L'Heure des pros
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Eliot Deval (Fri-Sun evenings)
| L'Heure des pros | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Debate show, political commentary |
| Created by | Pascal Praud |
| Presented by | Pascal Praud (Mon-Thu mornings) Eliot Deval (Fri-Sun evenings) |
| Country of origin | France |
| Original language | French |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 90 minutes (morning) approx. 55 minutes (evening) |
| Original release | |
| Network | CNews Europe 1 (simulcast since 2024) |
| Release | 21 November 2016 – present |
L'Heure des pros (lit. "The Professionals' Hour") is a French television debate programme broadcast on CNews. Created and presented by journalist Pascal Praud, it has aired since 21 November 2016 and has become the channel's flagship programme, regularly making CNews the most-watched news channel in France during its time slot. Its editorial line has been widely characterised as conservative or far-right by media analysts, and the programme has been the subject of multiple regulatory interventions by France's audiovisual authority, the Arcom.
L'Heure des pros follows a debate format in which Pascal Praud and a panel of regular commentators and guests discuss the day's major news topics. The programme airs on weekday mornings from 9:00 to 10:35 and in a second daily edition (L'Heure des pros 2) from 20:05 to 21:00.[1] A weekend edition has also been broadcast since 2023. Pascal Praud hosts from Monday morning to Thursday morning, while Eliot Deval presents from Friday evening to Sunday evening.[1]
Since 8 January 2024, a portion of the morning broadcast (9:00 to 9:30) has been simultaneously aired on Europe 1, the radio station also owned by the Vivendi/Canal+ group.[2]
Panellists
Praud selects his own regular panellists, who have been described as predominantly drawn from the right and far-right of the political spectrum, including figures such as Georges Fenech, Charlotte d'Ornellas, Geoffroy Lejeune, Gilles-William Goldnadel, and Élisabeth Lévy.[3] Some commentators associated with the far right, such as Ivan Rioufol and Jean Messiha, were eventually moved to other CNews programmes after being deemed too provocative. Left-leaning voices such as Laurent Joffrin and Olivier Dartigolles have also appeared but have mostly departed the programme over time. In September 2023, Joffrin publicly explained his departure by citing the incompatibility of continuing to work within a media landscape shaped by Vincent Bolloré.[4]
During the programme's early years, journalist Gérard Leclerc was a near-permanent presence alongside Praud, occasionally replacing him as host. Leclerc remained a regular panellist until his death in 2023.[4]
Ratings
When it debuted on 21 November 2016, L'Heure des pros attracted approximately 50,000 viewers.[5] Since then, its audience has grown dramatically, becoming a key driver of CNews's rise to compete with and frequently overtake BFMTV as France's leading news channel.
Key audience milestones include:
- On 16 October 2023, L'Heure des pros 2 attracted 1,042,000 viewers following the assassination of teacher Dominique Bernard in Arras.[6]
- On 15 November 2023, the evening edition reached 1,120,000 viewers (5.2% audience share) during an interview with Éric Zemmour.[2]
- On 1 April 2025, the morning edition set a record audience share of 22.2%, making CNews the most-watched channel in France on the time slot, following the conviction of Marine Le Pen.[7]
- On 22 May 2025, the programme reached a record audience share of 23.8% on viewers aged four and above, with 667,000 viewers, again placing CNews as the second most-watched channel nationwide during the time slot.[8]