October 1997 – N°29 – News – ENGLISH

Things are really hopping at the FRANCE 98 venues! At the Place du Commerce in Nantes, a city centre hot spot, a Footix totem pole kitted out in Crédit Agricole colours is now counting down the days till kick-off. In Bordeaux and its surrounding region, the World Cup message is “Welcome to the World”

From 13 October to 20 December, TF1, France’s leading TV channel, is broadcasting a series of 45-minute programmes on the World Cup host cities. Each of these programmes is geared towards the general public and intended to whet the appetite for the various attractions planned at host cities throughout the tournament.

Time is running out for the Philfoot FRANCE 98 competition for the best stamp collections on a football theme. If you want to enter, you have until midnight on 1 December 1997. The competition, running in all ten World Cup cities, is open to anybody under 21 years of age (see newsletter No.27). If this handsome Korean stamp (above) paying homage to Jules Rimet were to be in one of the entries, it would definitely make a strong impression!

Grand concours national

Philfoot FRANCE 98, BP 156

45201 Montargis CEDEX

The worldwide “Let’s Go France” competition, one of many FRANCE 98 youth schemes, has met with unprecedented success, with more than five million would-be participants. Organised by the French Foreign Office and the cultural departments in French embassies abroad, the competition will be offering a stay in France during the World Cup finals to the best French language foreign students around the world. The 700 lucky winners will win tickets for the big games (quarter-finals, semis and the Final), and participate in various cultural and tourist-related events in Paris, Saint-Denis, Nantes, Lyon and Marseille. Candidates are required to prepare projects on France’s image in their own country, and to describe how they would represent their homeland in France should they be selected. 123 countries from around the world are taking part in this contest, backed by TV5, Canal France International, MCM and RFL. The results will be announced in all countries on Francophone Day, 20 March 1998.

From 15 to 19 October in Paris, the CFO participated in the “Cité de la Pub”, a fair open to the general public offering visitors interactive contact with various brand name companies. The main aspects for promotion, particularly for young people, were the FRANCE 98 logo and Footix. Fernand Sastre, Co-President of the CFO, and Philippe Villemus, Head of Marketing, were on hand to explain the marketing programme carried out to attract commercial affiliates for FRANCE 98.

We’ve never heard the likes of it before! For the first time in World Cup finals history, a radio station completely devoted to the tournament is to go on the air during FRANCE 98. Set up by Radio France (Official Radio Station to FRANCE 98) and known as 98 Radio France, the station will broadcast from 6 a.m. through to 1 in the morning on 1852 m longwave. Coverage of the tournament itself (commentary on all 64 matches, match round-ups, interviews and team analysis by an “expert” panel of ex-French team players) is to be the station’s mainstay. However, 98 Radio France will also be dealing with peripheral issues, and will include programmes on ticketing, accommodation, travel and traffic, weather reports and host cities, as well as English, German, Spanish and Italian-language programmes for the many foreign visitors. If you want to listen to 98 Radio France, you will, of course, need a transistor radio. On this subject, Radio France has decided on an new idea, and will be offering accredited persons and Tour Operators special miniature “trannies” with earphones, tuned in just to the World Cup frequency. Meanwhile, everyone can listen in as of 8 June 1998.