"We discover a village, a town or a region from a unique point of view": Carole Gaessler takes the helm of "Mon côté Sud" on France 3

She perfectly embodies the spirit of France 3. After the television news and Des racines et des ailes , the journalist takes over the magazine Mon côté Sud , which is now broadcast nationally, every Saturday at 12:55 p.m.

This Saturday, for this premiere, Carole Gaessler invited viewers to discover the Alpilles in the company of actress Charlotte de Turckheim who, for the occasion, opened the doors of her village of Eygalières.

Next week, she'll head to Carry-le-Rouet, the "pearl of the Côte Bleue," west of Marseille, with Jean-Pierre Foucault. A group of friends, old cars, and a sea urchin festival: the long-time RMC host will share his passions.

Guest then presenter

" I had participated in the old version of Mon côté Sud as a guest, to talk about my roots in Vaucluse [she owns a house in Beaumont-de-Pertuis, near Aix-en-Provence, Editor's note]. So, when I was asked to become the face of the show, I immediately accepted ," explains Carole Gaessler, who came to present her new show and her new challenge on the sunny terrace of the Cercle des nageurs in Marseille, in May.

" This magazine puts people at the heart of discovery, and that's exactly what drives me: meeting people, telling the story of a region through them, " explains the presenter.

The concept behind the 26-minute show? " The guest opens personal doors for us, often invisible to the ordinary visitor, and serves as a gateway for viewers. We discover a village, a town, or a region from a unique perspective, through sometimes little-known places and fascinating people, far from the tourist brochures ," continues Carole Gaessler.

The escapades will each take place in a town or village in the South, with a personality: the South East, the South West or even in Corsica.

The innovative nature of Mon côté Sud also lies in the fact that it is a program imagined and born in the region – in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur – which is becoming national.

Decentralization

" It's a great source of pride that this idea, supported and piloted in the region, is now being rolled out nationally. This sometimes happens for special programs, but never for magazines ," insist Philippe Martinetti, deputy director of broadcasts and programs at France 3, in charge of regional programming, and Samuel Peltier, regional director of France 3, in unison.

Because Mon côté Sud , before being broadcast nationally this Saturday and until the end of the month – the return is planned for the start of the school year, on September 27 – was carried for two years by France 3 Provence Alpes and an independent producer based outside Paris, in Bouches-du-Rhône, 13 Prods.

" This is part of our desire to strengthen the influence of regional content on our channels ," continues Philippe Martinetti, who has set the course for the " decentralization " of his channel with the president of France Télévisions, Delphine Ernotte-Cunci. His leitmotif: to make France 3 a " network of regional channels rather than a national channel with local channels ."