43

On November 23, 1975, French television broadcast General Franco’s funeral for several hours. The ceremony broadcast thanks to Eurovision was the conclusion of a media “serial” lasting more than a month during which French television had dedicated nearly twenty hours of air time to the Franco issue and mobilized dozens of guests. Here we examine the attitudes of television toward this event already defined as historical through three television formats: debate, obituary, and live TV. We also shed light on the historical taboos that still governed French television a year after the break-up of ORTF.