“The end of Radio Temps Rodez?” : the founder’s alert

Will community radio stations also be victims of the austerity plan announced by the Prime Minister, Michel Barnier? “It is with astonishment that we discovered the proposed finance law for 2025. Despite a maintained Culture budget, the fund to support radio expression has suffered a drastic cut of more than 30%, or more than 10 million euros! This reduction, part of the savings plan desired by the government, is not a simple budget cut: it is unheard of!is alarmed in a press release by Pierre-Étienne Vanpouille, founding president of Radio Temps Rodez and vice-president of the collective of “free radios of Occitanie”. A reduction in allocations which would correspond, according to him, to the annual cost of more than one full-time job.

A letter sent to local elected officials and parliamentarians

“This therefore painfully reduces one of the means of communication of the social and solidarity economy. If this measure were to be confirmed, our public service mission would be doomed in the short term”he continues, in a letter sent to the department’s parliamentarians and while the national representatives of these free radio stations are due to meet this Friday with the management of the office of the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati. “Your support, as elected officials, is essential. You can, if you wish, take the initiative of sending a message to the ministry before this meeting. Your support is essential because the consequences of this clear cut in the functioning economics of community radio stations are clear: for Radio Temps Rodez, if our cash flow can allow us to last at least a year, the pure and simple disappearance of your radio station is on the horizon… “alerts the manager of the station connected to 107FM, from the original studio on rue des Frères-de-Turenne. RTR has been broadcasting since 2006.