Serge Nedjar, from the world of advertising, is one of the most secretive leaders in the French media landscape. As general director of CNews, he now oversees magazines like 'Capital', 'Voici', and 'Femme actuelle', while spreading far-right themes dear to Vincent Bolloré. An anecdote on the CNews set highlights his omnipresent oversight role.
On June 6, on the CNews set, host Pascal Praud invites former magistrate Georges Fenech to 'L’Heure des pros' to criticize 'lax justice'. Suddenly, Praud slips up on the name while handing over to his columnist: 'Serge Nedjar…'. Fenech, surprised, cuts in: 'I am not your boss!' Praud, blushing, corrects with a forced laugh: 'He was on my mind… I salute him, Serge Nedjar, he is watching us!'
This scene underscores Serge Nedjar's central role, monitoring everything from his office, his 'control tower' on rue des Cévennes in Paris's 15th arrondissement, at the headquarters of Lagardère’s News division—including CNews, Le Journal du dimanche (JDD), and Europe 1. He arrives first in the morning and leaves last, eyes glued to a screen. During Praud's 9 a.m. editorial, if meeting an employee, Nedjar demands silence until the end, then remarks: 'Pascal was good today!'
He corrects tickers, spots spelling errors, shortens guest appearances, and reminds staff of the day's talking points. 'I am the only one here who watches the channel!', he sometimes sighs, before using his 'drake', a device to communicate directly with the control room and the 'red chef'. Georges Fenech notes: 'He has an eye on everything, and an ear too.' Wary of the media establishment, Nedjar helps spread his boss Bolloré's ideas across various outlets.