Like the thirty or so colleagues threatened throughout France, she lives from day to day. Mylène Lamy, the voice of Virgin Radio in Chartres (Eure-et-Loir) may be silent. A draft job protection plan was announced on October 7 by the information department of the Lagardère group, which also owns Europe 1, JDD and Paris-Match.
This PSE concerns 26 local stations of Virgin Radio and 4 of RFM, where there are only journalists left, or 40% of the network. Important cities are concerned such as Angers, Saint-Nazaire, Besançon, Le Mans, Bourges, and one in Ile-de-France, Bonnières-sur-Seine (Yvelines).
Reason put forward by the management of the Lagardère group: the transfer of listeners from music radios to streaming platforms such as Deezer and Spotify. “We are also blamed for financial losses, but this is false, since the local radio network brought 3.6 million euros in dividends to the group last year”, argues Laurent Lemaire, journalist Virgin in Le Havre and representative CFDT.
The CSA requested
The CFDT and the CGT have mandated an accounting firm, Progexa, which confirmed on November 24 that the financial argument for closing these stations did not hold up. The next works council meeting is scheduled for December 17th. But this social calendar is impacted by the special status of local radios, which obtain a right to broadcast in a territory if they sign an agreement with the Superior Audiovisual Council (CSA). These conventions give them access to local advertising only if they produce content locally. However, Lagardère just wants to stop news bulletins, while continuing to broadcast advertising.
“In Chartres, for example, there are only three local radio stations. One less, it will be seen, “laments Mylène Lamy, who has been presenting information in Eure-et-Loir since 2003, and who has received the support of a deputy, Luc Lamirault. The latter wrote to the CSA. The media regulator is said to have planned to deliver its opinion next March. Contacted, the management of the Lagardère group has so far not responded to our requests.
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