L'Heure des pros
| L'Heure des pros | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Debate show, political commentary |
| Created by | Pascal Praud |
| Presented by | Pascal Praud (Mon-Thu mornings) Eliot Deval (Fri-Sun evenings) |
| Country of origin | France |
| Original language(s) | French |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 90 minutes (morning) approx. 55 minutes (evening) |
| Release | |
| Original network | CNews Europe 1 (simulcast since 2024) |
| Original release | 21 November 2016 – present |
| External links | |
| [{{#property:P856}} Website] | |
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L'Heure des pros (lit. "The Professionals' Hour") is a French television debate programme broadcast on CNews. Created and presented by journalist Pascal Praud, it has aired since 21 November 2016 and has become the channel's flagship programme, regularly making CNews the most-watched news channel in France during its time slot. Its editorial line has been widely characterised as conservative or far-right by media analysts, and the programme has been the subject of multiple regulatory interventions by France's audiovisual authority, the Arcom.
Format and schedule
L'Heure des pros follows a debate format in which Pascal Praud and a panel of regular commentators and guests discuss the day's major news topics. The programme airs on weekday mornings from 9:00 to 10:35 and in a second daily edition (L'Heure des pros 2) from 20:05 to 21:00.[1] A weekend edition has also been broadcast since 2023. Pascal Praud hosts from Monday morning to Thursday morning, while Eliot Deval presents from Friday evening to Sunday evening.[1]
Since 8 January 2024, a portion of the morning broadcast (9:00 to 9:30) has been simultaneously aired on Europe 1, the radio station also owned by the Vivendi/Canal+ group.[2]
Panellists
Praud selects his own regular panellists, who have been described as predominantly drawn from the right and far-right of the political spectrum, including figures such as Georges Fenech, Charlotte d'Ornellas, Geoffroy Lejeune, Gilles-William Goldnadel, and Élisabeth Lévy.[3] Some commentators associated with the far right, such as Ivan Rioufol and Jean Messiha, were eventually moved to other CNews programmes after being deemed too provocative. Left-leaning voices such as Laurent Joffrin and Olivier Dartigolles have also appeared but have mostly departed the programme over time. In September 2023, Joffrin publicly explained his departure by citing the incompatibility of continuing to work within a media landscape shaped by Vincent Bolloré.[4]
During the programme's early years, journalist Gérard Leclerc was a near-permanent presence alongside Praud, occasionally replacing him as host. Leclerc remained a regular panellist until his death in 2023.[4]
Ratings
When it debuted on 21 November 2016, L'Heure des pros attracted approximately 50,000 viewers.[5] Since then, its audience has grown dramatically, becoming a key driver of CNews's rise to compete with and frequently overtake BFMTV as France's leading news channel.
Key audience milestones include:
- On 16 October 2023, L'Heure des pros 2 attracted 1,042,000 viewers following the assassination of teacher Dominique Bernard in Arras.[6]
- On 15 November 2023, the evening edition reached 1,120,000 viewers (5.2% audience share) during an interview with Éric Zemmour.[2]
- On 1 April 2025, the morning edition set a record audience share of 22.2%, making CNews the most-watched channel in France on the time slot, following the conviction of Marine Le Pen.[7]
- On 22 May 2025, the programme reached a record audience share of 23.8% on viewers aged four and above, with 667,000 viewers, again placing CNews as the second most-watched channel nationwide during the time slot.[8]
Editorial line and controversies
The programme is at the centre of broader debates about the editorial direction of CNews under the ownership of Vincent Bolloré. Numerous media analysts, academics, and journalists have described CNews in general, and L'Heure des pros in particular, as a vehicle for far-right ideas. Comparisons with the American channel Fox News have been made by researchers such as Valérie Robert of the Sorbonne Nouvelle University, as well as by the Financial Times and The New York Times.[4] Journalist Edwy Plenel has stated that Vincent Bolloré's goal is to make CNews the French equivalent of Fox News.[4]
Regulatory actions
The programme has been the subject of frequent interventions by France's broadcast regulator:
- In 2018, L'Heure des pros generated 1,200 complaints to the Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel (CSA), the predecessor of Arcom.[3]
- In August 2021, the CSA issued a warning to CNews regarding a lack of diversity of viewpoints expressed during a segment about a controversial open letter by former military officers.[9]
- In May 2022, the Arcom formally warned CNews over false claims by panellist Ivan Rioufol about the Warsaw Ghetto, which he described as "a hygienist place" created "to protect against typhus", without any correction from the host or other participants.[10]
- In February 2026, the Arcom imposed a total fine of 100,000 euros on CNews for two segments from L'Heure des pros 2 broadcast in August 2025 that were deemed to incite discrimination against Algerian and Palestinian people. The regulator cited a failure to provide any on-air contradiction to the statements made.[11]
As of early 2026, total fines imposed on CNews by the Arcom amounted to 630,001 euros, with the channel having received seven formal warnings and approximately 50 interventions since 2019.[11]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "L'Heure des Pros" (in français). CNews. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Audiences : Record historique pour "L'heure des pros" avec Pascal Praud sur CNews". Puremédias (in français). 17 September 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "L'Arcom intervient une énième fois auprès de CNews après des propos tenus chez Pascal Praud". Puremédias (in français). March 2026. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Pascal Praud" (in français). Les Jours. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ "Pascal Praud dans le JDD : « L'Heure des pros, 7 ans de bonheur »". Le Journal du Dimanche (in français). 19 November 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ "Audiences : Record pour "L'heure des pros" de Pascal Praud sur CNEWS". Puremédias (in français). 14 February 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ "Plus d'un téléspectateur sur cinq devant CNews : "L'heure des pros" avec Pascal Praud s'offre un record historique d'audience au lendemain de la condamnation de Marine Le Pen". Puremédias (in français). 2 April 2025. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ "Audiences : Pascal Praud et "L'Heure des Pros" pulvérisent leur record historique sur CNews". Puremédias (in français). 23 May 2025. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ "Émission "L'Heure des pros 2" diffusée le 1er février 2021 : CNews mise en demeure" (in français). Arcom. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ "La chaîne CNews reçoit deux mises en demeure de l'Arcom". Europe 1 (in français). 20 November 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "L'Arcom inflige 100 000 euros d'amende à CNews pour incitation à la discrimination". Mediaterranee (in français). 11 February 2026. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
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