NRJ

**NRJ** is French private radio station owned by NRJ Group. The station also currently has more webradios than all the other radio stations worldwide, with about 147 (before, there was about 160, sometimes even nearly 200). Their programming is only controlled by three or four staff members.

## History

Returning from the **United States** where he studied commerce, **Jean-Paul Baudecroux** took advantage of the election of **François Mitterrand** in 1981 to create his free radio. It is a question of liberalizing the airwaves and **Baudecroux** sees the opportunity to make a profitable business, although advertising is prohibited at this time on new FM radios.

After the idea of ​​a radio for women, **Baudecroux** finally opts for a musical radio for young people, and thus founds **NRJ** (for **Nouvelle Radio des Jeunes**). He installs his studios in a small apartment located on the top floor of a building near the **Buttes Chaumont** in front of the entrance of the metro **Telegraphe** in the 20th arrondissement, a high altitude place, strategic to mount its antenna and cover all Paris on 92 , 0 MHz.

**NRJ**, with the associative status, like all the free radios before 1984, is directed until the arrival of the pub on the waves of the FM (1984) by **Jean-Pierre d'Amico**. Facilitators are volunteers. From the beginning, **NRJ** intends to set itself apart from its competitors. To do this, she focuses her efforts on two essential points: sound quality and music programming. While many of its competitors are audible only in certain districts of the French capital, **NRJ** manages to water a large area. In addition, the disks broadcast on the air must imperatively be approved by **Jean Pierre d'Amico** - this allows to have a homogeneity of program.

Thanks to this strategy, **NRJ** becomes one of the most popular free-to-air radio stations, alongside **Radio show** and RFM. If advertising is officially banned, the radio does not fail to divert the law, by disseminating in particular clandestine advertising.

It was only after the officialization of advertising on the FM band (1984) that **NRJ** was structured by taking offices at **39, avenue d'Iéna**. It was then that **Jean Paul Baudrecroux** really appeared and took over the ship's orders, he decided to part with **Jean Pierre d'Amico**. Volunteer animators, who understand that the radio begins to make turnover, do not delay to claim a salary (a day of strike even with messages on the air). This became even more legitimate in the summer of 1984 when **François Mitterrand** authorized advertising on FM radio: **NRJ** then left its associative status to become a commercial enterprise. The facilitators start receiving a salary and several of them are renewed. A lawyer, **Max Guazzini**, becomes general manager of the station.

In December 1984 **NRJ**, along with five other Parisian radio stations (95.2 headed by **Benoit Clair** and **Robert Namias**, **Radio Libertaire**, **Voix du Lézard**, **Radio Solidarité** and **TSF 93)**, were suspended on 4 December by the **Haute Autorité de la communication audiovisuelle** they do not comply with their emission conditions. **NRJ**, the most affected by this measure and the most listened to (1.2 million listeners), is banned for one month; 95.2 has 15 days suspension, and the other four have on average twelve days of suspension. There are two reasons: non-respect of frequencies and, above all, excessive transmitting power, which would disrupt, in particular, the radio links between firemen and airplanes, according to the **Haute Autorité de la communication audiovisuelle**, which first more listened to because they would be the ones that break the rules the most, and to avoid being accused of attacking small radios first. **NRJ** is accused of broadcasting with excessive power (over 500W authorized, which blurs France Culture and **France Musique**). **Jean-Paul** **Baudecroux** has been surprised for the past three and a half years that free radio broadcasts have been issued, and these measures of suspension, judged today indispensable, were not implemented earlier. Despite the suspension of the radios, the broadcasts continue. **NRJ** organizes a big event: using an advertising agency and several stars including **Dalida**, she calls her listeners to go down the street. The demonstration is a huge success, making **NRJ** even more popular and forced the power to suspend its sanctions.

Thanks to its success (it is given first of all the free radios in **Paris**), the radio finally leaves its tiny studios for a large apartment at **39 avenue d'Iéna** in the 16th arrondissement. In the mid-1990s, she moved to **22 rue Boileau** again.

**NRJ** is one of the first radio stations to set up a network of local **NRJ** franchise radios in **France**. Although satellite broadcasting is still non-existent (each radio station carrying out its own programs), it makes the **NRJ** brand known to the rest of France.

On October 2, 1985, seven **NRJ** franchise stations (**Nancy**, **Montpellier**, **Bordeaux**, **Carcassonne**, **Toulouse**, and **Grenoble**) suddenly left the network to create their own: the Fun Radio network. This secession, led by **Éric Péchadre** and **Pierre Lattès**, two **NRJ** executives, as well as **Jean-Baptiste Blanchemain**, owner and director of **NRJ Montpellier**, makes management aware of the need to protect its network. From now on, it will more effectively ensure the fidelity of its radios. In addition, she is increasingly interested in their editorial line: members of **NRJ** travel the country to purify the discotheque of the radios of discs a little too folkloric, and gradually imposes a musical color **NRJ**.

Around 1986, satellite broadcasting began. The local radios become relays of the national program, while retaining a few hours of local program each day. The diffusion of advertising at the national level becomes possible, and the quality and consistency of programs at the national level are now assured to the Parisian management.

These 1980s constitute **Les Grandes Années NRJ** in the memory of the listeners. They bring together a band of animators with a great freedom of tone, specific skins for each of them, memorable passages between the animators. We will mention **Marc Scalia** and his **Starmatch**, **Thierry Defrene** and his **Funky Party**. **Serge Repp**, **Dominique Duforest** (also known as "**Dodo**"), and **Mitsou** (**NRJ**) directed by **Anthony Planes** when he returned to the air in 1994 for the **Mitsou** nights where the famous animator made direct from many discotheques Paris; **Jean-Marc Laurent** (who will then go on television before returning to the NRJ Group to run **NRJ School** from 2006 to 2008), **Éric Perrin**, journalist, and even a passage by **Daniela Lumbroso**. Despite this great freedom of tone, the radio ensures maximum professionalism.

Over the years, all FM radios are becoming more professional. The competition between networks is becoming stronger, the weakest disappear. **NRJ** also becomes more and more formatted, as well as the animators not renewed. The music program is increasingly dictated by marketing surveys. Alongside this, **NRJ** is still experiencing an increase in its audience, also due to the spectacular development of its network, its methods of communication.

Very early on, **NRJ** tried to develop a radio group. In 1987, she bought Paris **radio Gilda** to create the program Chérie FM. In 1989, the Pacific FM network was bought out. While the provincial network is broadcast to broadcast Chérie FM, the Parisian frequency of Pacific FM is used to create a third radio station: Rire et Chansons. However, this network can only be genuinely developed in the provinces since 1996, since the **CSA** had hither to hampered the development of major radio groups. Finally, **NRJ** bought Nostalgie in 1998, and tried in vain to take possession of RMC, but was prevented by the anti-concentration law of the media.

In 1991, **NRJ** entered the market. It was able to impose itself by taking account of the needs of listeners, but also by means of commercial methods, always more or less at the border of the law: dissemination of advertising before the hour, redemption of local radios for the constitution of its networks ... Today it has a European dimension, having succeeded in establishing itself in **Belgium**, **Switzerland**, **Austria**, **Germany**, **Denmark**, **Finland**, **Sweden**, **Norway** and **Lebanon**.

Following the integration of 13-14 year olds into the radio surveys of **Médiamétrie**, **NRJ** became the first French radio station in cumulated audience in 2002, surpassing RTL, which had dominated the ranking for twenty-two years. This situation does not last. The digital music revolution is indeed harming the audience of the station. According to a **Médiamétrie** survey in January 2010, **NRJ** would have demoted to fourth place, behind RTL, France Inter and Europe 1, with a turnover of less than 10% 2. In spite of this big loss of audience **NRJ** remains nevertheless the musical radio most listened to in France.

The station has since 1988 expanded internationally, and has started broadcasting in a number of countries:

* **Russia**: In June, 2006, **Prof Media**, a leading Russian media group, was granted permission to operate the **NRJ** brand in Russia. NRJ Russia is primarily intended to target an audience between 18 and 35 years old.
* **Lebanon**: On 6 June 2006, **NRJ** launched its programme on two frequencies in Lebanon. This station is run in English and broadcasts concerts and interviews with international artists from **NRJ France**.
* **Canada**: In July 2009, Astral Media re-branded its Énergie network of stations in Quebec under the **NRJ** name as part of a licensing agreement with **NRJ**. Following their acquisition by Bell Media, the license expired and the stations returned to the previous **Énergie** brand.

**NRJ** does not neglect digital. In mid-September 2008, four new webradios were launched: **NRJ Nouveautés**, **NRJ All French**, **NRJ Electro**, **NRJ Tech** On June 21, 2010, on the occasion of the **Fête de la musique**, the station was enriched with seven new webradios with **NRJ Friendly** proposes a gay and lesbian music program, **NRJ Ibiza** which proposes the songs that dance in Ibiza, **NRJ Summer** for a musical program of the summer. The **NRJ Lady Gaga**, **NRJ DJ'Stars**, **NRJ Running**, **NRJ Sessions** webradios also made their appearances. At the same time, **NRJ** launches its application on iPad, this application allows listening to the 23 webradios, watching the four web TV music, as well as seeing these two channels on the TNT.

On Tuesday, November 2, 2010, **Davy Serrano**, known as **Morgan**, former program director of Fun Radio, takes over the leadership of **NRJ**'s programs. He is joined by **Gaël Sanquer**, also from Fun Radio, a month later.

On Tuesday, July 17, 2012, **NRJ** became the first radio station in France with a cumulative audience of 11.7%, or 6,159,000 daily listeners, ahead of RTL. However, it loses its place in November 2012, in favor of RTL, which takes it back.

On July 11, 2013, **NRJ** exceeds 2 million fans on the Facebook page of the radio.

On Tuesday, 16 July 2013, **NRJ** once again became France's first radio station with a cumulative audience of 12.3%, or 6,500,000 daily listeners, taking up the position occupied by RTL and this, one year, day by day , after its last record.

The **Médiamétrie** hearings once again confirm **NRJ**, the first radio station in France during the summer (July and August) with 5,858,000 daily listeners, making **NRJ**'s best hearings during the summer.

On Tuesday, January 13, 2015, **NRJ** once again became the first radio station in France with 6,600,000 daily listeners. As well as record audience for the program ***C'Cauet*** between 19:00 and 22:00. However, for this specific program, the **CSA** sent a formal notice to **NRJ** on 28 September 2016, insofar as it found serious breaches of the provisions concerning the respect of the image of women and the protection of children and adolescence, for the issues of December 17, 2015, February 5, 2016 and March 6, 2016.

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