Press release from SNJ-CGT Radio France
The fateful countdown has ended. Since 6 a.m. this morning, on the 44 local Radio France stations, “ICI” has replaced France Bleu. Hammered for two months on air, the new “brand” still rings hollow for SNJ-CGT Radio France and a majority of staff. Sacrifice the firmly established and identified name of “France Bleu” to please the supervisory authority, spend 3.8 million euros in 2024 for the name and the new site when each local editorial team lacks the resources to produce radio and reporting on the ground, and claim to have the support of employees when all choices are imposed from above: we once again denounce these cynical biases which weaken local radio by claiming to strengthen it.
It is not enough to proclaim yourself “from HERE” to be so: proximity is built on a daily basis and in continuity, certainly not by eliminating all the evening news, as is already the case in too many stations , no more than by reducing the sail on the exteriors or by broadcasting pre-recorded programs.
It is not enough to proclaim yourself “from HERE” to be so: proximity is built on a daily basis and in continuity, certainly not by eliminating all the evening news, as is already the case in too many stations , no more than by reducing the sail on the exteriors or by broadcasting pre-recorded programs. The most striking example of these failed ambitions, on January 6, can be found in the HERE application, shared with France 3. Since the start of the Christmas holidays, on the home page, it is impossible to know who, radio or television, is at the origin of the published articles. France Bleu like France 3 have disappeared: only very discreet logos remain once the article is opened. How can this new erasure of the radio entity be tolerated without notice? Have the editorial staff of France Bleu suddenly merged with that of France 3 on the web? And how can we justify the duplicates which continue to proliferate, despite our multiple alerts on the subject?
On January 6, the much-vaunted “reconciliation” looks more and more every day like a merger that is moving forward in disguise and that we have been denouncing since the start of the project. Remember that for its national editions, France 3 retains its name in this forced marriage.
On January 6, the much-vaunted “reconciliation” looks more and more every day like a merger that is moving forward in disguise and that we have been denouncing since the start of the project. Remember that for its national editions, France 3 retains its name in this forced marriage. Words have meaning, just like their choice, which is never innocent. Amputating the name “France” from our local radio stations is not a trivial decision: it symbolically distances us from the other branches of the Radio France company, and prepares minds for a possible effective split, if tomorrow the context allows it.
Faced with this threat, SNJ-CGT Radio France welcomes the obtaining in December of information-consultation from CSE elected officials on the deployment of ICI and its consequences for employees (read the inter-union press release). More than ever, we will be vigilant on all the editorial risks that this merger poses and on the defense of the specificities of our professions and the preservation of our premises, whatever the name we impose on them. We will continue to fight to maintain a local and quality public radio service, HERE and elsewhere!
Paris, January 6, 2025.
Download the press release in PDF
