The branches of Radio France, whose audiences are sky-high, are celebrating this anniversary until mid-January. Around a hundred emblematic programs taken from the archives will be available to listen to from January 1 in a dedicated space within the public group's application. Five audio tracks illustrating curiosity, freedom and even the emotions of the past half-century will also be broadcast on the group's stations.
The removal of a symbol of Gaullian power, the French Radio and Television Office (ORTF), was one of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's first reforms after the 1974 presidential election. The split between television and radio had taken effective January 1, 1975. The new company Radio France then retained the historic channels France Inter, France Culture, France Musique and Fip, as well as the Orchestras, the Choir and the Associate Masters. Radio France only lost its broadcasting monopoly in 1981, under the leadership of François Mitterrand.
Chaired today by Sibyle Veil, the public group has some 4,600 employees, distributed between 7 national radio stations and 44 local ones. In a press release, the manager declared: “celebrating 50 years of Radio France means celebrating five decades of commitment to the service of the French. For half a century, Radio France and its antennas have worked every day to reflect our society in all its diversity A promise that we are renewing to our many loyal listeners for the coming decades. This anniversary is for me an opportunity to pay tribute to all those who, over the decades, have contributed to this. from Radio France this that it is today: a leading, agile and innovative institution, always attentive to the times.”
Strong audiences
According to the latest figures from Médiamétrie, France Inter established a new historic record with 7.20 million listeners every day between September and October, remaining by far the leading radio station in France. The second step on the audience podium is occupied by the continuous news radio franceinfo. The latter ousted RTL, which was leader until 2019. In the midst of a turbulent merger with France 3, France Bleu and its local stations have progressed (2.59 million listeners, +87,000 in one year), like France Culture which crossed the threshold of 2 million daily listeners for the first time.
These solid audiences provide an important point of support for Radio France, while a reform of public broadcasting is pending. Pushed by the Minister of Culture Rachida Dati, the joint holding project and then merger with France Télévisions in particular was suspended by the dissolution of the National Assembly in the summer. He had been the subject of strikes in the Maison Ronde headquarters of Radio France in Paris, where there are fears that radio is being swallowed up by TV. Some LFI deputies had criticized the prospect of a return… of the ORTF. Maintained in government, Rachida Dati should return to the charge, with at least the holding project.
5 birthday sounds
In order to retrace these 50 years, Radio France will broadcast 5 new sounds made from its archives: “We have shared all this for 50 years, and we still have so much left to live together! “. These will retrace 50 years of history and reflect “the richness of Radio France’s editorial and artistic proposition”. they were designed by Emmanuel Laurentin and produced by Cassandre Puel, and will be broadcast on the group's 7 channels until January 12. They can also be discovered on the Radio France application in an entry specially dedicated to this anniversary.
