It was founded on July 29, 1939, by the decree of then Prime Minister Edouard Daladier. The founding decision was motivated by the upcoming World War II, with the attempt to establish a state monopoly on broadcasting, coordinate propaganda and facilitate censorship. The work was interrupted temporarily on the basis of the provisions of the capitulation agreement before Germany on June 25, 1940 but on July 5, it started working in the so-called "Free Zone" of Vichy.