French Musical Broadcasting from 1955 to 1964: New Paths for the Broadcasting of Music

During the 55-64 decade, French radio knows very serious modifications. Beside the birth of the private station Europe #1 (which doesn't concern our topic, since it hardly broadcasts any classical music), which is going to overshadow the national radio, it is going to be transformed, parallel to the replacement of its successive managers. The eleven years with Wladimir Porché at the helm were essential. Parallel to the development of the radio (the multiplication of the stations, programs, transmitters, the quick development of the transistor) those years were also those of the birth of television. Between 1957 and 1960, three directors succeed one another at the head of the station: Gabriel Delaunay, Christian Chavanon and Raymond Janot. Beside the change of name of the stations they'll cause, these ephemeral nominations only superficially modify the roles and the complementarity of the national stations. While Inter and the Chaîne nationale are still broadcasting classical music, in favor of a " general public " for the first one and in favor of " sophisticated listeners " for the latter, a new station, strictly musical, is about to emerge. It is going to take a lion's share in the area of broadcasted classical music, in all its forms