Reasoned opinion on the results of Radio France 2018-2021

Article 47-4 of the Act of September 30, 1986 on freedom of communication, as amended by the Act of October 25, 2021 on the regulation and protection of access to cultural works in the digital age, entrusts the French regulatory authority for audiovisual and digital communication (hereinafter Arcom) with the task of appointing, for five years, the president of Radio France.

Pursuant to the same article, " four years after the start of the presidents' term of office [...], the French regulatory authority for audiovisual and digital communication issues a reasoned opinion [...] on the results [...] of Radio France [...] with regard to [its] strategic project [...]. This opinion is forwarded to the competent standing committees of the French National Assembly and the French senate.

This is the purpose of the present document.

In accordance with article 47-4 of the aforementioned law of September 30, 1986, this document is based on :

- Radio France's strategic orientations as set out in the candidacy for the presidency of Radio France ;

- the company's contracts of objectives and means for the years 2015-2019 and 2020-2022, as well as

- the strategic orientations defined by the French government.

In light of rapid developments in media consumption patterns and the growth of digital platforms, on July 19, 2018, the authorities announced a series of guidelines and measures designed to accelerate the transformation of the public audiovisual industry: adoption of an ambitious digital strategy to bring public audiovisual closer to the youngsters; strengthening cooperation between the various public companies; savings and redeployment of resources to digital. These developments have significantly altered the strategic managerial framework in which the public broadcasting group now operates.

This document also draws on the findings and assessments made by the Board (now Arcom) as part of its ongoing monitoring of Radio France's activities since 2018, in particular in the reports on the execution of the company's terms of reference and in the opinions on the report on the execution of the company's contract of objectives and means. In order to enhance the finesse of its analysis, the Authority has also backed up these findings with data from years prior to the current term of office. This is particularly necessary in order to assess the efficiency of the company's organization and the economic aspects of its operations.

Lastly, the Authority enriched its analysis with insights gleaned from a cycle of hearings organized between February and April 2022. The members of the Board heard from representatives of Radio France's Executive Committee and Management Committee, representatives of the administrative authorities who are members of the public group's Board of Directors, and the group's independent directors appointed by the Authority. Lastly, it interviewed Sibyle Veil on April 7, 2022.

(A complete list of those interviewed can be found in the appendix at the end of this document).