Jean-Pierre Pernaut French Journalist (1950–2022)

Early life

Jean-Pierre Pernaut was born on 8 April 1950 in Amiens, in the Somme department of northern France. He trained as a journalist at the École supérieure de journalisme de Lille and went on to build his career in television news.

Career

Pernaut became best known as the regular presenter of the lunchtime news bulletin on the French channel TF1, the 13 Heures. He anchored it from 1988 until 2020, a run of more than three decades. He also served as the bulletin's editor-in-chief, which meant that he had a direct say in what each edition contained.

Under his direction the programme developed a recognisable style. Alongside the day's headlines, it regularly featured items on regional culture, local customs and traditional crafts, which were usually placed towards the end of the broadcast. Pernaut promoted this approach over many years, and it drew a regular audience of between seven and eight million viewers, a large figure for a midday news programme. He was widely known by his initials, JPP.

His work at TF1 was not limited to the news. From 1991 to 2010 he presented Combien ça coûte ?, a monthly consumer programme on the same channel. From 1988 until his death he also sat on the board of directors of the TF1 Group as a representative of the company's employees.

Pernaut also wrote for a general readership. In 2005 he published a memoir, Pour tout vous dire..., which sold very well. Shortly before that, he released two volumes titled Les magnifiques métiers de l'artisanat, illustrated books about the traditional trades and crafts that had become a feature of his bulletins.

Recognition

Pernaut received several French state honours. He was made a Knight of the National Order of Merit in 1990 and was promoted to Officer of the same order in 2002. In 2021 he was named a Knight of the Legion of Honour. In 1999 he received the Roland Dorgelès Award. In total, four distinctions are recorded for him.

Public roles

Beyond the studio, Pernaut held a place on the TF1 Group board as the representative of its employees, a position he kept from 1988 until the end of his life. This sat alongside his on-air duties and his role as editor of the lunchtime bulletin.

Personal life

Pernaut shared his life with Nathalie Marquay, a former Miss France winner. He had four children.

Jean-Pierre Pernaut died in Paris on 2 March 2022. His long association with the lunchtime bulletin on TF1, and the regional stories that he gave a regular place in it, remain the main subject of his public record.