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It’s fair to say that France doesn’t have a international broadcast news service of the stature or popularity of the BBC World Service… and France’s international TV service in English, France24, (a pet project of Jacques Chirac instituted in the last days of his presidency) is worthy but rather under-resourced, and frankly looks and sounds like a struggling local cable news from Minnesota.

However, one of the small pleasures of living in Paris is tuning in to Radio France Internationale (RFI) on 89.0 FM. For news in the morning, I find it a much better source for a roundup of international news than the local news stations. Like the World Service, RFI is jointly funded by the state broadcaster and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and most of the time, seems to maintain its editorial independence.

France Inter, France Info and the private stations RTL and Europe1 are often thoughtful and interesting. But they are dominated by big-name media stars and an interminable analysis of domestic French politics that often leaves me longing for something that isn’t Eric Woerth’s latest scandal, more speculation on the imminent cabinet reshuffle, or wall-to-wall coverage of French sailors in the Route du Rhum.

By contrast, RFI seems refreshingly free of big-name media stars, and is just as likely to spend 15 minutes examining the US mid-term elections as it is to interview a foreign relations expert on Burma, or cut to live to a reporter in Ouagadougou to talk about their recent International Festival of Contemporary Theatre.

The Maison de Radio France, by the Seine in the 16th arrondissement

RFI broadcasts in 19 different languages overseas, but its French service is unapologetically focused on sub-Saharan africa, where it enjoys the largest audience of any Francophone radio station in the world – between 30 and 45 million listeners. Listening to RFI opens up a continent of politics that is rarely discussed in English language meda: for example RFI’s coverage of the recent elections in Guinea and Ivory Coast was fascinating.

Among Parisian listeners, the station caters largely to an audience in the suburbs. While France Inter often sounds like the 6th arrondissement arguing with the 7th arrondissement, RFI’s focuses on events happening in the often unloved swathes of le 93 and le 94:  film festivals in Montreuil, schools in crisis in Aulnay-sous-Bois, or the plight of the homeless in Chelles. It makes for fascinating listening, and provides a very different image of the city than one gets from most of the French mainstream press.

Humanity is blessed with the gift of play. OK, maybe dolphins, monkeys and baby snow leopards play sometimes too, but only humans have rules. And the more complex the rules are, the better the game. I was reminded of the joy of complex play when I found that the Les Inconnus had invented a wonderful game show called Simple Comme Bonjour:

Simple Comme Bonjour is in many respects the French version of that favourite British pastime, Mornington Crescent. While I always prefer playing under the 1897 Diamond Jubilee Rules, (in which shunting is only allowed in two-syllable stations, and double parallels are punishable by a penalty lap via Cape Town), here’s Humphrey Lyttleton and friends playing computerised Mornington Crescent in 2007:

While the grand tradition of complex play is a strong vein within British culture, it’s an activity that Americans largely discarded in the late 18th century. Thomas Jefferson famously described Mornington Crescent as a symbol of all that was most corrupt about monarchy – but that was only after Ben Franklin had beaten him in three minutes flat with a cheeky switchback through Seven Sisters on a bank holiday timetable.

However, one of the most advanced examples of complex play ever attempted on television is Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer’s Shooting Stars. Unfortunately, the game show has been in hiatus recently, apparently after an acrimonious breakup between George Dawes and his singing partner, the baked potato.

Garrison Keillor – The News from Lake Wobegon, February 4th 2010

This is radio at its best: Garrison Keillor delivers one of the wittiest homilies on 1 Corinthians 13 that you’ll ever hear. Well worth 14 minutes of your life.

As usual, Keillor tells his story with the sort of humour that is only found in small towns in rural Minnesota. This was performed at the Prairie Home Companion show last week that was cinecast in HD nationwide across America.

The News from Lake Wobegon is available as a weekly podcast.

Sometimes I just love France. The official national 2008 unemployment figures are supposed to be released tomorrow. But they won’t be released on Thursday as scheduled because the public statistics agency is going on strike.

In fact tomorrow, most of France will be largely immobilised as millions of workers participate in a country-wide strike called by all the major unions. It’s not going to be fun for anyone trying to travel by public transport (or private car, for that matter, because everyone’s going to be on the road).

Image: Sijeka*

French strikes are nothing if not thorough. 70% of flights from French airports tomorrow are cancelled. Schools are closed, and government agencies will be operating with skeleton staffing. And don’t try listening to the radio for news: Radio France is on strike too, so will be playing Beethoven on loop all day.

For the most part, the unions aren’t demanding anything in particular this time around. They’re just expressing general disgust with President Sarkozy’s economic policies. I can’t really disagree with the unions right to strike, so I guess it’s just a matter of grinning and bearing it.

From Le Canard Enchainé - Black Thursday in the Southwest:

Radio: “No transport, no school,  no electricity…”

Wife: “This is still the storm?”

Husband: “No – the strike!”

Tomorrow, most people in France tomorrow will be getting on with things as best they can – the famous “plan débrouille“. I’m going to take the opportunity to find a walking route into the centre of town.

Some people can find some humour in the situation, however. Yesterday morning on Radio France Inter, Stéphane Guillon noted how lucky humourists have been in France since Sarkozy’s election: “We’ve never had so much work… every day, something happens! Sarkozy is Road Runner, with Wile E Coyote’s gun.”

Here’s the video (sorry in French without subtitles):

It’s a busy week. Given limited time to write anything original myself, here’s a round-up of some highlights from some other blogs sliding down the RSS feeds.

Aren’t the Canadians lovely people? Jean-François at Jazz Frisson in Montréal has posted some classic Hollywood jazz moments: Lionel Hampton/Benny Goodman/Tommy Dorsey/Louis Armstrong etc in 1948 and the Bing Crosby vs Louis Armstrong MC Battle from High Societyin 1956.

Sarah Laurence isn’t Canadian. But she’s from Maine, which is pretty close.  Last weekend she went hiking in the White Mountains... the autumn colours in Maine are in a different class to the brown sludge currently filling gutters here in Edgbaston.

Andrew Dubber has written in support of a Kids’ Radio Station for New Zealand.  Remembering how important radio was to me when I was young, this is a good idea long overdue.

Klari in Paris saw the Kings Singers in concert on Monday night. Ch’uis jaaaaalouuuux moi. Here’s a clip of them singing Ellington’s Creole Love Call: