Fun Radio

**Fun Radio** is French private radio station owned by RTL Group. The station broadcasts dance floor music.

## History

**Fun Radio** was founded on October 2, 1985 in the south of **France** under the name **FUN** by **Éric Péchadre**, **Pierre Lattès** and **Jean-Baptiste Blanchemain**, which federate six NRJ franchise stations owned by them (**Nancy**, **Grenoble**, **Montpellier**, **Bordeaux**, **Carcassonne** and **Toulouse**) and a Chic FM station (**Nice**) directed by **Françoise Martin**, an station manager and programs at **Cofirad SA**. This secession is prepared in secret with a small team composed among others of **Bernard Dobel**, **Michel Decroix**, the animators of these stations being informed only the same day. Same for the Parisian management of NRJ.

Among the very first animators of the station were **DJ Didier Sinclair** (until 1991), **Jean-Luc Reichmann** and **Julien Courbet**. **Bernard Montiel** is also one of the very first animators of **Fun Radio**, where he animates a program on the cinema.

Despite a good anchoring in the south of France, **FUN** is experiencing financial difficulties and was bought back in September 1987 by the **Hersant** group, which renamed it **Fun Radio** and merged it with the networks of Chic FM. The radio moved to **143 avenue Charles-de-Gaulle** (**Neuilly-sur-Seine**) and stayed there until 1999. Most of Chic FM's presenters, including **Nagui** and **Laurent Boyer**, were thanked.

In 1988, **Fun Radio** was the French music network with the most stations: 97 against 56 at NRJ, 50 at Kiss FM, 16 at Skyrock and 7 at Hit FM. The music program of **Fun Radio** is then oriented around the hits of the moment (first musical tests by Phone) with the 6 Tops of a Block. The appointment of **Benoît Sillard** to the direction of the radio in 1989 will allow **Fun Radio** to find his style.

In 1991, while he is holding the station on Skyrock, **Arthur** is debauched by **Fun Radio**. The audience of the morning increases and the station displays 5% of cumulated audience with games and delusions original and impertinent on a large network, the ***Orgasmotron***. **Fun** then precedes the other radios that target the young audience on this time slot. In 1992, **Arthur** left **Fun Radio** for Europe 1.

Moderators: **Alexandra Dayan**, **Lucienne Berlu Lulu** (**Isabelle Benhadj**), **Zorglub** (**morning**), **Bruno Treize**, **Bill**, **Difool**, **Alexandre Debanne**, **Laurent Baffie** (***Vas-y fait nous rire***, 1990-1992) **Bill Debruge**, **Eddy** (**Eddy Gronfier**, **One-T**), **Elton Djoovy** (**Frédéric Jouve**), **Sam Choko** (**Philippe Sage**), **Stef Le Maniac** (**Stéphane Blanc**), **Marc Potain**, **Captain Transistor**, **Cookie**, **Mandrak**, **Jean François M**, **Le Gaucher** (**Bruno Chevalier**), **Diego** (**Roland Olivier**), **Arthur**.

In October 1992, faced with the success of ***Bonsoir la Planète*** on Skyrock, **Benoît Sillard** airs the show ***Lovin 'Fun*** animated by **Le Doc**, **Christian Spitz**, **pediatrician**, and **Difool**. **Fun Radio** becomes the most listened radio after 20:00 with this free station and prevention program on love and sexuality for teenagers and young adults.

In 1993, the CLT - Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion - (RTL Group) between 30% in the capital of **Fun Radio**. Radio operates mostly rock-grunge music programming, and free broadcasts occupy the majority of the time slots. In the spring of 1994, **Fun Radio** beat its historical records of audience with 8.7 points of audience against 10 for NRJ, thanks to ***Lovin' Fun*** and the polemic born around this broadcast, the **CSA** having recalled several times to the " order the station as a result of ethical and raw questions. In addition, the station doubles its turnover.

In January 1995, **Cauet** in charge of the morning made a bad joke about the concentration camps compared to holiday clubs, which will lead **Fun Radio** to dismiss him. From this episode, will be born an enmity with **Arthur**.

Animators: **Max**, **Cauet**, **Arnold**, **Difool**, **The Doc**, **Bill**, **Genie Godula**, **Julia** and **Miguel**.

At the beginning of 1996, **Fun Radio** reoriented its programming towards a musical program mixing **RnB**/ **techno**/**dance**/**rap**. Theme or humor shows appear like ***Éric et Ramzy Show***, ***Fun Voyages*** or ***Ciné Fun*** with **Arnold** and **Laurent Weil**. ***Lovin 'Fun*** continues with a new co-host.

On November 3, 1997, **Axel Duroux**, then CEO of RTL 2, took over the presidency of **Fun Radio** and placed **Sam Zniber** as its station director. ***Lovin' Fun*** disappeared from the station in June 1998. Almost a quarter of the radio employees left the station or were dismissed. In the autumn of 1998, a new format appeared: the station changed its historic logo with a pink and square logo, very similar to those of RTL and RTL 2. Many services - technical, commercial, programming - are pooled with those of RTL 2, which had almost merged with **Fun**, when it was called **Maxximum**. Music programming becomes rock and dance. This new image attracts a lot of criticism from its listeners: the radio loses 1 point of audience compared to last spring, until reaching historically low levels.

**Gérard de Suresnes**, at the beginning simple listener discovered by **Max** obtains his own free radio broadcast of debates on multiple subjects more or less serious (***Les Débats de Gérard***).

In January 1999, **Fun Radio** underwent further upheavals. The logo changes for the second time in 6 months, the station moves to the premises of RTL, **Bayard in Paris Street**. The format changes again to **Groove'n'dance**. 6 months later, the audience goes up spectacularly with 6.6% of cumulative audience, beating even Skyrock, Europe 2 and Chérie FM. The audience continued to progress and break records until 2002. That year, M6 sold its 10% stake to RTL Group (ex **CLT-UFA**), which became a 100% shareholder of **Fun Radio**.

Animators: **Max**, **Eric** and **Ramzy** (***Eric et Ramzy Show***), **Arnold** and **Laurent Weil** (***Ciné Fun***), **Le Doc**, **Genie**, **Arnold**, **Bill**, **Miguel**, **Lorenzo Pancino** with **DomDom PERRIN**, **Emmanuelle Gaume**, **Jessyca Falour**, **Florian Gazan**, **Yannick**, **Morgan**, **Dario**, **Bob**, **Victor**, **Kash**, **Barth** (***Morning Bio***), **Gwen** and **Martin** (***Fun Tonic***)

In January 2000, **Axel Duroux** left the RTL Group to take over the management of **Endemol France**. He is replaced by the CEO of RTL, **Stéphane Duhamel**, who will be replaced the same year by **Robin Leproux**. In September 2000, **Arthur** returned to **Fun Radio** to animate the show ***Planet Arthur*** with **Manu Levy** and **Myriam Callas**. In 2002, the radio launched **Des Hits et du Fun**, and then beat its second record audience with 8.1% of cumulative audience. In 2004, **Sébastien Cauet** was announced on **Fun Radio** to animate the morning, which provoked a media-legal conflict with the animator **Arthur** who left the station.

In June 2005, the radio adopted a Rhythmic Hit format consisting of electronic music and R&B. **Fun Radio**'s slogan becomes **Soul & Dance**. **Max**, the station's emblematic host for 12 years, left the station on December 23, 2005 and was replaced by **Sophie Gaillard**. **Sam Zniber** left the management of **Fun Radio** and RTL 2 at the end of 2006. He is replaced by **Jérôme Fouqueray**.

Moderators: **Max**, **Le Doc**, **Genie**, **Arnold**, **Bill**, **Miguel**, **Lorenzo Pancino** with **DomDom Perrin**, **Emmanuelle Gaume**, **Jessyca Falour**, **Florian Gazan**, **Gaël**, **Yannick**, **Morgan** and **Dario**, **Sam Z** (**Sam Zniber**), **Barth**, **Bob**, **Gwen** and **Martin** (***Fun Tonic***), **Mélanie**, **Isa** and **Martin** (morning show), **Arthur** (***Planet Arthur***), **Cauet**.

in 2007, the station changes logo and slogan **Le Son Dancefloor**, with a musical positioning that evolves. Two novelties are also appearing: ***Fun list***moderatored in the evening by **Dario** or the ***Eurodance 25*** every Sunday from 19:00 to 21:00. In June 2008, **Sébastien Cauet** left the station to join Virgin Radio. **Manu Levy** succeeds him successfully with the show ***Manu à la Radio!***. The station is now fighting with Skyrock for France's second radio station. In the same year, **Fun Radio** became 1st music radio in 20 cities in France (**Lyon**, **Bordeaux**, **Toulouse**, **Nancy**, **Tours**, **Caen**... - **Médialocales** poll July 2011) and the most powerful French radio on new digital listening media .

In May 2011, **Manu Levy** left **Fun Radio** to be replaced the following season by **Bruno Guillon** with the program ***Bruno*** ***dans la Radio!*** from 6:00 to 9:13.

On August 19, 2013, the mythical show ***Lovin' Fun*** was relaunched and hosted by **Karima Charni**, **Karel** and **Christian Spitz**. ***Lovin' Fun*** is followed by a new free-air show hosted by **MiKL** during the week, ***#MiKL NO LIMIT***. On November 19, 2013, **Fun Radio** became France's second-largest music radio station with 3,513,000 listeners/day, ahead of NRJ but ahead of Skyrock (confirmed in the following poll, where the Bruno morning radio program set a record).

Moderators: **Dario**, **Cauet**, **Manuel Levy** (***Manu à la Radio!***), **Bruno Guillon** (***Bruno dans la Radio***), **Karima Charni** and **Christian Spitz** (***Lovin' Fun***), **MiKL** (***#MiKL No Limit***)

On September 1, 2014 **Jérôme Fouqueray**, formerly Director General of **Fun Radio** and RTL 2 stations, became Managing Director of W9 and was replaced by **Tristan Jurgensen**, also Director of **RTL Net**, the digital subsidiary of Radio RTL. **Tristan Jurgensen** pervades **Fun Radio** with the **Ibiza** festivities by relocating some of his shows and bringing DJs from **Ibiza** to **Paris** for the **Fun Radio Ibiza Experience** at the **AccorHotels Arena**.

As of September 2015, **Fun Radio** devotes 2 hours of titles mixed by DJs (at 19:00 and midnight), which supervises 2 free stations: the 20:00-22:00 occupied by ***Lovin' Fun*** and the 22:00-0:00 facilitators **Marion & Anne**-So to attract male and female audiences.

In December 2016, Groupe M6 announces the acquisition of 100% of the radio division of the RTL Group, which includes **Fun Radio**, for 216 million euros. The aim of the acquirer is to bring television and radio activities.

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