FRANCE — France Bleu, founded in 2000, is a network of 44 local and regional radio stations throughout France, operating under the national public broadcasting group Radio France. Each station provides local news, music and cultural content tailored to its region. In January 2025, the network underwent a significant rebranding, adopting the name “ici” (French for ‘here’) to emphasize its commitment to localism and connection with its audience. This change aligns with a broader strategy to unify regional services under the “ici” brand, including France Bleu and France 3, the regional television network. In April 2024, Yann Chouquet, previously director of programs and editorial strategy at France Inter, joined France Bleu as deputy director, overseeing programming and editorial strategy to manage this transformation.
RedTech: You joined France Bleu in April 2024 to support the rebranding. Did you influence the choice of the new name “ici”?
Yann Chouquet: I’m unsure how the choice was made, as I wasn’t there then. I wanted to support this brand’s redeployment and marketing repositioning because I had completed my tenure at France Inter, where we successfully propelled it to become “France’s leading radio station.” After spending wonderful years alongside Laurence Bloch, the director at the time, and a year with Adèle Van Reeth to hand over the reins, I saw the evolution at France Bleu and the rebranding of such a significant station as a unique opportunity. I thought I should seize it.
Moreover, Céline Pigalle, Radio France’s deputy editorial director in charge of information and proximity, entrusted me with reformulating the marketing proposition, encompassing content and presentation. At 50, having been in radio since I was 15, I love it. A project of this magnitude in such a large organization is rare, so I took it on.
RedTech: Why “ici”? It’s surprising…
Chouquet: It’s not that surprising. At Radio-Canada, the brands are called “ICI”!… So, it already exists elsewhere. Furthermore, “ici” aptly conveys the essence of a media outlet focused on local content. When we say that on the web, radio or television, public service information is “ici,” the message seems crystal clear. You’ve seen the “ici” logo: it stands out! It clearly communicates its purpose. “France Bleu” didn’t signify much in terms of proximity. “France,” okay. “Bleu” was just a legacy from “Radio Bleu,” the station for seniors. Having a brand as clear as “ici,” which indicates we’re talking about what’s happening here, is quite nice. And the fact that it’s surprising also acts as a distinctive feature that sets us apart from the rest of the landscape. We’ve been deliberating recently with presenters who asked how they should pronounce the name on air. We won’t say, “You’re listening to Étienne Daho on ‘ici.’” We’ll say, “You’re listening to Étienne Daho here.” It’s a refreshing change!
RedTech: Is this name change related to the merger with France 3?
Chouquet: That’s the main reason. France 3 retains its name because, even though it broadcasts regional editions at noon and in the evening, the local content is less significant than the national common core. So, France 3 labels all local content as “ici” and keeps “France 3” for broadcasting shows like “Derrick.”
For the 37 filmed morning shows we air on their channel, the “ici” logo will appear on the screen, and when we switch back, it will be the France 3 logo again. We occasionally experiment with collaborations on local content that make us stronger, but the newsrooms are currently separate. However, we’re excelling on the web — the “ici” platform is highly acclaimed and consistently ranks among the top-performing media brands.
RedTech: What do listeners think of this name change?
Chouquet: There are some complainers, but that’s normal — change isn’t always well-received. However, many view it positively. We’ve used the word “ici” heavily on air for two years. Every half hour, we broadcast messages saying, “Your media is ‘ici.’” At some point listeners understand that “ici” is an important word. Then all the presenters recorded a message announcing this name change, and we subsequently involved local figures — such as athletes, artists and star chefs — before launching a countdown leading up to Jan. 6. It was done gradually; there was no outcry, and we reaffirm our promise of a local radio station that talks about here.
RedTech: Did you inform listeners who still refer to “Fréquence Nord” or “Radio Mayenne”?
Chouquet: We have the highest loyalty rate in the market, higher than France Inter. Our listeners listen exclusively to us and listen all the time. These loyal listeners won’t abandon us. However, the new brand is exciting for those with a somewhat outdated image of France Bleu, previously called Radio Bleu. Radio Bleu was “the old people’s radio”! Today, a 50-year-old looking for local information doesn’t necessarily want to be associated with “the old people’s radio!” They want local information and to have a good time. And that’s precisely what I’m currently redeveloping: a station with a good mood and good atmosphere, a warm tone, refined and revamped music programming. And, above all, I’m adding a strong dimension to local information with content around daily life with a practical aspect. Daily life includes information, but also purchasing power, health, animals, nice music, good humor and entertainment.
RedTech: You might have noticed that social media has been mocking this new name for several months, especially with variations like “ici Berry” or “ici Paris.” Was this predictable?
Chouquet: It’s normal. With 44 entities, it’s expected that some might be more amusing than others. Indeed, the funniest one is “ici Berry!” Paris is called “ici Paris Île-de-France”; it’s the only station among the 44 that has changed its name. We couldn’t call it “ici Paris” because it’s a slogan of the Paris Saint-Germain football club.
We could have brought some coherence among stations named after cities, like France Bleu Besançon, which corresponds to Franche-Comté. But since this is a significant change, we decided to not make additional alterations.
The author is a correspondent for sister publication La Lettre Pro.
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