Radio France

**Radio France** is French public radio broadcaster owned by **Government of France**, which manages public radio stations in **Metropolitan France**, several musical groups, and a record label.

## History

The national radio broadcaster **Radio France** was created on 1 January 1975, the effective date of Act No. 74-696 of 7 August 1974, which abolished **Office de radiodiffusion télévision française** (**ORTF**) and created seven autonomous bodies: **Radio France**, TF1, Antenne 2 and FR3, **SFP**, **TDF** and **INA**. However, the state monopoly is maintained and each of the companies is placed under the supervision of the Prime Minister. This new National Broadcasting Corporation is charged by the reform with managing and developing the public radio channels of the former Office, with the exception of the regional radio and ultra-radio centers which are entrusted to the national program company FR3. His activity actually begins on January 6, 1975

**Radio France** retains the name of the radio stations used by the **ORTF** (France Inter, France Culture, France Musique, FIP) and creates RFI which takes over the remaining radio activities of the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Directorate **ORTF**.

In 1980, faced with the proliferation of pirate radio stations in the mid-1970s and in view of the end of the monopoly of **Radio France**, if François Mitterrand became President of the Republic, but also to demonstrate to the State the capacity of **Radio France** to manage the regional stations, which are still outside its bosom, **Jacqueline Baudrier** creates three prototypes of local radio stations (Fréquence Nord, Radio Mayenne, and Melun FM) and two thematic stations: Radio 7 for young people and Radio Bleue for seniors.

Act No. 82-652 of 29 July 1982 on audiovisual communication abolishes the State monopoly and recreates by decree No. 82-792 of 17 September 1982 the national radio broadcasting company **Radio France**, which is now placed under the supervision of the Haute The Audiovisual Communication Authority, which draws up the specifications, monitors the competition rules and appoints the chairman. By the same law, FR3 ceases to be the operator of the 29 regional radio stations which are transferred to **Radio France** on 1 January 1983, with the exception of the 9 ultra-marine stations which are affiliated to Société de Radiodiffusion et de télévision Française pour l'Outre-mer (**RFO**) that has just been created for this purpose. Similarly, Radio France Internationale is gaining autonomy by becoming a subsidiary of **Radio France**.

Act No. 86-1067 of 30 September 1986 on freedom of communication made Radio France Internationale an independent company of **Radio France** since 1987. The same year, **Radio France** closed Radio 7 and, with technical means and a share of the staff and the budget thus released, creates the first 24-hour radio news channel in France, France Info, with an information point every half hour, specialized sections and the follow-up of events .

In March 1989, **Radio France** had one of the longest strikes in its history, so **Jean Maheu** became president and CEO of Maison Ronde.

Ten years later, in 1997, **Radio France** launched Le Mouv', a new all-digital radio for young people, based in Toulouse. She moved to Paris in 2010.

In September 2000, **Plan Bleu** implements the France Bleu network, born of the merger of the local radios of **Radio France** and Radio Bleue. The FIPs of Metz and Nice are part of this merger. In the same period, Plan Bleu concerns the FIP network (closure of five stations) and the distribution of Le Mouv' frequencies.

As of 2010, after ten years of break, **Radio France** is expanding the France Bleu network with the opening of France Bleu Maine (1 June 2010), France Bleu Toulouse (23 February 2011) and France Bleu Saint-Étienne Loire (14 January 2013).

In May 2014, **Radio France** launched **RF8**, a website dedicated to sharing and listening to music, the principle of which is to put online a playlist created by the music programmers of all the channels.

On 31 October 2014, a fire broke out at approximately 12:40 pm on the eighth floor of **the Radio House** and spread to the seventh floor. All the radio stations of **Radio France** (but not France Bleu located in the temporary premises of General Mangin Avenue) will be interrupted for almost two hours (from 12:40 to 14:10). France Info, which has evacuated live on air, will resume its programs fairly quickly from the studios of France Bleu.

In February 2015, Le Mouv' becomes Mouv' a musical radio station strongly positioned on hip-hop and Electro federating a community of listeners and Internet users aged 15 to 30 years.

As a result of financial problems, a strike took place at **Radio France** between March and April 2015, the longest in its history (28 days). The group has a deficit of € 21.3 million and is expected to save around € 50 million. Several avenues are invoked as a voluntary separation plan for 300 to 380 people.

In the midst of a strike, the Court of Auditors published a report pointing to the "very favorable" working conditions of public radio stations, in particular concerning the volume of work, supplementary remuneration, benefits in kind, overworked services, the threat of strike action as a "central factor in collective bargaining". The report also shows that budgets have increased by 27.5% in ten years, an increase of 18.8% between 2006 and 2013.

On 6 October 2015, the Paris Commercial Court found **Radio France** guilty of unfair competition to private radio stations. On 15 January 2016, the public service was accused of having broadcast new branded commercial messages on France Bleu's premises, in contravention of its terms and conditions and in defiance of the previous judgment.

On 1 September 2016, a French TV version of France Info was launched by France Télévisions. This new information channel aims to be a global medium of public information (TV, Radio and Internet). This new channel is based on the France Info brand, coming from **Radio France** radio, but also from its experience and responsiveness. The creation of this new channel brings together the major public media groups, as it is powered by France Télévisions, **Radio France** (via France Info Radio), France Média Monde (via France 24) and **INA**.