Article published in L'Express / December 2010
generation of journalists impertinent she already passed the baton new media moguls? In fact, the Moroccan media field is complete reconfiguration. Advertising, ownership, distribution and printing, the war for control of the Moroccan press is raging on all floors. State of play.
By Suleiman Bencheikh and Myriem Khrouz
The Moroccan independent press has definitely hurt the wallet. In less than a year, no fewer than three publications have given up their flagship activity ... for questions of money. On January 27, 2010, Le Journal Hebdomadaire was thus obliged to put the key under the door. Involved, the astronomical debts incurred by the publication, and more specifically, for unpaid contributions to the National Social Security Fund. A few months later, in May, it was the turn of Al Jarida Al Aoula throw in the towel " for reasons related to its restructuring in the financial and editorial . Finally, recent example, last October, closing Nichane during Arabic (Darija) of the French-language weekly Tel Quel . In a statement, Benchemsi, director of both publications, while the magazine explained, however, the first Arabic-language weekly in the country in terms of sales, had suffered " an advertising boycott initiated by the persistent holding royal ONA / SNI (...) extended to Multiple major advertisers state, parastatal and close to power. "
Advertising, sinews of war
In Morocco, as in other places, advertising is indeed the main source of revenue for companies that publish news in any case the most coveted. According to 2009 figures from OJD Morocco, TelQuel , the best-selling weekly has a circulation of 33,000 copies, with just over 22,000 sales per week in the key. A random ridiculous, reported to the 32 million Moroccans. And when we know that end of the chain, distribution companies are remunerated at 40% of sales revenue, we better understand the manna that can be advertising for the Moroccan press: according to the media, a single page of advertising can bring up to 30.000 DH issue ... roughly equivalent revenues of 3,000 copies sold and costs 15 DH unity!
Advertising is indeed the crux of the media being played in Morocco. The Moroccan authorities have also understood, they who, for nearly Ten years have capitalized on the image referred to the independent press overseas national, the freest in the Arab world, they said. But two years ago, times have changed, and Morocco gets excited beyond measure to fall more in the rankings on the freedom of the press.
Shareholding opaque
The Moroccan government has certainly never quite relinquished control the field of print media. The last ten years have indeed been studded trial on grounds editorials. Except that for two years the state has expanded the range of pressure tactics. Noisy convictions and custodial sentences (to be used as a last resort), the authorities now prefer to use more subtle means to silence the few dissenting voices.
And if control of the advertising revenue from the state (through informal channels and indirect) is perhaps the most insidious way to prevent an embarrassing to take off, it does is not alone, far from it. The exorbitant fines (up to 6 million dirhams), seizures and destruction of numbers (As in the case of TelQuel and Nichane in August 2009 when the publication of a poll on the monarchy), but also competitive with titles of editorial press far less rebellious, are all tools in the service of the State to undermine the latest refuseniks of the independent press.
In 2009, no fewer than two newcomers are entering the booth Moroccan market coveted weekly general: Current and Time , which must be added to the makeover The Gazette Morocco, entering also in the backyard of the weekly magazines, general and French. These recent "outbreaks" have not failed to arouse the suspicions of observers: the shareholders they can hide behind the new media? Why are they so secretive about their identity? One thing is sure, if the identity of shareholders can be known from the public record filed in the commercial register, nothing prevents the usual practice of the nominee. So, the rumor embroiders necessarily. Especially as over the past ten years, the only newspaper titles have to release their remaining shareholding Journal and TelQuel . Is this finally the independent press?
From monopolies cartels?
addition the orientation of the advertising revenue to "titles friends," the State has an array of ways to avoid the danger that may represent a release: "nihilist." At the printer of course, home to two officers constantly the DST to oversee the content that will be printed. But also at the distributor, which have always weighed a lot of pressure. An old left-wing activist recalls: "At the creating Anoual (newspaper protesting the 1980s), our distributor had been instructed to do his job poorly, and we had to fight hard to be properly disseminated. " Three decades later, all the methods have not changed, but they are refined and expanded, the influx of money helping. Ideal for a monopoly, a family business, the market for newspaper printing is undermined by the intrusion of press titles that seek to diversify vertically, while the distribution market, Sapress (Berrada family) and especially Sochepress ( Lahraizi family) must also face competition from a new entrant.
In fact, four major media groups Moroccans held the upper hand today: Group Characters ( La Vie Eco, Women of Morocco, Apartments in Morocco, Nejma ...) belonging to the 'businessman and Minister Aziz Akhannouch; Ecomedia ( The Economist, Assabah , Radio Atlantic ...) majority owned by Abdelmounaim Dilami; Morocco Evening ( The Morning Assabahia Al Maghribia and a modern printing) to shareholders since the mysterious death of the founder of group, the former Information Minister Hassan II, Moulay Ahmed Alaoui, and finally, new entrant in the big leagues, the group Rachel Ninny, with its flagship, Al Massae , Arabic daily sold more than 100,000 copies per day, and its latest acquisition: a dispenser (Al Wasit), a weekly French ( Chip) and a weekly Arabic ( Aoual ). The common thread among all these players? A thinly veiled credo: His Majesty My Love! The monarchists have no less than perfect during their repotasser Moroccan entrepreneur ...
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