Goodbye France Bleu, hello “Here”. The network of 44 local public antennas of Radio France will change its name to “Here” from Monday January 6, 2025 at 5 a.m.. A transformation which marks a major turning point in the French public audiovisual landscape and which is part of the merger initiated between France Bleu and France 3. The announcement was made on Wednesday November 27 by Céline Pigalle, director of France Bleu, during a press conference at the Maison de la Radio in Paris. The slogan of Here? “Local news, good humor and music.“
A rapprochement that sparks debate
Since November 5, the “Ici” logo has already been visible on France 3, but only during regional programs. “The Ici brand is primarily intended to bring together our forces under the same label (and under) a common flag“, explained Céline Pigalle. In an interview given to Puremédias on November 17, the director announced that the definitive change would take place.early 2025″, without specifying the timetable. “After having reaffirmed the promise of the local, the time has come to rename it with this new common identity with the regional network of France 3”, she added.
According to her, the name change is part of a desire to anchor local public media in modernity. “The essential point is to dispel the idea that proximity is aimed at an aging population. On the contrary, proximity is deeply inscribed in the era“, explained Céline Pigalle, quoting sociologist Jean Viard. “CThe brand change will help respond to this. And this should therefore give us audience levels higher than those we have been able to experience“, she promises. A renewal which therefore aims to meet the expectations of a digital audience while strengthening the link with the territories. “What is proximity? It's helping listeners in their everyday choices, not necessarily where you live but in the intimate and personal sphere.“, had Céline Pigalle with Puremédias.
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However, this development is not unanimous. It sparked union opposition within the two groups, with some seeing it as the beginnings of a total merger between the two entities. “I am not going to make predictions about the social conflicts that could arise. My leitmotif is to explain the choices we make, to try to convince and to support the changes as much as possible.s”, she declared to Puremédias. She explains that to lighten the workload, content produced at national level will be made available to local branches, helping to relieve their editorial staff.
At the same time, the question of the status of public broadcasting remains a politically sensitive subject. Paused after the dissolution of the National Assembly, the project to create a holding company bringing together France Télévisions, Radio France, France Médias Monde and Ina will be back in parliamentary debates from December 17.
