Chérie FM

**Chérie FM** is French private radio station owned by NRJ Group. The station broadcasts music for women.

## History

**Chérie FM** was created on March 28, 1987 in **Paris** by **Jean-Paul Baudecroux** on the frequency of the defunct Gilda la Radiopolitaine, bought from the **Filipacchi** group for three million francs, in association with **Compagnie Générale des Eaux**, **CBS France** and a financial. **Jean-Paul Baudecroux** chose his name in reference to "cherry", "cerise" in French, having considered calling it **Emotion**. It is positioned as the main competitor of Nostalgie, then independent, on the diffusion of old standards, in order to reach an adult audience. The program is also offered to local radio stations, although the **CNCL** forbids NRJ to constitute a second network. **Alexandre Debanne** and **Mitsou** are the leaders of an station for which the investment is low, but the success to the rendezvous, with the fourth place of the private FM radios in **Île-de-France**.

**Chérie FM** obtained a national presence in 1989 when NRJ bought the Pacific FM network, to the detriment of Kiss FM, also a candidate. Most of the province's network stations are affiliated with **Chérie FM** on October 31, while the Parisian frequency is used to create Rire et Chansons. It allows NRJ to counter the development of Europe 2, created in 1987 and distributed to local stations throughout France. Pacific FM's co-founder, **Marc Pallain**, becomes the president of the second network of the NRJ Group, before quickly assuming other responsibilities with **Jean-Paul Baudecroux**.

In 1992, **Chérie FM** extended to Belgium under the name **Chérie FM Belgique**. The station stops in 2008 and returns in 2015, in the form of webradio, with its own animators.

Between 1993 and 1994, with **Christophe Sabot** as Program Director, **Chérie FM**, which has "a hundred or so frequencies", climbs from 2.3% to 3.6% cumulative audience (CA) 5, or 500,000 listeners more. The purchase of local stations continues, thanks to the **Carignan** law of February 1, 1994, which increases from 45 million to 150 million the number of inhabitants that can reach the same group. This liberal text also includes a protectionist article, which imposes a quota of 40% of francophone music. In order to become the radio with the strongest female auditorium, surveys are carried out by telephone to define the musical line, but also the stamp of the animators and journalists. "Male voices for animation, feminine for chronicles and information. "

In 1995, the radio moved from its tight premises, located **rue Auguste-Vacquerie**, near the **Étoile in Paris**, to the headquarters of NRJ, **rue Boileau**, in the 16th arrondissement. It counts as competitors Nostalgie, Europe 2 and now RFM, recently repositioned on the format "gold". The NRJ Group creates a local news agency for its three networks, with offices of journalists in a score of cities. In September, **Chérie FM** launches **Une problème, une solution**, a dialogue program with listeners, hosted by **Marie-Pierre Jouannet**.

In 1997, the station experienced a drop of 0.6 points in the first poll wave of the year, prompting its leaders to revise its grid to give more space to music. **Jean-Marc Morandini**, host of a morning program and presenter of ***Tout est Possible***, on TF1, becomes director of the station.

When Nostalgie was acquired by the NRJ Group in 1998, **Jean-Paul Baudecroux** says that "the increase in local programs is the only way to attract local advertising, which mainly goes to free newspapers and posters"

In 1999, while its hearings were set for the first time above the 6% of CA, **Chérie FM** was called on by the CSA, such as RTL 2, Nostalgie, RFM and MFM, for non-compliance with quotes new talents and new Francophone productions. In November, **Jean-Marc Morandini** left the program management department.

In 2000, the direction of the programs was provided by **Max Guazzini** and the director of the program by **Mike Wagner**. After six years of stability around 6%, **Chérie FM** reached its historic peak in the first quarter of 2004, with 6.5% of CA, although it remains far from NRJ (12.2%) and Nostalgie (8.8% ). Several thematic webradios derived from the main brand are launched. Their number will gradually increase, especially in 2007, with the avowed aim of stifling competition on the internet.

Between 2000 and 2006, the station proposes a morning "100% local", unrivaled outside France Bleu, although its resources are inconsistent with those of the public service. A journalist ensures the presentation of the flashes and the reports on the ground, by local.

**Chérie FM** has 132 frequencies in 2003. **Marc Pallain** considers that "what constitutes a modern radio is the life of a community around fifty tubes, identical to those of the competitors". The following year, as the audience began a slow decline in the face of the rise of new modes of consumption of music, 19 the station inaugurated local stalls on the weekend. **Marc Scalia** became the director of programs after the departure of **Max Guazzini**. As director since November 2006, he sets out as a line "to vibrate active, dynamic women and who decide men of today". He focuses radio on Francophone variety and new talents, suppresses local morning performances (while keeping stalls for information) and installs a duo of animators, **Alexandre Debanne** and **Valérie Benaïm**, at the head of ***Debout les Chéries***, Between 6:00 and 9.30 **Didier Bouchend'homme** took the lead of the programs in 2008.

In March 2009, while the hearings of the various chains were still crumbling and the flagship was experiencing a leadership crisis, the NRJ Group unions denounced a plan for regional platforms, which risks sidelining "almost half of the animators ". He will not finally see the day.

After the return of the local morning shows, during two seasons, from September 2012 to August 2014, the information meetings are part of the morning of **Vincent Cerutti**, recruited while presenting ***Danse avec les étoiles*** on TF1, while the regional animators animate the **12:00-16:00**. In September 2015, **Stéphanie Loire** replaces **Laurie Cholewa** in the co-animation of the morning. This formula seems to initially bear fruit, with a cumulative audience of 4.4% at the end of 2015, "the highest increase of music stations," **Jean-Paul Baudecroux** welcomes. The station passing in front of RFM benefits from its repositioning. Nevertheless, the station falls to 4% over the period April-June 2016.

**Chérie FM** is taking part in 2011 in a new conflict between the majority of private music stations and the music industry. Record companies want the **CSA** to tighten the quotas for French-language songs on the airwaves because they observe that 40% quotas are made on very few pieces, which does not encourage creation. For their part, musical radios fear the competition of platforms like **Deezer** or **Spotify**. NRJ Executive Director **Maryam Salehi** said: "We sometimes have to work on the length of a title to adapt to the constraints of the radio, such as the information frames or publicity. "

In a report commissioned, among others, by **Chérie FM**, presented to Culture Minister **Aurélie Filippetti** and **CSA** in 2013, the combined radio stations of the collective "To keep my radio free" point to a "drying up" of majors, while the musical audience decreased by 13% between 2007 and 2012. "Reducing these rotations would be a breach of our editorial freedom," insists in February 2014 **Jean-Paul Baudecroux**.

In June 2016, a government amendment is incorporated into the Freedom of Creation, Architecture and Heritage Bill, which provides that if more than 50% of the broadcast of French-language songs is concentrated on ten titles, the additional broadcasts of more counted in quotes. Quotes can be lowered to 35% for radios that broadcast 45% of new releases and never broadcast a single song more than 150 times a month.

As of 2002, the NRJ Group presented two television channel projects for the TNT, including a version by **Chérie FM**. It will finally be launched on December 12, 2012, under the name of Chérie 25.

On July 31, 2017, the **CSA** authorized the change of name of the station **Chérie FM** in **Chérie**.

In September 2017, **Chérie**'s re-entry schedule was established without **Vincent Cerutti** but with **Stéphanie Loire** for ***Le Réveil Chérie***. The director of the antennas **Gaël Sanquer** also indicates that the band between 16:00 and 20:00 will now be proposed locally, on frequencies whose station holds a license in category C.

But from a programmatic point of view, the station continues to install its music format.

On 22nd April 2019, **Chérie** was renamed back as **Chérie FM**.

## Logos

First logo (1987-1989)Second logo (1989-1992)Third logo (1992-1997)Fourth logo (1997-2007)Fifth logo (2007-2012)Sixth and current logo (2012-2017, 2019-present)Seventh logo (2017-2019)