Berry FM — a small station with a big heart

SAINT AMAND MONTROND, France — With an annual budget of €100,000 provided by the French Ministry of Culture’s Fonds de soutien à l’expression radiophonique (FSER) and a €5,000 subsidy from the municipality, plus some advertising revenue from shopkeepers and public service announcements, Berry FM hardly qualifies as a “big” radio station. Its broadcast footprint reflects that. The station focuses on the inhabitants of Saint- Amand-Montrond, a commune in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of central France and the historical province of Bourbonnais. With its “popular, positive and caring” format, Berry FM provides a big heart for the small town.

The station boasts a staff of 20 and a fully digital installation with an IP-Tablet-equipped studio. “The IP-Tablet solution from IP-Studio is a universal remote control that virtualizes and centralizes control of radio programs. Fully customizable, it can be used to control a wide range of resources, including equipment, the broadcast console, telephone inserts and audio processing,” explains David Leroy, the station’s president.

Proud to be small and close to listeners

Leroy draws on a long career in broadcasting and a seemingly inexhaustible passion. He began his career at Top Tonic, a Parisian sports radio station, before joining dance radio station Voltage in 1988 and Rock Oüi FM in 1991. He then branched off into production, creating content for multiple TV and radio stations before finding his way to Berry FM.

When Leroy took over the radio station three years ago, he was keen to preserve the spirit of a small radio station with high-performance resources and set about reconfiguring its activities. “I overhauled the programming from A to Z. The music selection is popular, positive and benevolent, from the 1970s to today. Every year, we refine our programming to match the age of our listeners.” Leroy is adamant that Berry FM is neither RTL2 nor Vibration. “I say this with all the love I have for local radio stations: We’re the radio station for sausage parties and tea dances, and we’re proud of it. We must be smarter than the big radio stations by offering content they can’t provide.”

The difficult realities of being small

Primarily aimed at the 40+ age group, Berry FM is popular with those who live nearby. “Expanding our frequencies outside Berry would make no sense. We could consider frequencies in Bourges, Châteauroux and Vierzon, but no more. There’s no point in spreading ourselves too thin,” asserts Leroy. “We don’t forget where we come from.” The radio station gives a voice to local players, clubs and associations. The station is present at all local events with booths and live broadcasts. “We pamper our listeners with great events.” Last March, the local radio station organized the Berry FM Hit and Live with eight artists, including One-T and Geronimo.

While intimacy with an audience has its benefits, being small brings challenges. Leroy explains that prospecting and getting appointments to pitch advertising on a small radio station is becoming increasingly difficult, as local advertisers think they can promote their products alone on social networks.

“But I think radio is a good medium for attracting new customers,” he reflects. “It isn’t easy to make yourself heard because, for retailers, social networks are free, whereas radio advertising costs money. We need to be educational, explaining that Berry FM has running costs.”

While advertising revenue only accounts for about 20% of the station’s income, it’s essential to its operation. “Even a community radio station needs money to survive. But with our 45,000 listeners, we manage to make something of a living.”

The author writes for RedTech’s sister publication Lettre Pro de la Radio, and is a host and journalist for various radio stations in France.

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