others renovated," reports monaco247.

Storm damages occured in other mediterranean country shorelines especially in Nice located in the south of France. "Freak waves caused millions of Euros of damage to waterfront cafes and restaurants in Cannes Vieux Port and La Croisette," says liveyachting.com.

Below is a video that displays the same storm that hit Monaco, in Cannes.

 

Video Courtesy of youtube.com.

Bank Thieves Cause Blockade in Monaco

After a bank theft of 103, 400 Euros, Monaco officials blockaded all entry and exit points into the country, Monday.

According to the Riviera Times, five men and two women entered the Credit Foncier Monaco Bank in the afternoon and one of the men dropped "a wallet full of money on the floor," prompting a teller to pick it up as another one of the theives moved behind the counter and grabbed the cash.

After news of the theft a complete country blockade was arranged with "rigourous checks" performed at all entry points. No sign of the group was stopped in the process of this blockade but one of the women thieves was caught by the bank manager immediately following the theft. Being taken into custody, this woman alleged that the group came "to pickpocket but had changed their plans when they 'noticed' the 'opportunities,'" as reported by the Riviera Times.The exit blockade did not yield any suspects despite the use of extensive French resources.

Aerial view of the Credit Foncier Bank located

on the Port Hercule

Photo Courtesy of nicerendezvous.com

Former Monaco Minister of State Died

Jean-Paul Proust, former Monaco Minister of State died Wednesday night, just 10 days after resigning from his position that he held for almost five years. He was best known for his efforts in removing Monaco from "uncooperative" status in regards to tax issues. He also worked on the implementation of public housing.

According to the Monaco-IQ, he had "been ill for several months before quitting the post of Monaco's Minister of State after finishing his 5 year term."

Proust also facilitated in strengthening the already strong relations between France and Monaco.

Reporters Without Borders Report for Luxembourg

Luxembourg is currently placed in the 20th spot on most recent publication of the Press Freedom Index on the Reporters Sans Frontieres website.

This is a sharp fall from its number two spot it was displayed in just a year ago. Luxembourg and other European countries are cited as reasons showing how countries with a low rank can no longer look up to Europe as the ideal media safe-haven for journalists being that many European countries have fell many places.

Other countries that drastically fell from spots were France, Croatia and Kazakhstan.

Luxembourg has come far since 2002 when it was accused by the European Court of Human Rights for violating a journalist's rights, by improving relations with media and being more aware of journalist's rights.

Freedom House Press Reports

Both countries are considered relatively "free" countries when it comes to the press as it does when it comes to business in general.

Freedomhouse.org is a an organization that acts as a watchdog specifically looking at media all countries around the world. They report on the news but especially when it comes to news regarding freedom of the press. The countries' freedom is determined by a method of applying a number to three categories with 0 being the best and 100 being the worst. This number is decided after answering 23 questions about the said country and then assessing its' freedom in depth.

Photo Courtesy of http://www.photius.com/

For Luxembourg, the numbers are low (good) with legal environment being a 2, political environment being a 3, and economic environment being a 7, making the total score a low 12 thus declaring the country a "free" country. Freedoms of speech and press are guaranteed in the constitution with the country employing "an independent press council deals with press complaints and ethical questions." Its immense freedom allows this rich media country to influence many other countries especially in Western Europe. According to a 2007 report, the country has not been a place where any journalists have been attacked or harrassed. Newspapers are privately owned thus adding to the freedom of the press. Also with new media rising the internet is still very much unrestricted in Luxembourg promoting media growth and strength is this country.

Monaco has a slightly higher (worse) freedom number than Luxembourg but is still considered "very free" with a number of 16. According to freedomhouse.org, this country is given a 3 for legal environment, a 7 for political environment, and a 6 for economic environment. Freedom of expression is guaranteed as well for citizens of Monaco but as said in a previous post, the exception to this freedom is the prosecution of any citizen who "denounces the ruling family." Most of the media in Monaco is government-owned in comparison to Luxembourg but this does not stop the country from being a free country. Also like Luxembourg, Monaco gives its citizens unrestricted internet access.

In relation to our country, the United States, Luxembourg and Monaco can be considered more "free" countries when it comes to media. The United States merits a slightly higher number of 17 by freedomhouse.org. This number though is not too much higher therefore we can derive from this observation that to live in Monaco or Luxembourg, the media system and make-up would be similar to our country.

New Trial for the Husband of Princess Caroline Yields a Lesser Fine.

Prince Ernst August with wife, Princess Caroline

Photo Courtesy of everseradio.com

In Monaco today, Prince Ernst August of Hannover, the husband of the daughter of the late actress, Grace Kelly, received a lesser fine than his earlier one in a trial resulting from his assault on a man in Kenya hotel.

August was originally fined 450,000 Euros but the verdict from the new trial granted him a fine of only 200,000 Euros. The defense was seeking complete acquittal arguing that hotel manager, Josef Brunlehner, had misrepresented his injuries. The court eventually found Ernst guilty of a lesser charge of actual bodily harm with the judge, Andreas Schlueter, stating that, "the court was not in a position to be able to decide between the two versions." This was not Ernst's first brush with the law. According to TimesOnline the prince "first made headlines in 1999 when he was fined for attacking a attacking a German photographer with an umbrella." The trial took place in Germany.

Odeon Towers Building Project Halted Again in Monaco

After long negotiations that led to foundations being laid for the Odeon Towers this month, the building process has been halted by mayor of Beausoleil, Gerard Spinelli.

Controversy has long since surrounded the towers before the project commenced. Last year an investigation was launched into Spinelli and the alleged charges of taking money from the project and "influencing the project getting the go ahead," reports The Monaco Times.

Spinelli who was released from prison three months ago, has stopped construction work in protest to the charges brought against him last year and as an attempt to "clear his name of corruption charges," according to The Monaco Times.

Photo Courtesy of rivieratimes.com

The towers have been the source of dismay from the start with opponents including, Nicolas Sarkozy and surrounding residents.

Monaco's Influence on European Media

With its proximity to France as well as sharing the same official language of French, it is obvious the influence of Monaco on France and vice versa. The strong link of France and Monaco was further strengthened when the Treaty of July 1918 was signed by both countries stating France as a defender of Monaco's indepedence and sovereignty. Monaco in return would thus use its French-protected rights to promote the interests of France. France's strong presence in the European Union in all aspects including culture and diplomacy is the main connection between the EU and  the small principality of Monaco.

According to the official government website for France, the French language is spoken by 180 million people worldwide, exemplifying the influence of the language in general and the large arena for media in any French-speaking country. Other influences are the use of the Euro as currency despite not being part of the European Union and being part of various international organizations such as Interpol and UNESCO.

All of the facts above attest to why Monaco's broadcasting media gained momentum in the 1960's despite being such a small country in both size and population. According to BBC News, "from the 1960's Radio Monte-Carlo used powerful transmitters to reach listeners across much of France." As stated in a previous blog post, Monaco also to this day does not house any daily newspapers in its country therefore they rely heavily on French newspapers reporting on their news.

Italian is not an official language in Monaco but it is widely spoken and taught in schools. As a result, Monaco has kept a bilateral treaty with Italy since 1866 and it was last updated in 1957. The treaty is not as binding and extensive as the treaty with France but it does develop a strong symbiotic bond between the two countries. As reported by the BBC News, "the 1970's broadcasts to Italy began," by Radio Monte-Carlo who now features immense FM networks in both France and Italy.

Monaco has also held treaties pin-pointing telecommunications and media since 1911 with mainly the European community as a whole and the European Union . The first treaty involved radio, while the latest treaty, signed in 1997 involves all areas of media that Monaco has a hand in but especially broadcasting resources. A list of treaties can be viewed at the official Monaco website.

S. E. M. Franck Biancheri, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Government Counsellor for Exterior Relations and International Economy and Finance at UN Treaty Signing in 2008.

Photo Courtesy of treaties.un.org

Media Conglomeration

In class today we talked about media conglomeration and its major impacts and effects. Media conglomeration is the act of a company acquiring many different other large companies in the television, radio, publishing, movies, internet, and other related mass media themes.

In Monaco the only newspaper, the weekly Journal de Monaco, is owned by the government and can be considered part of a media conglomerate because the government also owns the one AM radio station in the country, therefore the government owns two aspects of the media and has the upperhand against the competition. The television station, TV-Monte Carlo is currently owned jointly by the French media holdings company,TF1 Group and the government of Monaco. Radio Monte-Carlo is owned by the TF1 Group and the government of monaco as well and is broadcast in several European countries besides Monaco and is seen as one of the most neutral European radio stations according to BBC News. The TF1 Group also owns several other media companies including ones jointly owned by the government of France because of this media conglomerate, France and Monaco are a big influence on eachother and not just in the media. Essentially all the media in Monaco is run by the government and the TF1 Group except for the privately owned Riviera Radio. All in all media conglomeration is very much present in Monaco and it causes France to be a big factor in their news not just because of the shared language and customs but because of the French government's role in the Monoco media.

In comparison with Monaco, the majority of Luxembourg's media is privately owned. RTL Group is one of the major media players in the TV and broadcasting aspects in Luxembourg as well as the rest of Europe according to a country profile by BBC News. RTL Group is majority-owned by one of the "Big Six" media conglomerates, Bertelsmann and because of this, many of its companies are based in countries all over the world not just in Luxembourg and especially in France and Germany. The newspaper, Luxemburger Wort, is owned by the media conglomerate, Saint-Paul Luxembourg, a group that owns two radio stations, a publishing house and a chain of bookstores, all in Luxembourg thus not just an example of the media conglomeration but of vertical and horizontal integration.

The effects of media conglomeration are prominent and vast in both of these countries. The cause of media conglomeration is most likely out of both countries' proximity to its neighbors and the sharing of languages. Luxembourg is a small country, but because of its radio and

Picture Courtesy of backstage.rtlgroup.com television companies being owned by Bertelsmann, it is one of the most influential media countries in the world especially in Europe and especially in Germany and France. Although Monaco's government is very much involved in its media, the media giant TF1 Group, keeps Monaco connected to the world and a leading radio player in Europe. Most of the content seen on TV and heard on the radio in Europe is dictated by the trends of Luxembourg and Monaco, two of the smallest countries in Europe.

Media Numbers in Luxembourg

Telephone System-

• Mobile Phone Subscribers- 719,950; 101.34 per 100 people


• Fixed Phone Subscribers- 244,500; 535.351 per 1,000 people


• Country code- 352


• Total Telephone Subscribers (fixed and mobile)- 964,450; 1,700.95 per 1,000 people
  

Computers/Internet-

• Internet Users- 27.5 per 100 people


• PC Users- 62.4 per 100 people

In Depth Media Reports for Luxembourg and Monaco

Although there is no daily newspaper produced in Monaco, there is one in Nice, France, called Nice-Matin, that publishes two pages each day on Monaco happenings. Along with this newspaper is the country's weekly government journal, Journal de Monaco, published by the Ministry of State. There are no FM Radio stations, but one AM station that serves all the country's radios. In addition, there are five television stations and two Internet providers. Most of the media can be found in either French, English, or Italian.

Luxembourg on the other hand has a slightly larger and independent media system due to it being a country of business and banking. Luxembourg is a constiutional monarchy as well and entrusts executive authority in its Grand Duke and shared power with legislature and judicial systems. The country has five major newspapers; Luxembourger Wort, La Voix du Luxembourg, Tageblatt, Le Quotidien Editions Letzeburger Journal SA, and Zeitung vum Letzebuerger Vollek; all in their respected languages that are each seen as official languages of the country. The country also publishes 12 local, regional, or weekly papers, and 27 periodicals along with housing two national radion stations, four regional stations, and 20 local radio stations. Because of the the high volume of cable television viewing in Luxembourg, there are four national television stations and more than 40 television stations are received by the citizens in total. The language used in television is Luxembourgeois, but the programming is broadcast in French as well. Most radio and television broadcasting is done through the company, Compagnie Luxembourgeois de Telediffusion, who was given a contract by the government. Because of new laws, this company does not have a monopoly on radio anymore. There are four press agencies that operate in Luxembourg and one main internet site for Luxembourg information.

Video Courtesy of www.youtube.com (start at 2:10, end at 3:05)

Both countries have laws protecting the press and free speech, though Monaco has a law against printed material that says unfavorable words about the royal family unlike that of Luxembourg.

A Little Background Information

I'm starting this blog as not only a requirement for my global news media class, but as a tool to help me learn how to follow and interpret international news. In order to make this blog effective, I have decided to report on two countries: Luxembourg and Monaco. I chose both these countries together because they are fairly small (Monaco being the second smallest independent country in the world), both install French as one of their official languages and both countries interest me. Over the course of this semester I will report on news in both countries and hopefully will find news that ties both of them together and I will also tie in concepts and terms from class. I will now take the time to give a little bit of background information about both countries.

Luxembourg is a small country with a population of 483,799 and an area size of 2,586 km² and it is surrounded on three sides by France, Germany, and Belgium. Because of this close proximity, it shares similar characterisitics with all three of these countries especially in languages. The language of Letzeburgesch is similar to German and is the native tongue of the country, but French is used in the government and other administrative purposes. The government can be described as a Grand Duchy or principality but enlists the use of a parliamentary system that works jointly with the head of state (Duke). Most of its economic power derives from banking, insurance and steel, as well as wine and agriculture. Luxembourg is a founding member of the European Union and because of this, the country uses the Euro. Currently, the Head of State is Henri I, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and the Head of Government is Jean Claude Juncker, a member of the Christian-Social Party (CSV).

Picture Courtesy of www.appliedlanguage.com

Monaco is like Luxembourg where it is very small country in population and size but also like Luxembourg it is a economically wealthy country as well as a "tax-haven". It is the second smallest country after the Vatican with an area size of 2 sq. miles and a population of 32,965. It is surrounded on three sides by France and is best known for its casino and its formula one racing event titled, "Monaco Grand Prix." Because of its close proximity to France, it shares many customs with this country as well as France has a very strong influence on the small country. Its' main source of revenue is tourism; it brings in a lot of foreigners because of its climate and tourist-geared activities. Being a constitutional monarchy, Prince Albert II is the Head of State and Frenchman Michel Roger is the Minister of State.

Picture Courtesy of www.webscavengers.net