Silent images, in black and white, only visible in Saint-Denis and Sainte-Marie… On January 4, 1965, ORTF broadcast the very first television news in the history of Reunion Island. The beginning of the long history of JT péi.
On December 24, 1964, the people of Reunion received a strange Christmas gift. With a magic wand that was still a little short, the television fairy arrived in Reunion Island, only the towns of Saint-Denis and Sainte-Marie being within range of the signal transmitting from the Montagne transmitter the black and white images of what was happening. It was then called ORTF, for “French Television Radio Broadcasting Office”.
But we would have to wait until January 4 to see the very first local television news. Presented by Jean-Vincent Dolor, this edition of around ten minutes and composed solely of silent reports gave pride of place to the visit of the Minister of Information Alain Peyrefitte, who came a few days earlier to inaugurate the brand new station of the Barachois public service…
Watch the report from Réunion la 1ère:
60 years ago… the first news from Reunion Island
The next day, the second edition will include another subject, this time with sound, on a speech by the minister and another 14'37'' report on the eruption of Piton de la Fournaise which occurred a few days earlier.
At the time, there were around 500 televisions in the wealthiest homes on the island, and curious people flocked to store windows to discover this revolutionary device…
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©ORTF Archives Réunion
If this inaugural edition has not survived the ravages of time, the oldest images of the Reunion news still found in the INA archives date from June 1, 1967. It is still Jean-Vincent Dolor, then editor-in-chief, who officiates at the presentation. In addition to local reports, the news broadcasts AFP tapes arriving from mainland France by plane.
“We had a significant news problem in that the station had to do not only local news but general news. We practically didn't have any images to play at the same time as the news.” said Bernard Guyot, director of ORTF Réunion.
Réunion was then a pioneer of television in overseas territories in the same way as Guadeloupe and Martinique, also equipped during the year 1964. Tahiti and Nouméa followed in 1965, then Guyana and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon in 1967.
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©ORTF Archives Réunion
The Reunion news will evolve over the years, at the same time as the transmitters and the number of stations sold gain ground, going from 7,000 in 1966 to more than 25,000 in 1971: transformation into FR3-Réunion in 1975, then first color control room in 1978, and major figures who followed one another on the air like Mémona Hintermann, Sulliman Banian, Gilbert Hoair, Jean-Pierre Germain or Christian Anicette… The channel will change its name several more times subsequently, becoming RFO Réunion, then Télé Réunion.
The news, a whole story that continues to be written today on Réunion the 1st…
