Goodbye France Bleu, hello Here: the network of 44 public local branches of Radio France will change its name on January 6 as part of a merger initiated long ago with France 3, its managers announced on Wednesday.
On France 3, the “Ici” logo has already been present on the screen since November 5, during regional programs. The Ici brand “first aims to bring together our forces under the same label (and under) a common flag”, indicated Céline Pigalle, director of France Bleu, during a press conference in Paris.
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.
These changes come at a time when the status of public broadcasting is the subject of political discussions. Suspended by the dissolution, the project to create a holding company bringing together its different branches (France Télévisions, Radio France, France Médias Monde and Ina) will return to the National Assembly on December 17.
The creation of the “major local radio, TV and digital media” that is Ici is “a revolution”, judged Sibyle Veil. She was not present at the press conference, but spoke at a conference organized at the same time by the consulting firm NPA.
To this end, Ici focuses on “local news, music and good humor”, detailed Céline Pigalle, with an emphasis on “proximity” and “service”.
According to her, the “promise” of Ici is to “relay what the people say and what the people experience”. This can offer a “counterpoint” to “populist” “polarized and politicized” proposals, she said without further details. Ici thus wants to detect “weak signals” within the regions, whether they are emerging social crises such as “yellow vests” or new trends, explained Yann Chouquet, the deputy director of the network.
