Europe 1, formerly known as Europe n° 1, is a privately owned radio station created in 1955. Owned and operated by
Lagardère Active
Lagardère Active SAS, also known as Lagardère Media, is the media activities arm of the French Lagardère Group.
Its subsidiaries include Lagardère's radio operations, television networks, and book and magazine publishers.
In 2018, Arnaud Lag ...
, a subsidiary of the Lagardère Group, it is one of the leading radio broadcasting stations in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and its programmes can be received throughout the country. In January 2022 the conservative media mogul Vincent Bolloré took over the station.
History
In 1955, to circumvent the prohibition of commercial broadcasting in France after the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, Europe n° 1 was established in the
Saarland
The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, a ...
, a German state that borders
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
. Transmissions were not legally authorised, however, until France's post-war administration of the Saarland ceased and sovereignty returned to
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...
in 1957; so, during its first two years (1955–1957), under the direction of Louis Merlin, who had defected from Radio Luxembourg, Europe n° 1 was a pirate radio station. In 1959 the French government bought part of the broadcasting corporation, and this interest is administered today by the Lagardère Group. All programming has always been produced in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
. For the few parts of France who can't receive the FM signal, longwave broadcast still exists : the programme feed is transferred over ISDN lines to the transmitting station situated on the territory of the villages of
Berus
Berus is a village in the municipality of Überherrn in the district of Saarlouis, Saarland, southwestern Germany. Until December 1973, Berus was a municipality of its own.
Geographic position
The old centre of the village is situated on a ...
Saarland
The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, a ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
.
From its beginning, Europe n°1's priorities were two-fold: first, news and cultural information with an emphasis on eyewitness accounts rather than an announcer with a script; second, shows aimed at establishing bonds with listeners, including plays, contests, informal talk,
popular music
Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fu ...
, and street-level politics. In both respects, it was a departure from radio formats of the day.
In the 1960s, Europe 1 pioneered a new tone in French radio. Salut les copains became an icon of popular culture and the
baby boom
A baby boom is a period marked by a significant increase of birth rate. This demographic phenomenon is usually ascribed within certain geographical bounds of defined national and cultural populations. People born during these periods are ofte ...
generation. Europe 1 played a role in the May 68 political crisis by being the principal source of information untainted by government sanction; it was nicknamed "barricade radio". In the 1970s, President Giscard d'Estaing criticized its "mocking" tone. When the industrialist Jean-Luc Lagardère became president of Europe 1 group, some feared the network might lose its independent point of view.
Since the 1980s, Europe 1 has experienced decreases in audience, and average age of listeners has steadily increased. Both can be traced to the proliferation of FM radio, after socialist President François Mitterrand made FM private radio legal in 1981. In 1986, for equality, the regulation authorities gave FM frequencies to Europe 1 and other peripheral radios still emitting from outside France. A network of Europe 1 FM transmitters was established within France. They later had to be shared with
Europe 2
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
, now Virgin Radio. In the 1990s, Europe 1 became a news and talk network.
Jean-Pierre Elkabbach
Jean-Pierre Elkabbach (born 29 September 1937) is a French journalist.
Biography
Elkabbach was born to an Algerian Jewish family in Oran in 1937, then the prefecture of the ''département d'Oran'' in French Algeria. He began his journalistic ...
became president in 2005. He was dismissed by the CSA (Comité de Surveillance de l'Audiovisuel) after announcing the death of Pascal Sevran prematurely in June 2008 and was replaced by
Alexandre Bompard
Alexandre Bompard (born 4 October 1972) is a French businessman. He became CEO of the retail chain Fnac in 2011. Since July 2017, he has also been chairman and CEO of Carrefour.
Early life
Alexandre Bompard was born on 4 October 1972 in Saint ...
, former Director of the Sports at Canal+.
Today, Europe 1 is France's fifth most popular network, with the other four being RTL (radio-television Luxembourg), France Inter (state-owned, general),
NRJ
NRJ (NRJ is an acronym read as Nouvelle Radio Jeune, or ''énergie'' in French, pronounced , literally "energy") is a private French radio station created by Jean-Paul Baudecroux and Max Guazzini in June 1981, and was widely popularized th ...
(music) and France Info (state-owned, news).
Europe 1 also became a supplementary active member of the
European Broadcasting Union
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; french: Union européenne de radio-télévision, links=no, UER) is an alliance of public service media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area or who are members of the C ...
in 1978 and in 1982, an active member.
Programming
Over the last fifty years, the best-known programs on Europe 1 have included: 'Pour ceux qui aiment le jazz' ("For those who love jazz") hosted by
Daniel Filipacchi
Daniel Filipacchi (born 12 January 1928) is the Chairman Emeritus of Hachette Filipacchi Médias and a French collector of surrealist art.
Career
Filipacchi wrote and worked as a photographer for ''Paris Match'' from its founding in 1949 by ...
and
Franck Ténot Franck can refer to:
People
* Franck (name)
Other
* Franck (company), Croatian coffee and snacks company
* Franck (crater), Lunar crater named after James Franck
See also
* Franc (disambiguation)
* Franks
* Frank (disambiguation)
* Frankie ...
, 'Signé Furax' ("Signed, Furax", a comic adventure serial), 'Salut les copains' ("Hi, friends", a pop music programme), 'Campus' (book reviews, interviews with literary personalities, and chat about current events and culture), 'Vous êtes formidables' (a programme devoted to "demonstrations of solidarity"), 'Bonjour, monsieur le maire' (aimed at rural France), 'L'horoscope de Madame Soleil' (astrology), ' Top 50' (a reprise of the musical charts), and 'Le club de la presse' ("Press Club", political conversation). BBC Radio 5 had a translated version of Top 50 called Le Top (with Marc et La Mèche) from 1990 to 1994.
Noted journalists, presenters, and performers have included:
Patrick Topaloff
Patrick Topaloff (30 December 1944 – 7 March 2010) was a French comedian, singer, and actor.
The son of a Georgian father and a Corsican mother which, according to him, made him "a delicate Franco-Russian dessert", Topaloff began his career on ...
,
Maurice Siegel Maurice may refer to:
People
* Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr
* Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor
*Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and ...
Pierre Bouteiller
Pierre Bouteiller (1655–1717) was a French Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territor ...
Daniel Filipacchi
Daniel Filipacchi (born 12 January 1928) is the Chairman Emeritus of Hachette Filipacchi Médias and a French collector of surrealist art.
Career
Filipacchi wrote and worked as a photographer for ''Paris Match'' from its founding in 1949 by ...
,
Frank Ténot
Frank Ténot (31 October 1925 – 8 January 2004) was a press agent, pataphysician and jazz critic. He managed a number of publications over the course of his long association with Daniel Filipacchi. He is best remembered as one of the founders o ...
,
Lucien Morisse
Lucien is a male given name. It is the French form of Luciano or Latin ''Lucianus'', patronymic of Lucius.
Lucien, Saint Lucien, or Saint-Lucien may also refer to:
People
Given name
*Lucien of Beauvais, Christian saint
*Lucien, a band member ...
Laurence Ferrari
Laurence Ferrari ( ; born 5 July 1966) is a French journalist, best known as a former anchor of the TF1 weekday evening news ''Le 20H''."À TF1, Laurence Ferrari va remplacer Patrick Poivre d’Arvor", ''Le Monde'', Guy DutheiLemonde.frRetrieved ...
in 2014.
In June 2021, Arnaud Lagardère, the owner of Europe 1, presented the new programming of Europe 1, which revealed an alignment of the station's programming with the news channel CNews, including a joint show presented by
Laurence Ferrari
Laurence Ferrari ( ; born 5 July 1966) is a French journalist, best known as a former anchor of the TF1 weekday evening news ''Le 20H''."À TF1, Laurence Ferrari va remplacer Patrick Poivre d’Arvor", ''Le Monde'', Guy DutheiLemonde.frRetrieved ...
. This announcement led to a strike by the employees of Europe 1 expressing the concern that the station will lose its journalistic independence and become influenced by partisan politics.
Europe 1 on longwave
Europe 1 has been broadcast in France, from France, through a dense FM network since 1986, but the station was also broadcast on longwave by Europe 1's longwave transmitter until the end of 2019. The longwave feed was transmitted by Europäische Rundfunk- und Fernseh-AG (in English, European Radio and Television Company), broadcasting on longwave at 183 kHz from Felsberg in the Saarland. Car radios in France scanned in 3 kHz steps making it easy to tune 183 kHz.
For longwave, the Felsberg antenna system beamed Europe 1's signal southwestward towards France. In the easterly direction, transmissions were attenuated, so, in
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whi ...
, only a weak signal could be heard. However, because of a defect in the antenna system, only the
carrier frequency
In telecommunications, a carrier wave, carrier signal, or just carrier, is a waveform (usually sinusoidal) that is modulated (modified) with an information-bearing signal for the purpose of conveying information. This carrier wave usually has a ...
was properly screened to the east; the sidebands suffered less attenuation, so that, in the east, sideband reception was adequate (especially if using an SSB receiver) but distorted. Following the collapse of one mast in the four-mast
phased array
In antenna theory, a phased array usually means an electronically scanned array, a computer-controlled array of antennas which creates a beam of radio waves that can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving th ...
on 8 October 2012, the two-mast reserve antenna was used, resulting in a reduced signal in parts of France but a stronger and undistorted signal in northern Europe and the British Isles.
Carrier frequencies on the longwave band are assigned as integer multiples of nine kHz ranging from 153 to 279 kHz. However, the Europe 1 transmitter's frequency, 183 kHz, was offset from the usual nine kHz multiples established under the Geneva Plan.
For longwave, in Felsberg, the four guyed antenna masts which were erected in 1954 and 1955 average 277 metres in height. The building where the transmitters were housed is an architecturally unusual, prestressed-concrete construction that needs no internal supporting columns. It has been designated an architectural monument by the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
and is a protected structure.
It was reported on 23 December 2019 that an email from
Lagardère Active
Lagardère Active SAS, also known as Lagardère Media, is the media activities arm of the French Lagardère Group.
Its subsidiaries include Lagardère's radio operations, television networks, and book and magazine publishers.
In 2018, Arnaud Lag ...
had confirmed that the longwave service of Europe 1 would cease transmission at midnight CET on 1 January 2020.
In the event, Europe 1 longwave transmission ceased on 31 December 2019 at 23:30 CET.
Visual identity
Logos
File:Logo Europe1 1955.png, First old logo of Europe 1 from 1955 until 1965.
File:Logo Europe1 1965.png, Old logo of Europe 1 from 1965 until 2001.
File:Logo Europe1 2001.png, Old logo of Europe 1 from 2001 until 2005.
File:Logo Europe1 2005.jpg, Old logo of Europe 1 from 2005 until 2010.
File:Europe 1 logo (2010).svg, The logo of Europe 1 since 23 August 2010.
Slogans
* 1965 - 1975: ''Je choisis, Europe 1 !''
* 1975 - 1981: ''Europe 1, c'est naturel''
* 1981 - 1986: ''De grands moments, à chaque instants''
* 1986 - 2000: ''Europe 1 c'est la pêche''
* 2000 - 2001: ''Europe 1, c'est bien''
* 2001 - 2005: ''Europe 1, ça me parle''
* 2005 - 2009: ''Parlons-nous''
* 2009 - 2013: ''Europe 1, bien entendu''
* 2013 - 2014: ''Europe 1 réveille les Français''
* 2014 - 2016: ''Europe 1, Un temps d'avance''
* 2016 - 2018: ''Europe 1, Mieux capter son époque''
* 2019: ''On est bien, sur Europe 1''
* 2019: ''Europe 1, bien dans son époque''
* Since 2019: ''Écoutez le monde changer''
Hosts
*
Fanny Agostini
Fanny Agostini (born 8 July 1988) is a French journalist and television presenter for France 3.
Early life and education
Fanny Agostini was born in La Bourboule in the department of Puy-de-Dôme, the daughter of pizzeria owners. She was raise ...
Stéphane Bern
Stéphane Bern, OBE (; born 14 November 1963) is a French-Luxembourgish journalist, radio host and television presenter. He is known as a specialist in nobility and royalty. He has been awarded honours by several nations, including the Ordre des ...
Julian Bugier
Julian Bugier (born November 22, 1980, in Blois, Loir-et-Cher), is a French TV journalist.
After working for news channels BFM TV and i Télé; he presented, as a substitute, the 8 o'clock news on weekdays on France 2.
Family
Julian Bugi ...
Olivier Delacroix
Olivier is the French form of the given name Oliver. It may refer to:
* Olivier (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Olivier (surname), a list of people
* Château Olivier, a Bordeaux winery
* Olivier, Louisiana, a rural po ...
*
Michel Denisot
Michel Maurice Daniel Denisot (; born 16 April 1945)Michel Denisot on ''premiere.fr''. is a F ...
Olivier Duhamel
Olivier Duhamel (born 2 May 1950) is a French former university professor and politician. As a member of the social-democratic Socialist Party, he was elected as a member of the European Parliament from 1997 to 2004. In 2021 he resigned from the ...
Anne Roumanoff
Anne Roumanoff (born 25 September 1965 in Paris) is a French comedian and actress.
Early life
Anne Leila Roumanoff was born on 25 September 1965 in Paris, France. Her grandparents on one side were Ashkenazi Jews from Russia, and on the other sid ...
Christian Barbier
Christian Barbier (28 June 1924 – 3 November 2009) was a French film and television actor.
Barbier was born at Saint-Ouen, Seine (currently Seine-Saint-Denis), France. During his career (1964 to 1997), he specialized in drama rather ...
Denis Brogniart
Denis Brogniart (; born 12 June 1967 in Dijon) is a French sport journalist and television host. He presents the show ''Koh-Lanta'' since 2002 and Formula One racing on TF1
TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French com ...
Jean-Luc Delarue
Jean-Luc Delarue (24 June 1964 – 23 August 2012) was a French television presenter and producer specialising in televised discussion programmes.
Early life and education
Delarue was born in Paris on the 24 June 1964. His mother, an Englis ...
Daniel Filipacchi
Daniel Filipacchi (born 12 January 1928) is the Chairman Emeritus of Hachette Filipacchi Médias and a French collector of surrealist art.
Career
Filipacchi wrote and worked as a photographer for ''Paris Match'' from its founding in 1949 by ...
Cyril Hanouna
Cyril Valéry Isaac Hanouna (; ar, سيريل فاليري إسحاق حنونة, link=no; born 23 September 1974) is a French radio and television presenter, writer, author, columnist, producer, singer and occasional actor and comedian of Tunis ...
Julia Martin
Julia Martin is a game designer and editor who has worked on a number of products for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game.
Career
Julia Martin worked for Game Designers' Workshop until she left in 1991 to work for TSR. Martin work ...
Willy Rovelli
William "Willy" Rovelli (born 18 March 1975) is a French actor, writer, columnist, comedian, and television personality. He is the chef on the French television game show '' Fort Boyard''.
Early life
William Rovelli was born on 18 March 1975 in ...
(2009-2017)
*
Alexandre Ruiz
Alexandre Ruiz (born 24 March 1987) is a professional rugby union referee who represents the French Rugby Federation. He is a regular appointment at Top 14 and has recently joined the top level of European Rugby.
Referee career
Ruiz started offic ...
Laurent Ruquier
Laurent Hugues Emmanuel Ruquier (; born 24 February 1963) is a French television presenter, radio host and comedian. He is also a lyricist, writer, columnist and impresario; he has been co-owner and general manager of Théâtre Antoine-Simone Be ...
Frédéric Taddeï
Frédéric Taddeï (born 5 January 1961) is a French journalist and television and radio host. He hosted '' Interdit d'interdire'' on the French-language version of the Russian state-controlled television network RT from 2018 until 2022, when h ...
(2005-2011)
*
Frank Ténot
Frank Ténot (31 October 1925 – 8 January 2004) was a press agent, pataphysician and jazz critic. He managed a number of publications over the course of his long association with Daniel Filipacchi. He is best remembered as one of the founders o ...
David Abiker
David Abiker (born 11 February 1969 in Suresnes, France) is a French radio and television journalist.David Abik ...
(2010-2019)
* Antonin André (2008-2011, 2012-2017)
*
Jean-Michel Aphatie
Jean-Michel is a French masculine given name. It may refer to :
* Jean-Michel Arnold, General Secretary of the Cinémathèque Française
* Jean-Michel Atlan (1913–1960), French artist
* Jean-Michel Aulas (born 1949), French businessman
* Jean-M ...
Benoît Duquesne
Benoît Duquesne (19 July 1957 – 4 July 2014) was a French journalist, television reporter and newscaster. He worked as presenter of the news magazine '' Complément d'enquête'' from 2007 until his death. He also was anchor of the ''Journal de ...
(1982-1988 then 2007-2008)
*
Jean-Pierre Elkabbach
Jean-Pierre Elkabbach (born 29 September 1937) is a French journalist.
Biography
Elkabbach was born to an Algerian Jewish family in Oran in 1937, then the prefecture of the ''département d'Oran'' in French Algeria. He began his journalistic ...
Michel Field
Michel Field (born 17 July 1954) is a French journalist, television presenter, philosopher and novelist. He is the author of several novels. He served as the political director of France Télévisions.
Early life
Michel Field was born as Michel ...
Emmanuel Maubert
Immanuel ( he, עִמָּנוּאֵל, 'Īmmānū'ēl, meaning, "God is with us"; also romanized: , ; and or in Koine Greek of the New Testament) is a Hebrew name that appears in the Book of Isaiah (7:14) as a sign that God will protect the H ...
Fabien Namias
Fabien is both a French given masculine name and a French surname. Notable people with the name include:
People with the given name Fabien:
* Fabien Audard (born 1978), French professional football (soccer) player
* Fabien Barthez (born 1971), r ...
Natacha Polony
Natacha Polony (born 15 April 1975) is a French journalist and essayist. She worked on the France 2 TV show ''On n'est pas couché'', presented by Laurent Ruquier
Laurent Hugues Emmanuel Ruquier (; born 24 February 1963) is a French televisio ...
Thomas Sotto
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the Ap ...
Jérôme Commandeur
Jérôme Commandeur (born 12 April 1976) is a French actor and director.
Filmography
Radio
* 2014-2016 : ''Les pieds dans le plat'' on Europe 1
Television
* 2017 : Host of the 42nd César Awards
The 42nd César Awards ceremony, presented ...