''Le Point'' () is a French weekly political and

news magazine A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio or television program, usually published weekly, consisting of articles about current events. News magazines generally discuss stories, in greater depth than do newspapers or new ...

published in Paris.

History and profile

''Le Point'' was founded in September 1972 by a group of

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

s who had, one year earlier, left the editorial team of '' L'Express'', which was then owned by

Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, often referred to as JJSS (13 February 19247 November 2006), was a French journalist and politician. He co-founded ''L'Express'' in 1953 with Françoise Giroud, and then went on to become president of the Radica ...

, a ''député'' (member of

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

) of the Parti Radical, a centrist party. The company operating ''Le Point'', ''Société d'exploitation de l'hebdomadaire Le Point'' (''SEBDO Le Point'') has its head office in the 14th arrondissement of Paris. The founders emphasize on readers' need and it became the aim of ''Le Point'' which is published weekly on Thursdays by Le Point Communication. After a fairly difficult start in September 1972, the magazine quickly challenged ''L'Express''. The editorial team of spring 1972 found financial backing with group

Hachette Hachette may refer to: * Hachette (surname) * Hachette (publisher), a French publisher, the imprint of Lagardère Publishing ** Hachette Book Group, the American subsidiary ** Hachette Distribution Services, the distribution arm See also * Hachett ...

and was then directed by Claude Imbert. Other journalists making up the team were: Jacques Duquesne, Henri Trinchet,

Pierre Billard Pierre Billard (3 July 1922 – 10 November 2016) was a French journalist, film critic and historian of cinema. Career Born in Dieppe (Seine-Maritime), Pierre Billard followed the courses of resistant Valentin Feldman during the Occupation o ...

, Robert Franc, Georges Suffert. The management included Olivier Chevrillon, Pdg and Philippe Ramond. It has changed ownership several times. Gaumont cinema group bought the magazine in 1981. In 1997 the magazine was acquired by its current owner Artémis, a French investment group founded and owned by the billionaire businessman

François Pinault François Pinault (born 21 August 1936) is a French billionaire businessman, founder of the luxury group Kering and the investment holding company Artémis. Pinault started his business in the timber industry in the early 1960s. Taken public in ...

. In 2001 the logo and layout of ''Le Point'' was changed. The weekly recruited journalists from the

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

ian

press Press may refer to: Media * Print media or news media, commonly called "the press" * Printing press, commonly called "the press" * Press (newspaper), a list of newspapers * Press TV, an Iranian television network People * Press (surname), a fam ...

and relied on its ability to redefine the

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

. It modeled itself closely on ''

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...

'' and ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

''. ''Le Point'' has a

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

, center-right stance without any political affiliation. It publishes a list regarding the reputation of companies, Baromètre d’Image des Grandes Entreprises.

Circulation

''Le Point'' had a circulation of 336,000 copies in 1981. It was 311,000 copies in 1987 and 320,000 copies in 1988. In 2001 ''Le Point'' had a circulation of 303,000 copies. During the 2007-2008 period its circulation was 419,000 copies. In 2009 the circulation of the magazine was 435,000 copies. Its circulation in 2011 was 428,114 copies. The 2013 circulation of the magazine was 417,062 copies. The 2020 circulation of the magazine was 288,361 copies.

References

External links

''Le Point'' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Point 1972 establishments in France Conservatism in France Conservative magazines French-language magazines News magazines published in France French news websites Political magazines published in France Weekly magazines published in France Magazines established in 1972 Magazines published in Paris