Stéphane Bern: “Very well paid…”, his unequivocal answer to a question that everyone asks

In a recent interview with Télé-Loisirs, St&eacutephane Bern discussed the differences in salaries between public service channels (France Télévisions, editor's note) and the private channels he worked on in the past. (TF1 and Canal+, editor’s note).

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IN BRIEF

• Stéphane Bern, an iconic host of France Télévisions since 2006, has hosted shows such as Secrets d'histoire and Le Village préféré des Français.
• He also starred in the series Bellefond and hosted New Year's Eve on France 2 on December 31, 2024.
• Despite higher salaries on TF1 and Canal+, he prefers the creative freedom offered by the public service.

An emblematic face of the French audiovisual landscape for many years. St&eacutephane Bern has been one of the star presenters of the France Télévisions group for almost 20 years. For the record, it was in 2006 that the presenter was recruited within the public service. Over the years, he has embodied multiple shows such as Secrets d'histoire, Le Village préfér&eacute of the French, Let yourself be guided, or even The Favorite Monument of the French.

In recent years, St&eacutephane Bern has also tried his hand at comedy successfully. He also landed the title role of the police series Bellefond, scheduled on France 3. Recently, the host was once again at the head of the New Year's Eve, broadcast live on France 2 on Tuesday, December 31, 2024.

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Stéphane Bern: “Who could give me eight shows a year for Secrets d'histoire in prime-time ?”

At the same time, he is also present daily on the air of Europe 1 radio between 3pm and 4pm. With his show called Historiquement vôtre. Before joining the France Télévisions group, St&eacutephane Bern notably worked for TF1 and Canal+. On the first channel, he first started as a columnist in 1994. He later presented his own shows such as: Célébrités and Sagas.

In 2003, he was recruited by Canal+ to take the helm of a daily talk show called 20h10 pétantesin access prime time. Recently interviewed by Télé-Loisirs about his future. Stéphane Bern does not seem to have any intention of leaving France Télévisions. “Who could give me eight shows a year for Secrets d'histoire in prime time ? There's only the public service!“, he declared.

The host acknowledges that he was better paid on TF1 and Canal+ than on France Télévisions

The host did, however, concede that he earned a much better living when he worked for private channels. “I was very well paid!“, he notably said. However, Stéphane Bern feels much freer since he joined the public service. “I can really do my job on the public service. It's not easy, sometimes you have to convince, there are budgetary constraints, but for all that, we give you the opportunity to do your job in public service“, he explained.

On the radio side, Stéphane Bern started as a columnist on Europe 1 in 1992. In the early 2000s, he joined the public service. Where he presented a daily show on France Inter, called Le Fou du roi. He was then recruited on RTL in 2011 to host another daily show, called Agrave la bonne heure.