Radio in Paris
Encyclopedia
Radio transmission in Paris began in 1921, and today there are many AM
and FM
radio stations available to listeners in Paris
and the Île-de-France
region.
.
After the Second World War, Parisian radio was nationalized, and it was not until 1981, following the election of François Mitterrand
that private companies were able easily to broadcast in the Paris area. Mitterrand was attempting to permit the growth of radio stations through privitization and fewer regulations, following the Italian
example (in 1977, the Italian government permitted the establishment of private stations, leading to a boom in the number of stations). In the early 1980s, there were more than 200 radio stations in Paris. These stations often overlapped, broadcast only sporadically and often low-quality content. This chaotic situation came to an end after the establishment of several regulatory agencies — first the Haute Autorité, then the CNCL, and finally the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel which granted licences to operate on specific frequencies to certain companies.
on
Broadcasters in the banlieue
Amplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
and FM
Frequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
radio stations available to listeners in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and the Île-de-France
Île-de-France (région)
Île-de-France is the wealthiest and most populated of the twenty-two administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area....
region.
History
The first radio broadcast in Paris aimed at the general public took place on 24 December 1921. The next year, the French government allowed the establishment of the first private radio station in Paris: RadiolaRadiola (radio station)
Radiola was a privately owned French radio station which broadcast under that name from 6 November 1922 until 28 March 1924, to promote the Radiola radio receivers produced by the SFR. It made its first test transmissions on 26 June 1922 and broadcast its first news bulletin on 6 January 1923...
.
After the Second World War, Parisian radio was nationalized, and it was not until 1981, following the election of François Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
that private companies were able easily to broadcast in the Paris area. Mitterrand was attempting to permit the growth of radio stations through privitization and fewer regulations, following the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
example (in 1977, the Italian government permitted the establishment of private stations, leading to a boom in the number of stations). In the early 1980s, there were more than 200 radio stations in Paris. These stations often overlapped, broadcast only sporadically and often low-quality content. This chaotic situation came to an end after the establishment of several regulatory agencies — first the Haute Autorité, then the CNCL, and finally the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel which granted licences to operate on specific frequencies to certain companies.
The First Radio Stations in Paris (exhaustive chronological list)
- Radio Tour Eiffel (general interest; state radio) 24 December 1921-June 1940. At the start, it broadcast only for a half hour a day: a weather forecast, a review of the press and music. The first news broadcast took place on it 3 November 1925.
- RadiolaRadiola (radio station)Radiola was a privately owned French radio station which broadcast under that name from 6 November 1922 until 28 March 1924, to promote the Radiola radio receivers produced by the SFR. It made its first test transmissions on 26 June 1922 and broadcast its first news bulletin on 6 January 1923...
(general interest; private) 6 November 1922 to 28 March 1924. Radiola's first trials took place on 26 June 1922 and its first regular broadcasts began on 6 November 1922. Marcel Laporte provided the most-frequently-heard voice for the station. Its first news broadcasts took place on 6 January 1923. It became Radio ParisRadio ParisRadio Paris was a French radio broadcasting company best known for its Axis propaganda broadcasts in Vichy France during World War II.Radio Paris evolved from the first private radio station in France, called Radiola, founded by pioneering French engineer Émile Girardeau in 1922...
on 29 March 1924 (general interest ; private, then state-run on 17 December 1933) 29 March 1924–17 June 1940. It kept its name of Radio Paris from July 1940 until August 1944, but the station was then run by Nazis and French collaborators. - Radio PTT (general interest; state-run) 20 January 1923 until June 1940.
- Poste Parisien (general interest; private) from 30 March 1924 to June 1940.
- Radio LL (general interest; private) from March 1926 until 28 September 1935. It became Radio Cité (general interest; private) from 29 September 1935 until June 1940.
- Radio Vitus (general interest; private) from 1 December 1926 until 14 January 1934. It became Poste de l’Ile de France (general interest; private) from 15 January 1934 until June 1940
- Radio LuxembourgRTL GroupRTL Group is Europe's largest TV, radio and production company, and is majority-owned by German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. It has 45 television and 32 radio stations in 11 countries...
(general interest, private) from 15 March 1933 until 21 September 1939, and was resurrected from 1945 to 1966, before becoming RTLRTL GroupRTL Group is Europe's largest TV, radio and production company, and is majority-owned by German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. It has 45 television and 32 radio stations in 11 countries...
(general interest) since 1966 - Radio 37 (general interest; private) from 5 September 1937 to 13 June 1940
- Poste colonial (general interest, directed towards the French colonies ; state radio) from 30 April 1931 until 1 March 1938. It became Paris Mondial (general interest, directed towards French colonies, in 20 languages ; state radio) from 2 March 1938 until 17 June 1940.
From Public Service to Pirate Radio (non-exhaustive chronological list)
- Paris Inter, then RTF Inter (general interest, state-run) from 1947 to 1963. Became France InterFrance InterFrance Inter is a major French public radio channel and part of Radio France. It is a "generalist" station, aiming to provide a wide national audience with a full service of news and intelligent spoken-word programming, both serious and entertaining, liberally punctuated with an eclectic mix of...
(general interest, state-run) from 1963 on. - Europe 1Europe 1Europe 1, formerly known as Europe n° 1, is a privately owned radio network created in 1955. It is one of the leading French radio broadcasters and heard throughout France...
(general interest, private) from 1955 on. - France MusiqueFrance MusiqueFrance Musique is a French public radio station devoted to music, including classical music and jazz. France Musique was created in 1954 as Chaîne Haute-Fidélité then renamed 1958 as France IV Haute Fidélité, then RTF Haute Fidélité in 1963, and finally France Musique in same year...
(music, public service) from 1963 - France CultureFrance CultureFrance Culture is a French public radio channel and part of Radio France. Its programming encompasses a wide variety of features on historical, philosophical, sociopolitical, and scientific themes , as well as literary readings, radio plays, and experimental productions...
(culture, public service), since 1963 - FIPFIP (radio station)FIP is a French radio network, founded in 1971. It is part of the Radio France group.-Concept:The concept behind FIP has scarcely changed since its founding: music interrupted by traffic updates and cultural information with a short news broadcast at 10 before the hour, with no advertising...
(music, public service) since 1971 - RFIRadio France InternationaleRadio France Internationale was created in 1975 as part of Radio France by the Government of France, and replaced the Poste Colonial , Paris Mondial , Radio Paris , RTF Radio Paris and ORTF Radio Paris...
(news and information, public service — similar to the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
) since 6 January 1975 - Radio Verte (green/ecological/pirate) from 1977 until 1981
- Radio Ivre (drunk radio) (pirate) from 1979 until 1981
- Radio 7 (music, public service) from 1980 until 1987
- Ici et Maintenant (here and now) (political/socialist) from 21 June 1980 (was pirate at the start) until 5 September 1996
- Radio Carbone 14 from 1981 until 1983. It was here that Jean-Yves Lafesse and "Supernana" débuted.
From free-form to formats (non-exhaustive chronological list)
- NovaRadio Nova (France)Radio Nova is a radio station broadcast from Paris, created in 1981 by Jean-François Bizot.Its playlist is characterized by non-mainstream or underground artists of various music genres, such as electro, new wave, reggae, jazz, hip hop and world music....
(general interest, FM), from 25 May 1981 on. - Ado FM (local, then musical) from 1981, changed to a commercial station run by Start (Vibration), and now plays R&B.
- Radio LibertaireRadio libertaireRadio libertaire is the radio station of the Anarchist Federation in Paris, France.It was founded in 1981. By 1983 it had become one of the ten most popular stations in the Paris region....
(anarchist) since 1981. - Radio Notre-Dame (catholicCatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
) since 1981. - RFM (music) since May 1981, was independent, then owned by the British firm Crown, then groupe Lagardère.
- NRJ (music) since 1981.
- Radio FGRadio FGFG DJ Radio is a French-language radio station that began broadcasting from Paris on 98.2 MHz in the FM band in 1981. It is a radio station that exclusively broadcasts House, Techno, Dance and R'n'B music.- History :...
(originally serving the gay community, it has now somewhat walked away from that angle. Today it is classified as a mostly techno/house radio) since 1981 (Trivia: FG stands for Fréquence Gay). - Radio Montmartre (French music) from 1981 until 11 July 1995. Became Montmartre FM (French music) from 11 July 1995 until 1998, then became MFM (French music) since 1998.
- La voix du Lézard (modern rock) from 1982 to 1986. Became SkyrockSkyrockSkyrock.com is a social networking site offering its members a free web space where they can create a blog, add a profile, and exchange messages with other registered members...
(top 40, then top 40/rap) since 1986 - Radio Classique (classical) since January 1983.
- NostalgieNostalgieNostalgie is a very popular French FM radio station principally dedicated to the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and sometimes 1990s songs. From 60 to 80% of the songs are French songs. Nostalgie belongs to the NRJ Group....
(oldies) since 1986 - France InfoFrance InfoFrance Info is a major French public news radio station, part of the Radio France group. The station is available across the country broadcasting world news 24 hours...
(news, public service) since 1 June 1987. - Electric FM (?; owned by de Bouygues); since 1987.
- RTH (rock) from 1981 to 1987.
- Ca bouge dans ma tête (world) from 1985 to 1987. Became Ouï FMOui FMOuï FM is a French rock radio station. Ouï FM can be heard on 102.3 FM in Paris, 102.1 FM in Melun and 90.7 FM in Chantilly, as well as via the Astra 1H satellite....
(alternative rock) SINCE 1987. - Hit FMHit FmHit FM is a pop music radio station in Taiwan . It broadcasts in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung. "Only want to listen to music" is the core value of Hit FM, which emphasizes that music is part of life. Hit FM is owned by Music of Taipei Communications . It is one of the radio stations under...
(?) from 1 January 1985 to 11 mars 1988. Became Europe 2 (Adult contemporary, sister station to Europe 1) from January 1987 until 12 mars 1988, at which point it became Hit FM once again). - CFMCFMCFM is an abbreviation for cubic feet per minute which is a measure of flow for liquids and gases, like air or water. CFM may also refer to:*Calea Ferată din Moldova, the Moldovan State Railway...
(General interest FM, sister station of Europe 1) from 15 April 1985 to 30 May 1986. Broadcasts some news shows produced by Europe 1. - GildaGildaGilda is a 1946 American black-and-white film noir directed by Charles Vidor. It stars Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth in her signature role as the ultimate femme fatale. The film was noted for cinematographer Rudolph Mate's lush photography, costume designer Jean Louis' wardrobe for Hayworth , and...
(General interest FM) from 1981 until 1987. Became Chérie FM (Music and news; owned by NRJ) in 1987. - Paris Jazz (jazz) since 1987. Merger of "Génération" and "Paris Jazz sur Paris".
- Pacific FM (music) from July 1987 until 13 November 1989 (became Rire et Chansons, (music and sketches ; owned by NRJ) from 14 November 1989 on.
- Chic FM (music) from January 1986 until 2 September 1987 Became FUNFunFun is the enjoyment of pleasure and, according to Johan Huizinga, "an absolutely primary category of life, familiar to everybody at a glance right down to the animal level." Fun may be encountered in many human activities during work, social functions, recreation and play, and even seemingly...
(top 40) in 1987. - 95.2 (music) from 1983 until 1987. Became KISS FMKiss FM-United States:* KISS-FM , a brand name used for several Top 40 stations, many owned by Clear Channel Communications including:** KBKS-FM, better known as "106.1 KISS-FM", in Seattle** KHKS-FM, better known as "106.1 KISS-FM", in Dallas...
(General interest FM) from 30 avril 1987 until October 1990 ; Frequency shared since April 2001 by Ici et Maintenant and Radio Néo - Muppies FM (children's radio) began as pirate in 1987, later became Superloustic (children's radio) from May 1987 until September 1987. Restarted in 2004 as an AM station.
- Radio Eglantine (Portuguese) from the 1980s until the 1990s.
- KWFM (rock) from September 1989 until October 1990, following California FM [not the US station from Tucson, AZ].
- Aventure FM (owned by the French Army) from December 1987 until 1989. Became Maxximum (dance ; owned by RTL) from 23 October 1989 to 5 January 1992. Became M40M40M40 or M-40 may refer to:In transportation:* M40 motorway, a motorway in England* M-40 , a state highway in Michigan, US* Autopista de Circunvalación M-40, an orbital motorway in Madrid, Spain...
(top 40 ; owned by RTL) from 6 January 1992 until 18 January 1995. Became RTL 1 (top 40; owned by RTL) from 19 January 1995, then became RTL 2 (pop-rock ; owned by RTL) from 1995
on
- BFM (news) since 1992.
- Bizz FM (Music) from November 1992 to 31 December 1993. Station belonged to Eddie Barclay. Became Chante France (French music) since le 1 January 1994.
- Le Mouv'Le Mouv'Le Mouv' is a French youth-oriented radio station which began broadcasting on 17 June 1997. As part of Radio France, it is a public radio station. The station primarily plays alternative rock. Initially based in Toulouse, it moved to Paris in December 2001. The radio station does not claim to be a...
(soft rock, public service) since 8 December 2001. - Radio Néo (New artists) since 2001.
Broadcasters in the banlieue
Banlieue
In francophone areas, banlieues are the "outskirts" of a city: the zone around a city that is under the city's rule.Banlieues are translated as "suburbs", as these are also residential areas on the outer edge of a city, but the connotations of the term "banlieue" in France can be different from...
- IDFM (Val d'Oise) since 1982, initially Radio-Enghien.
- CVS (Hauts de Seine) from 1981 until September 1990. Became O’FM from September 1990 until 1998. Became Sport O’FM in 1998, then Sport FM since 2002.
- Radio CarolineRadio CarolineRadio Caroline is an English radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly...
, Daniel Guichard and his Radio-Bocal (both in NanterreNanterreNanterre is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located west of the center of Paris.Nanterre is the capital of the Hauts-de-Seine department as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Nanterre....
), and RSRM. (Rueil-Malmaison) broadcast locally a few years at the start of the 1980s. - TSF radio du jazz (communist, then jazz) since 1981, broadcast successively from Nanterre then from BobignyBobignyBobigny is a commune, or town, in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Bobigny is the préfecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis département, as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Bobigny...
. - MBS, Daniel Gérard, (92.8) country musicCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and American music.
Current FM band in Paris (needs to be updated)
- 87,8 : France InterFrance InterFrance Inter is a major French public radio channel and part of Radio France. It is a "generalist" station, aiming to provide a wide national audience with a full service of news and intelligent spoken-word programming, both serious and entertaining, liberally punctuated with an eclectic mix of...
- 88,2 : Générations Paris jazz
- 88,6 : Radio Méditerranée / Radio soleil
- 89,0 : Radio France InternationaleRadio France InternationaleRadio France Internationale was created in 1975 as part of Radio France by the Government of France, and replaced the Poste Colonial , Paris Mondial , Radio Paris , RTF Radio Paris and ORTF Radio Paris...
- 89,4 : Radio libertaireRadio libertaireRadio libertaire is the radio station of the Anarchist Federation in Paris, France.It was founded in 1981. By 1983 it had become one of the ten most popular stations in the Paris region....
- 89,9 : TSF radio du jazz
- 90,4 : NostalgieNostalgieNostalgie is a very popular French FM radio station principally dedicated to the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and sometimes 1990s songs. From 60 to 80% of the songs are French songs. Nostalgie belongs to the NRJ Group....
- 90,9 : Chante France
- 91,3 : Chérie FM
- 91,7 : France MusiqueFrance MusiqueFrance Musique is a French public radio station devoted to music, including classical music and jazz. France Musique was created in 1954 as Chaîne Haute-Fidélité then renamed 1958 as France IV Haute Fidélité, then RTF Haute Fidélité in 1963, and finally France Musique in same year...
- 92,1 : Le Mouv'Le Mouv'Le Mouv' is a French youth-oriented radio station which began broadcasting on 17 June 1997. As part of Radio France, it is a public radio station. The station primarily plays alternative rock. Initially based in Toulouse, it moved to Paris in December 2001. The radio station does not claim to be a...
- 92,6 : Média tropical
- 93,1 : Radio pays / Aligre FM
- 93,5 : France CultureFrance CultureFrance Culture is a French public radio channel and part of Radio France. Its programming encompasses a wide variety of features on historical, philosophical, sociopolitical, and scientific themes , as well as literary readings, radio plays, and experimental productions...
- 93,9 : Radio Campus ParisRadio Campus ParisRadio Campus Paris is a non-profit Student radio station. Founded in 1998 and first broadcast on the Internet, the radio can be listened to in Paris, France on 93.9 FM . Managed by volunteers , this indie student radio focuses on emerging music and local and student-related news.-External links:*...
/ Vivre FM - 94,3 : Radio Orient
- 94,8 : Radio J / Judaïques FM / RCJ / Radio ShalomRadio Shalom ParisRadio Shalom Paris is a community-based radio station of Jewish sensitivity based in Paris, France.-External links:*...
- 94,9 : Phare FM (Haute-Normandie)
- 95,2 : Ici et Maintenant / Radio Néo
- 95,6 : Radio courtoisieRadio CourtoisieRadio Courtoisie is a French radio station and cultural associative union created in 1987 by Jean Ferré. Serge de Beketch was also among its founders....
- 96,0 : SkyrockSkyrockSkyrock.com is a social networking site offering its members a free web space where they can create a blog, add a profile, and exchange messages with other registered members...
- 96,4 : BFM
- 96,9 : VoltageVoltageVoltage, otherwise known as electrical potential difference or electric tension is the difference in electric potential between two points — or the difference in electric potential energy per unit charge between two points...
- 97,4 : Rire et Chansons
- 97,8 : Ado FM
- 98,2 : Radio FGRadio FGFG DJ Radio is a French-language radio station that began broadcasting from Paris on 98.2 MHz in the FM band in 1981. It is a radio station that exclusively broadcasts House, Techno, Dance and R'n'B music.- History :...
- 98,6 : Radio AlfaRadio AlfaRadio Alfa is a Parisian radio station aimed at the Portuguese community. It broadcasts to Ile-de-France on 98.6 MHz. Its studios are based in Créteil.- External links :...
- 99,0 : Radio Latina
- 99,5 : France Maghreb / AYP FM
- 99,9 : Sport FM
- 100,3 : NRJ
- 100,7 : Radio Notre Dame / Fréquence protestante
- 101,1 : Radio Classique
- 101,5 : Radio NovaRadio Nova (France)Radio Nova is a radio station broadcast from Paris, created in 1981 by Jean-François Bizot.Its playlist is characterized by non-mainstream or underground artists of various music genres, such as electro, new wave, reggae, jazz, hip hop and world music....
- 101,9 : FUN RadioFun Radio (France)Fun Radio is a French network of FM radio stations created on 2 October 1985 and dedicated to R&B, Dance music, Electro music and House music, operating on 250 different frequencies across France. The station belongs to RTL Group as do its sisters stations RTL and RTL2...
- 102,3 : Ouï FMOui FMOuï FM is a French rock radio station. Ouï FM can be heard on 102.3 FM in Paris, 102.1 FM in Melun and 90.7 FM in Chantilly, as well as via the Astra 1H satellite....
- 102,7 : MFM
- 103,1 : RMC InfoRadio Monte CarloRadio Monte Carlo is the name of six radio stations owned and managed by three different entities:*RMC Info is a French-speaking station, broadcasting in France and Monaco from Paris with some contributions from Monaco. Radio Monte-Carlo was one of 23 founding broadcasting organisations of the...
- 103,5 : Virgin Radio
- 103,9 : RFM
- 104,3 : RTLRTL (French radio)In France, RTL is a popular nation-wide commercial radio network owned by the RTL Group.In 1931, Radio Luxembourg, the public radio network from Luxembourg, was privatised. Beginning in 1946, it could be heard easily in France. Until the 1980s, only the French public radio networks could transmit...
- 104,7 : Europe 1Europe 1Europe 1, formerly known as Europe n° 1, is a privately owned radio network created in 1955. It is one of the leading French radio broadcasters and heard throughout France...
- 105,1 : FIPFIP (radio station)FIP is a French radio network, founded in 1971. It is part of the Radio France group.-Concept:The concept behind FIP has scarcely changed since its founding: music interrupted by traffic updates and cultural information with a short news broadcast at 10 before the hour, with no advertising...
- 105,5 : France InfoFrance InfoFrance Info is a major French public news radio station, part of the Radio France group. The station is available across the country broadcasting world news 24 hours...
- 105,9 : RTL 2
- 106,3 : Fréquence Paris plurielle
- 106,7 : Beur FM
- 107,1 : France Bleu Ile de FranceFrance BleuFrance Bleu is a network of 43 local and regional radio stations in France. National programming from Paris is relayed by local and regional stations supplemented with local news and content. It is part of the public broadcaster Radio France...
- 107,5 : Africa n°1
- 107,7 : Autoroute FM
See also
- Radiodiffusion-Télévision FrançaiseRadiodiffusion-Télévision FrançaiseRadiodiffusion-Télévision Française was the French national public broadcasting organization established on 9 February 1949 to replace the post-war "Radiodiffusion Française" , which had been founded in 1945...
- Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision FrançaiseOffice de Radiodiffusion Télévision FrançaiseThe Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française was the national agency charged, between 1964 and 1974, with providing public radio and television in France.-Post World War II:...