Radio France

Radio France is the French national public radio broadcaster.

Mission

The two principal missions of Radio France are to create and develop programming across all of its stations, and to oversee the development and management of its musical ensembles. These consist of the Orchestre National de France (National Orchestra of France), the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France (Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra), the Chœur de Radio France (Choir of Radio France), and the Maîtrise de Radio France, a choir school that includes a choir of children and teenagers.

History

Radio broadcasting in France began to develop at the end of the 19th century. In 1897, a year after the experiments of Marconi, Eugène Ducretet began trials of radio transmission using a mast installed on the third level of the Eiffel Tower. By 1921, regular information broadcasts were taking place from a studio in the tower, including weather forecasts and stock market prices.

On 6 November 1922, eight days before the creation of the BBC, Radiola began regular broadcasts as the first private French radio transmitter. In 1924 it was renamed Radio Paris. Other stations soon followed, including Radio Toulouse and Radio Lyon, and later Radio Luxembourg in 1932 and 1933. By the outbreak of World War II, France had 14 commercial and 12 public radio stations.

Between 1940 and 1944, radio broadcasting in both the German-occupied zone and the southern territory governed by the Vichy regime was taken over by the state.

Organization

General

In September 2019, a bill emanating from the Ministry of Culture announces the creation of "France Médias", a parent company which will bring together France Télévisions, Radio France, France Médias Monde and the INA.[2] This bill also provides for the end of the appointments of directors of Radio France by the CSA, a power which will be attributed to the board of directors of the radiophonic entity, which will continue to operate independently, but also in synergy with the other entities of France Médias.[2]

Presidents and CEOs

Mathieu Gallet, former President and CEO of the Institut national de l'audiovisuel (National Audiovisual Institute (INA)) from 2010 to 2014, was unanimously appointed by the members of the Higher Audiovisual Council (CSA)[3]

Thus, he was revoked by the CSA and Sibyle Veil took over.

Communication

Beyond its primary profession which is to make radio, Radio France works on many political, social or cultural projects. The group deploys resources to support various causes, is committed on several fronts, and makes it known through communication actions. Thus, in 2018 Radio France indicates that:

The new 2018-2020 company agreement "supports Radio France's proactive policy in favor of equal opportunities";[4]
A new three-year company agreement to promote professional and salary equality between men and women was signed on 1 July 2018.[5]
Since 2016, "project partnerships" have been carried out for the cultural development of French-speaking countries (Benin, Haiti, Gabon).[6]
The audiovisual group and the France-China Committee join forces to promote economic and cultural exchanges between France and China around music[7]

Headquarters

Radio France has its headquarters at the Maison de la Radio et de la Musique, a circular building designed by the architect Henry Bernard (architect) and inaugurated in December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle, which stands beside the River Seine in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. In addition to housing Radio France's central services and the studios of several of its channels, the building is home to the Musée de Radio France, a museum of radio and television broadcasting and recording techniques. The building caught fire in October 2014.[10]

Ethics committee

In application of the law of 14 November 2016 and its implementing decree of 21 March 2017, an ethics committee is created to strengthen freedom, the independence and pluralism of the media. […] This committee is made up of five independent individuals appointed for three years, and whose mandate is renewable.[11]

Equipment

The headquarters of Radio France is constituted of roughly a hundred studios dedicated to radio broadcasts and concerts, as well as an auditorium, which stands on the site of the former studios 102 and 103. Public broadcasts and concerts are generally held in studio 105 (with 237 seats) and studio 106 (with 137 seats). Studios 611, 621, 511, and 521 are dedicated to the France Inter channel. Studio 221 is described as the "telegenic" studio, where programs such as "Les Informés", "8.30 Franceinfo", or "Questions Politiques" are recorded and aired on the television channel France Info.

Budget

The Radio France group is 100% owned by the French State. Nearly 80% of Radio France's funding comes from Television licence, the remaining 20% comes from own resources, mainly from advertising and diversification activities developed by Radio France.

When Television licence was repealed in 2022, it was decided that it would be financed through a portion of VAT (4 B€ per year for both France Télévisions and Radio France).

type	Société anonyme
industry	Public broadcasting
foundation	January 1, 1975
location city	Paris
location country	France
area served	France
key people	Sibyle Veil (CEO)
products	Radio broadcasting, radio production
services	Public radio
revenue	671 millions € (2018)
net income	7,3 millions € (2018)
num employees	4 562 (2018)
owner	Government of France
subsid	France Inter France Bleu France Culture France Musique France Info FIP Mouv' Sophia (Radio France) Arte (15%) Radio France Publicité

Mission

History

Stations

Organization

General

Presidents and CEOs

Communication

Headquarters

Ethics committee

Equipment

Budget

Group activities

Information and investigation

Regular and event-based partnerships

Broadcasting

Analogue broadcasting

Digital broadcasting

See also

Sources

External links

References