Tahiti Pacifique goes from monthly mag to weekly newspaper

Transcript

French Polynesia's Tahiti Pacifique monthly magazine is to become a weekly newspaper.

The magazine was launched by Alex du Prel nearly a quarter of a century ago and became a leading regional publication, featuring news and analysis as well as photography and history.

For years Mr du Prel had sought someone to succeed him.

He spoke to Walter Zweifel:

ALEX DU PREL: I was contacted about two and a half years ago and someone wanted to buy almost all the shares of the newspaper about which I was happy because I'm getting old and I've done for a long, long time. This person bought the majority of the shares of the newspaper but didn't even call me, just left me go on as usual until the end of may to call a meeting and decided to hire a whole new crew - true professionals and everything and he decided he wanted to make a weekly magazine. So, more power to him! I'm happy because that means Tahiti Pacifique will continue to exist. Even so, one must have a lot of courage to launch a new weekly magazine, knowing how most of the printed are in a crisis presently worldwide.

WALTER ZWEIFEL: Who will be running the editorial staff? Are you still in charge?

ADP: 'No, I'll be a kind of the editor in a certain way. The new guy in charge is the former redacteur-en-chef of La Depeche, who quit La Depeche, and offered his services to the person who bought the magazine and he is taking over. He is a Frenchman, a true professional. he was running Le Parisien, a Paris paper, and he has been in the business since 20 years.

WZ: Are there any projections of how big a circulation the paper will have to have to remain profitable?

ADP: I don't know. The other difference is that Albert Moux who bought the shares is also launching a daily paper. So he bought a whole printing press as you do for daily papers. So the cost of printing will be totally different. I had to contract that out. And I guess he wants to keep his printing press busy.

WZ: Are there any indications if the editorial line is likely to change given that it is going to be weekly, do you have any idea about that?

ADP: "That's one of the big things. That's why they wanted me to stay with the paper. They know that the success of the paper is the sarcastic counter anti-politically correct tone, so they want me to stay and keep that line. I must say I know Mr Moux since 25 years. In the two and a half years he never interfered one minute on anything of the editorial content. So the magazine and the person who has taken over has understood that the only reason that Tahiti-Pacifique survived 25 years is because of, let's say, the tone of trying to be counterbalance media to the normal 'oh my beautiful president' and stuff like that."   

Alex du Prel says he is happy that he could make a living from writing in a country where people don't read. He says Tahiti has gone from the oral tradition straight to the television age.