France bleu officially becomes Ici, a small revolution this Monday morning in the radio landscape

MEDIA – A new habit to adopt for listeners of local public radio stations. The network of 44 Radio France antennas, France Bleu, is changing its name this Monday, January 6 at 5 a.m. and is now called Ici.

This move to a new name is taking place as part of a merger initiated a long time ago with France 3. On the public TV channel, the logo « Ici » has already been present on screen since November 5, during regional programs.

“All local Radio France stations are renamed”underlined the director of the network, Céline Pigalle. So, instead of France Bleu Alsace, France Bleu Breizh Izel or France Bleu Pays de Savoie, we will now speak of Ici Alsace, Ici Breizh Izel and Ici Pays de Savoie.

“News, music and good humor”

“What’s great for the public is that it changes everything and it changes nothing”commented Céline Pigalle. According to her, “listeners will continue to hear their hosts, their journalists, their games, their meetings”. But this “new identity” brand too “a new impetus” for the network.

Here will bet on “local news, music and good humor”detailed Céline Pigalle at the end of November during a press conference in Paris, with emphasis on “proximity” et “the service”.

This name change comes as France Bleu has grown in audience, with 2.59 million daily listeners (+87,000 in one year), according to the latest figures from Médiamétrie, published in mid-November.

Towards a merger of public broadcasting

The president of France Télévisions, Delphine Ernotte Cunci, and her counterpart at Radio France, Sibyle Veil, announced in October 2023 the eventual union of France 3 and France Bleu under the Ici brand, in order to strengthen the cooperation illustrated by the morning shows municipalities launched in 2019.

But the installation of the Ici label aroused union opposition at Radio France as well as at France Télévisions, its adversaries seeing it as the beginnings of a pure and simple merger. Especially since it comes while a reform of public broadcasting is pending.

Pushed by the Minister of Culture Rachida Dati, the project of joint holding and then merger of public audiovisual companies was suspended by the dissolution of the National Assembly this summer. Remained in the government, Rachida Dati wishes to relaunch the rapprochement, with at least the holding project.

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