Africa Radio reinvents a lifeline

Paris-based Africa Radio is a lifeline for France’s African diaspora and a critical link in profiling Africa in the country, offering total immersion in African culture, music and information. It has three FM frequencies covering the Île-de-France region and 17 DAB+ frequencies serving the country’s major cities, including Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Strasbourg and Toulouse. Last year, Africa Radio became part of the radio division of the La Manche Libre media group. Jean-Baptiste Bancaud, managing director of the group’s Normandy-based station Tendance Ouest, took over the helm of Africa Radio on July 1, with Maÿlis Leclerc de Sonis, general manager. In this interview, Bancaud discusses the change of ownership and the group’s vision and plans for Africa Radio.

RedTech: Why did your group become interested in Africa Radio?

Jean-Baptiste Bancaud: That answer starts with the story of friendship between Dominique Guihot, the emblematic director of Africa Radio, and Benoît Leclerc de Sonis, head of a family-owned press group that is over 80 years old. Dominique wanted to step down and asked us to take over. Like him, we have a real attachment to Africa. For my part, I had the pleasure of working there for two years, which allowed me to witness the creative power at work in West Africa. The history of this radio station made us want to get involved, convinced that there are still many great things to be done. It’s a real opportunity to rework Africa Radio’s format and give it new impetus. When you’re passionate about something, you can’t help but be enthusiastic about a project like this.

RedTech: How would you define your project for Africa Radio?

Bancaud: Culture, and music in particular, is the best “bridge” to help people in France discover the richness of this diverse continent. We’re setting up a radio station aimed at everyone, not just the diaspora. The general idea is to highlight every day the Africa that creates, produces and innovates. Africa has a creative capacity that is unique in the world. Afrobeat, for example, is a very popular musical genre with an incredibly lively energy. We aim to become an essential link in this new African music scene. However, our project rests on two legs: Music and information. France needs media to promote conciliation, even reconciliation, to “live together” better. Africa Radio is the vehicle for this ambition.

RedTech: What changes have you already made on the air?

Bancaud: The changes were quite radical at the start of the new season. Since Sept. 4, we’ve totally changed the musical format with our programmer, Charles Douchy. It’s now tighter, more modern, dynamic and catchy, featuring the remarkable voices of today’s Africa and the icons of Afroculture. We’ve increased the number of short news items and reduced the length of daily interviews, with two highlights — one at 7:45 every morning and another at 5 p.m. The 7:45 a.m. guests are at the heart of the news — whether political, economic, social, cultural or sporting. The 5 p.m. guests are artists, influencers and creators. All those boosting African culture in France and Africa get behind the microphone. Pure Jingles completed and delivered new audio imaging. New voices have also joined the existing team. We absolutely want to keep Africa Radio’s founding values while offering a program adapted to today’s listening trends.

RedTech: What other developments can listeners expect?

Bancaud: Since the takeover, we’ve been working on programming and on-air — our priorities because that’s where it all starts. But we’re also working on developing brand awareness, involving a major communications campaign from the beginning of this year. We’re also planning a move from the historic studios on rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine to studios in the Madeleine district. Furthermore, we are carrying out significant work on the digital side, notably on the mobile app. We are fortunate to have La News Company — a dedicated digital agency — within the group, with the skills to design tailor-made sites and applications.

RedTech: How did the employees react to the changes?

Bancaud: Our committed staff have shown themselves to be highly motivated by our project, open to the transformation and ready to modify work formats and procedures. The team understands that we are taking a fresh look at Africa Radio while respecting its values and history. Africa Radio used to employ five people on permanent contracts, and this is still the case, but we have significantly reduced the number of freelancers and columnists. Pooling mainly concerns management and support functions such as programming, administration and communications — not presenters and journalists.

RedTech: What are your financial objectives for the station?

Bancaud: I won’t give any figures, but the aim is for Africa Radio to be autonomous and not dependent on Tendance Ouest. Africa Radio’s situation has been a little tense since the COVID-19 epidemic, and we want to get it back on a sound financial footing as quickly as possible. And that means, above all, increasing the audience. It’s all about the audience. It’s a virtuous circle and a simple equation: If the audience is there, the finances will follow. It’s up to us to produce quality programming and attract new listeners. Our first objective is to return to 100,000 daily listeners as quickly as possible and keep on developing.

RedTech: Africa Radio also has a team in Africa and a transmitter in Abidjan. Is the group also present there?

Bancaud: The majority of the African company has been taken over by the historical partners, notably Salif Traoré, aka A’Salfo, leader of the Magic System group and entrepreneur who became CEO of Africa Radio in Abidjan, in Côte d’Ivoire, replacing founder Dominique Guihot.

We’re still part of the board, with regular exchanges. The African part of the business is also evolving, and our presence there gives us a concrete link between France and Africa, a relationship that is both physical and active. Africa Radio also has a lot of ambition in Africa, and we’re keen to play our part in its development. We need to be a showcase for the continent’s liveliness, a modern Africa, far removed from the simplistic clichés fueled by ignorance.

The author writes for RedTech’s sister publication La Lettre Pro.

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