your local radio station will change its name, this is what it should be called

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Adieu France Bluebonjour Ici : the network of 44 local public antennas of Radio France will change name on January 6, 2025 as part of a merger initiated a long time ago with France 3announced its managers on Wednesday November 27, 2024.

A merger with France 3

On France 3, and the logo « Ici » has already been present on screen since November 5, during regional programs.

The “Ici” brand “first and foremost aims to unite our forces under the same label (and under) a common flag,” indicated Céline Pigalle, director of France Blueduring 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 long-term union of France 3 et France Blue under the brand Iciin order to strengthen cooperation illustrated by the joint mornings launched in 2019.

This project sparked union opposition in both companieshis adversaries seeing in it the beginnings of a pure and simple merger.

Asked about other future mergers between television and radio, Céline Pigalle replied: “We can think about continuing in this logic” and “we are going to work on other shared elements”.

“A revolution”

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 “ major local radio, TV and digital media » what 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.

Changing brands is “obviously taking a risk”, it is “in keeping with the message we want to send to the public”, added the president of Radio France.

Getting closer to listeners

According to her, it is necessary “ media closer to peoples, in touch with all the realities of the country”, while they are “particularly centralized and concentrated in Paris”.

“We want to work hard to reduce the feeling of distance, invisibility and, for some, abandonment,” insisted Mr. Veil, pointing out “the disconnection of a whole section of the public from the media” .

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 wants to detect “weak signals” within the regions, whether they are emerging social crises such as “yellow vests” or new trends, explained Yann Chouquet, deputy director of the network.

To do this, its teams will rely on artificial intelligence, for example to synthesize testimonies from listeners from all over France on a theme or to see if the same phenomenon is found in the news in several regions.

Other new features, creating podcasts (in French and English) designed as guides for people who want to visit this or that region, and reinforcing chronicles on daily life.

With AFP

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