It’s been a while since we had anything to post, but news has reached us that FIP in Paris is under threat.
A Twitter account (@FipToujours) contacted us last night with news that the station may be axed due to a large deficit. Their profile states “Une rumeur absurde a circulé dans la presse le 12 décembre: Fip serait menacée de disparition. Les auditeurs répondent: Fip toujours!” (An absurd rumor circulated in the press on December 12 : Fip would be endangered . Listeners respond : Fip forever!) and they sent us a link to the news article.
The article, which appeared on the France 24 website, states that Radio France will lose 20 million in 2015, Fip and Le Mouv’ are in question.
PARIS (AFP)
The president of Radio France Mathieu Gallet said Thursday that his group would be a deficit in 2015 of € 20 million and questioned the possibility of keeping all stations, targeting and Fip and Le Mouv ‘.
Radio France will lose “twenty million” in 2015, a first in its history, he told the daily Liberation on Thursday. “The current model is no longer valid, given the increase in our payroll,” he further stated in Paris Match. The 2014 budget was voted balance.
Asked about the need to conserve seven channels at Radio France, he replied that “it is the question of the scope (Radio France) that must be asked,” and cited the case of “two small,” Le Mouv’ and Fip.
“Le Mouv and Fip as not amount to much in terms of networks, but they are useful to our development. Fip is a nugget, it works very well. But if we do ‘have more money than we do, “he began.
“In the absence of a coherent strategy or if the results should not be waiting for you (…) a closure of this antenna (note: Le Mouv’) should not be taboo,” already considered late November Senator UMP Jean-Pierre Leleux, in it’s opinion on the audiovisual component of the bill in 2015 finances.
Compared to 2012, the public company, renovated in depth this year, suffered a decline of almost 9 million euros in revenues, which come to 90% of the contribution to public service broadcasting (fee).
The CEO, appointed in May, has also launched several business leads to increase revenues, such as the opening of the antenna to new advertisers. He had already planned on his appointment to charge for podcasts.
The President has said it all in one small sentence. Fip is a nugget, it works very well. It does work very well and that is why it has such a large following, not only here in Brighton and Hove, but also internationally. It will be very sad indeed if Fip is taken from the airwaves.
We’ll try to keep you up to date with progress on this but for now please follow FipToujours on Twitter (@FipToujours) or on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fip-toujours/1521780338072717).
Vive La Fip! Fip Toujours!