It is immediately noticeable to British or American viewers of French television: there are no black faces. No newsreaders, no chatshow hosts, no gameshow guests; at most, a handful of actors in mainly stereotyped roles.

So when Audrey Pulvar appeared this month as co-presenter of Soir 3, it caused something of a commotion: the 32-year-old journalist from the French Caribbean island of Martinique was the first black newsreader to present the main evening news on a national French TV station.

"French TV just does not reflect the reality of French society," Pulvar told the Guardian. "There is a whole part of the French population that is not represented there. Or if it is, it's stigmatised in dreadful cliches - the black dealer, the Moroccan greengrocer."

In a damning report earlier this year, the High Council on Integration demanded that the government make it a condition of every broadcaster's licence that immigrants be "fairly and properly represented".

Days later, the state broadcaster France Télévisions, which runs three of the country's six main TV channels, unveiled a plan to boost ethnic minorities' presence both on screen and behind the scenes.

"The French have to be able to recognise themselves," said the broadcaster's chief executive, Marc Tessier. "Fifteen percent of our population are immigrants of non-European origin. Watching TV, no one would ever know it."

Pulvar acknowledges that her appointment to the France 3 evening news came in the context of this long-overdue change. "My colour was a necessary, but, I hope, not a sufficient condition," she said. "But at the same time I felt I deserved this job: I've been 10 years in the profession, I've worked hard. I hope to be judged as a journalist, not as a black journalist."

The pale face of French television is a reflection of the fact that few west or north African immigrants have moved far up the socio-economic ladder. Positive discrimination is considered "inappropriate" because it would amount to an admission that one of the core principles of the republic - that all citizens are equal - has not worked.

Pulvar is against quotas but recognises some kind of affirmative action is badly needed in France.

She said: "There are huge prejudices. For years, there's been this fear that if black or Arab or Asian people are allowed on to the television, French audiences will just switch off."

A fear that is, apparently, unfounded. Early viewing figures for her broadcast are higher than the equivalent show enjoyed last year.

But racism most certainly exists in France, she says. "It's maybe less visible, more diffuse, than in countries like Britain where the different communities all live and express their differences, sometimes violently.

"In France, the republic tries to level everyone out, to pretend they're all equal - so racism here is more latent. It doesn't explode, but it's there. When I go to London, I feel like I can breathe."

Ulysse Gosset, who as editor of France 3's national news programmes was responsible for Pulvar's appointment, said his choice was first and foremost "professional - she's an outstanding journalist and presenter". But he admitted that he aimed to spark "a small revolution" in the world of French TV, "which in terms of reflecting society is way, way off the game".

The daughter of a radical, separatist trade unionist, Pulvar insists she does not want "to be a symbol of anything. My appointment may be a small step in a good direction, but it's not much.

"Every community must be represented in every part of French society, not just in the media but in advertising, in the civil service, and particularly in politics - why are there no black or Arab MPs? Immigrant candidates aren't even in eligible positions on electoral lists."