Europe 1
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| City | Paris and Geneva |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | France and Switzerland ((Belgium)) |
| Slogan | Europe 1, Mieux capter son époque |
| Frequency | 183 kHz (1639m) 104.7 MHz (Paris) 104.8 MHz (Marseille) 104.6 MHz (Lyon) Full list of frequencies in other areas |
| First air date | January 1, 1955 |
| Format | News and talk |
| Language(s) | French |
| Former callsigns | Europe n° 1 (1955-1974) |
| Owner | Lagardère Active |
| Sister stations |
RFM Virgin Radio |
| Website | europe1.fr |
Europe 1, formerly known as Europe n° 1, is a privately owned radio network created in 1955. It is one of the leading French radio broadcasters and heard throughout France. The network is owned and operated by Lagardère Active, a subsidiary of the Lagardère Group.
In 1955, to circumvent the prohibition of commercial broadcasting in France after the Second World War, Europe n° 1 was established in the Saarland, a German state that borders France and Luxembourg. Transmissions were not legally authorised, however, until France's post-war administration of the Saarland ceased and sovereignty returned to West Germany 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. Network programming has always been produced in Paris. The network feed is transferred over ISDN lines to the broadcast station that is situated on common ground of the villages of Berus and Felsberg in the Saarland.
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, and street-level politics. In both respects, it was a departure from radio formats of the day.
In the 1960s, Europe 1 achieved success in capturing a young audience, due to Patrick Topaloff, the comedian, singer and actor. It pioneered a new tone in French radio. Salut les copains became an icon of popular culture and the baby boom 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.
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