This Wednesday, November 27, the biggest media players gathered in Paris for the NPA conference, organized by NPA Conseil in partnership with 366, La Tribune, BFM Business and Publicis Media. It is in this context that the CEO of Radio France Sibyle Veil took the floor to present the group’s strategy for the months to come. Faced with increased competition and audience fragmentation, it focused on three pillars: proximity, pluralism and podcasts. While the question of the usefulness of each euro of public spending is increasingly raised, Radio France must prove its relevance and its territorial anchoring.
For Sibyle Veil, it is no longer a simple “positional war”but of a “war of conquest”implying a better understanding of the uses of each audience and a reinforced presence in the field. The objective is not to give up bringing together a large audience, but to serve it better by going “where they are”. She also addressed the challenge of pluralism in the face of recurring criticism, particularly regarding France Inter, emphasizing the gap between “perception and reality” content broadcast. Finally, the importance of the podcast as a new space of influence was underlined, based on the example of the American presidential campaign.
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The presence of Radio France on X (formerly Twitter) was also discussed. Sibyle Veil explained that the question arose from the absence of reliable certification of accounts and the rise of disinformation. “We need to be able to continue talking to the 18 million French people” who are on this social network, she estimated, judging the presence of her group onnecessary“. The head of Radio France pleaded for a transfer to other platforms, while maintaining a dialogue with the public on all digital spaces.
A revolution of the season: proximity at the heart of the strategy
Radio France, in collaboration with France Télévisions, is in the process of setting up “Ici”, a major local radio, TV and digital media, with a common application, a shared editorial project and the launch of a website. This project, which will be finalized in early 2025, marks a desire to “revolution of the season“for public service, by establishing itself more locally. It is a “true conviction that we share within the public service, the fact that we need media that are closer to the people, media that are in touch with the whole reality of the country“.
Pluralism: a permanent challenge and a necessity
France Inter, regularly criticized for a supposed lack of pluralism, is at the center of concerns. Sibyle Veil called for more attentive listening to the channel’s content, inviting us to go beyond the short and often biased extracts broadcast on social networks. She highlighted the gap between “the perception and reality of what France Inter does on a daily basis“. A recent study revealed 55 different types of speakers in a given time slot, testifying to a diversity much greater than appearances.
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For the CEO of Radio France, pluralism goes beyond the simple confrontation of opinions, it encompasses the “plurality of the centers of interest of the French”. Radio France works to offer varied content so that every citizen can find what they are looking for, whether “the desire to escape with music on FIP, the desire to escape with stories on France Culture, the desire to understand and learn about France Inter”.
The podcast, a new field of influence
Sibyle Veil insisted on the importance of podcasts as new spaces of influence and dialogue with the public. Taking the example of the US presidential campaign, where Donald Trump and Kamala Harris both used the podcast format to reach target audiences, she highlighted the podcast’s ability to “reach out to new audiences and offer them offers that meet their expectations“. Radio France, a pioneer in the field, offers a catalog of more than 3,500 episodes downloaded more than 100 million times.
The podcast, “at the crossroads“, offers significant creative potential but also presents risks, notably that of disinformation, as observed in the United States. Radio France is aware of this challenge and intends to “reintroduce a plurality of voices“respecting”the ethical principles of journalism”.
