Ici (radio network)

Ici (French pronunciation: [isi] ^ⓘ; formerly France Bleu [fʁɑ̃s blø]) is a network of local and regional radio stations in France, part of the national public broadcasting group Radio France. The network has a public service mission to serve local audiences and provides local news and content from each of its forty-four stations.

Ici was created as France Bleu in 2000 by a fusion of two older Radio France networks, Les locales de Radio France and Radio Bleue. The flagship station in Paris goes by the name of ici Paris Île-de-France, while the individual stations are each named for their respective coverage areas, usually a département, région, or city. Since 2023, the network has collaborated with the regionalised public television network France 3 on news programmes, which share the Ici branding.

Céline Pigalle has been director of the Ici network since 2023. His predecessors include Philippe Chaffanjon (2012–2013), Anne Brucy (2010–2012), Claude Perrier (2013–2014), Claude Esclatine (2014–2016), Frédéric Schlesinger (ad-interim; 2016), Éric Revel (2016–2018) and Jean-Emmanuel Casalta (2018–2023).

In 1980, Jacqueline Baudrier, then Chief Director of Radio France created three new experimental local radio stations. Fréquence Nord, Radio Mayenne and Melun FM were created to cover a region, department and a town respectively. These stations were in complement to those already existing under the management of FR3 since 1975, following the break-up of the state broadcaster ORTF. Radio France assumed control of all stations in 1982, with the number of stations reaching 40 by the 1990s.

Its programming was essentially local except for music (which usually came from sister station FIP, or national programming by satellite, called Programme Modulation France), combined with news bulletins from France Inter. These stations were individually called Radio France_____ followed by its coverage area, but were grouped under the name Les locales de Radio France.

Similarly in 1980, Baudrier also launched a new network, this time aimed at the over-50 demographic, called Radio Bleue. It started as a morning-only service which used a national mediumwave network, shared with educational programming. By the 1990s, it expanded its schedule, broadcasting until the evening and secured three FM frequencies from the radio regulator the CSA in three cities: Paris, Cannes, and Valence.

In 2000, following a review of all radio services, Radio France director, Jean-Marie Cavada, initiated its Plan Bleu, essentially a vast re-organisation of its radio frequencies. Under the plan the local radio stations (Les locales de Radio France) were to be syndicated with Radio Bleue to form one network – the unified France Bleu officially launched on 4 September 2000 at 5:00am CET. Its network of thirty-eight local radio stations were all renamed "France Bleu ______", followed by its broadcast area, to bring the network closer to the Radio France family of stations. Expanding its coverage, local FM frequencies in small to medium-sized towns were re-attributed to France Bleu. Under the same plan frequencies in bigger markets switched to youth network Le Mouv' and FIP stations were drastically cut back to five locations.

News bulletins from France Inter were gradually replaced with its own service, and journalists for the local stations now supply rolling news station France Info with news items, having previously relied on its bigger sister stations for news.