FIP (radio station)
Encyclopedia
FIP is a French
radio network, founded in 1971. It is part of the Radio France
group.
. The broadcasts are presented by live announcers from 7 am to 11 pm, after which a robot replays parts of the music broadcast the previous day.
FIP's programming is an eclectic mix of musical genres: chanson
, rock
, world music
, classical music, film music
, jazz
and more, but connected with a theme. FIP is one of the few stations with this type of programming in the world.
. It broadcast from Paris at 514 m (585 kHz) on mediumwave
, which gave it its original name: France Inter Paris 514. It was noted for its particular programming and its hosts' sugary tone of voice as they described traffic problems with humour and irony.
After Paris, the station was emulated in other cities (Lyon, Marseille, and so forth), which broadcast the same music and news with local traffic conditions and events. The P in FIP changed according to the location: FIM, FIL, FIB, FIS, and so on.
As with Radio France generally, FIP moved to FM
and stereo
.
Given its role as a niche player in French public broadcasting
, FIP was largely untouched by the changes in the French radio landscape starting in 1981. In 1999 Jean-Marie Cavada
, the president of Radio France launched a restructuring called "Plan Bleu", which re-assigned frequencies among local stations, Radio Bleue, Urgences, Le Mouv' and FIP.
FIP lost its stations with small audiences: the stations at Metz and Nice were moved to the France Bleu
network.
Despite listener protests, the plan was adopted on May 24, 2000.
FIP also streams over the Internet. FIP's mediumwave broadcasts on 585 kHz in Paris (between 0800–1600 Central European Time
from a transmitter in Romainville
) ceased on 3 January 2011.
FIP is available in Europe on free-to-air digital satellite on Atlantic Bird 3 at 5.0°West and Astra
at 19.2° east
. The latter feed returned in January 2009 after a contractual break.
FIP was also available from Hot Bird 7A at 13.0°East, but after a conflict between Radio France and CanalSat, distribution ceased on July 1, 2008.
It can also be received in Western Australia, Tahiti and surrounding islands from Intelsat 701 at 180.0°East.
FIP is also on UPC
cable (at 88.1 MHz) in and around Amsterdam
and (at 99,5 MHz) in Leeuwarden and on Ziggo
cable (at 106.1 MHz) in and around Tilburg
and (103.8 MHz) in Breda
, The Netherlands.
's The Argus
newspaper, a Brighton resident re-broadcast FIP for nearly ten years on two frequencies (91.0 and 98.5) on the FM band. The two signals, which were relays of FIP from satellite could be heard in many parts of Brighton. The two transmitters were operated to serve different parts of the city, one of them allegedly being in the Bohemian
Hanover area of the city. The station had proved very popular.
The two signals operated on frequencies originally used by FIP at Lille and Metz, which were unused in the Brighton area and caused no interference to existing national or local stations. Technical quality was very high and the Radio Data System
(RDS) identification was F_I_P with the two signals linked to ensure best reception on an RDS car radio. The Program Identification codes of the RDS appeared to be the same as those used on the real French transmitters.
The rebroadcasts broke UK broadcast rules enforced by UK telecom and radio, TV regulator Ofcom
. Although it is believed that Ofcom officials visited the address of the station operator and confiscated the equipment, thus taking the pirate broadcasts
off the air, the station can still be heard on one of the original frequencies, 91.0 MHz.
The pirate station was one of the UK's longest running land based unlicensed stations, running almost continuously for 10 years.
An appreciation society for fans of FIP, Vive la FIP, meets regularly in Brighton; some members even visited the Paris studios of FIP and were featured in an article in the French listings magazine Télérama
in February 2007.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
radio network, founded in 1971. It is part of the Radio France
Radio France
Radio France is a French public service radio broadcaster.-Mission:Radio France's two principal missions are:* To create and expand the programming on all of their stations; and...
group.
Concept
The concept behind FIP has scarcely changed since its founding: music interrupted by traffic updates and cultural information with a short news broadcast at 10 before the hour, with no advertisingRadio commercial
Commercial radio stations make most of their revenue selling “airtime” to advertisers. Of total media expenditures, radio accounts for 6.9%. Radio advertisements or “spots” are available when a business or service provides valuable consideration, usually cash, in exchange for the station airing...
. The broadcasts are presented by live announcers from 7 am to 11 pm, after which a robot replays parts of the music broadcast the previous day.
FIP's programming is an eclectic mix of musical genres: chanson
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
, classical music, film music
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and more, but connected with a theme. FIP is one of the few stations with this type of programming in the world.
History
The station was founded in 1971 by Jean Garetto and Pierre Codou, both week-end presenters at France InterFrance Inter
France Inter is a major French public radio channel and part of Radio France. It is a "generalist" station, aiming to provide a wide national audience with a full service of news and intelligent spoken-word programming, both serious and entertaining, liberally punctuated with an eclectic mix of...
. It broadcast from Paris at 514 m (585 kHz) on mediumwave
Mediumwave
Medium wave is the part of the medium frequency radio band used mainly for AM radio broadcasting. For Europe the MW band ranges from 526.5 kHz to 1606.5 kHz...
, which gave it its original name: France Inter Paris 514. It was noted for its particular programming and its hosts' sugary tone of voice as they described traffic problems with humour and irony.
After Paris, the station was emulated in other cities (Lyon, Marseille, and so forth), which broadcast the same music and news with local traffic conditions and events. The P in FIP changed according to the location: FIM, FIL, FIB, FIS, and so on.
As with Radio France generally, FIP moved to FM
Frequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
and stereo
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
.
Given its role as a niche player in French public broadcasting
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
, FIP was largely untouched by the changes in the French radio landscape starting in 1981. In 1999 Jean-Marie Cavada
Jean-Marie Cavada
Jean-Marie Cavada is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Ile de France....
, the president of Radio France launched a restructuring called "Plan Bleu", which re-assigned frequencies among local stations, Radio Bleue, Urgences, Le Mouv' and FIP.
FIP lost its stations with small audiences: the stations at Metz and Nice were moved to the France Bleu
France Bleu
France Bleu is a network of 43 local and regional radio stations in France. National programming from Paris is relayed by local and regional stations supplemented with local news and content. It is part of the public broadcaster Radio France...
network.
Despite listener protests, the plan was adopted on May 24, 2000.
The network
The different elements of the FIP network since its creation:| Successive names | Location | Inauguration | Silence | Closure |
| FIP; FIP Paris | Paris | 1971 | - | - |
| FIB; FIP Bordeaux | Bordeaux | 1972 | - | - |
| FIL; FIP Lille | Lille | 1972 | - | 2000 |
| FIL; FIP Lyon | Lyon | 1972 | - | 2000 |
| FIM; FIP Marseille; FIP | Marseille | 1972 | 2000–2008 | - |
| FIC; FIM; FIP Metz | Metz | 1972 | - | 2000 |
| FIR; FIP Reims | Reims | 1972 | - | 1988 |
| FIT; FIP | Toulouse | 1973 | 1984–2008 | - |
| FILA; FIP Nantes | Nantes | 1974 | - | - |
| FILA; FIP Nantes | St Nazaire | - | - | |
| FIS; FIP Strasbourg | Strasbourg | 1978 | - | - |
| FICA; FIP Côte d’Azur | Nice | 1982 | - | 2000 |
| FIP Tours | Tours | 1985 | - | 1988 |
| FIP | Montpellier | 2006 | - | - |
| FIP | Arcachon | 2008 | - | - |
| FIP | Rennes | 2008 | - | - |
Frequencies
FIP broadcasts terrestrially in France as follows:- Paris/Île-de-France: 105.1 MHz
- Bordeaux: 96.7 MHz/Arcachon: 96.5 MHz
- Montpellier: 99.7 MHz
- Nantes: 95.7 MHz/Saint-Nazaire: 97.2 MHz
- Strasbourg: 92.3 MHz
- Marseille: 90.9 MHz
- Rennes: 101.2 MHz
- Toulouse: 103.5 MHz
FIP also streams over the Internet. FIP's mediumwave broadcasts on 585 kHz in Paris (between 0800–1600 Central European Time
Central European Time
Central European Time , used in most parts of the European Union, is a standard time that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time . The time offset from UTC can be written as +01:00...
from a transmitter in Romainville
Romainville
Romainville is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-History:On 24 July 1867, a part of the territory of Romainville was detached and merged with a part of the territory of Pantin and a part of the territory of Bagnolet to create the commune of...
) ceased on 3 January 2011.
FIP is available in Europe on free-to-air digital satellite on Atlantic Bird 3 at 5.0°West and Astra
SES Astra
Astra is the name for the geostationary communication satellites, both individually and as a group, which are owned and operated by SES S.A., a global satellite operator based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg. The name is sometimes also used to describe the channels broadcasting from these...
at 19.2° east
Astra 19.2°E
Astra 19.2°E is the name for the group of communications satellites co-located at the 19.2°East orbital position in the Clarke Belt that are owned and operated by SES Astra, a subsidiary of SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg....
. The latter feed returned in January 2009 after a contractual break.
FIP was also available from Hot Bird 7A at 13.0°East, but after a conflict between Radio France and CanalSat, distribution ceased on July 1, 2008.
It can also be received in Western Australia, Tahiti and surrounding islands from Intelsat 701 at 180.0°East.
FIP is also on UPC
UPC Netherlands
UPC Netherlands is the second largest cable operator in the Netherlands, providing cable television , broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers.-History:...
cable (at 88.1 MHz) in and around Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and (at 99,5 MHz) in Leeuwarden and on Ziggo
Ziggo
Ziggo is the largest cable operator in the Netherlands, providing cable television , broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers....
cable (at 106.1 MHz) in and around Tilburg
Tilburg
Tilburg is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant.Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout....
and (103.8 MHz) in Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
, The Netherlands.
UK pirate broadcasts
According to the BrightonBrighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
's The Argus
The Argus (Brighton)
The Argus is a local newspaper based in Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, with editions serving the city of Brighton and Hove and the other parts of both East and West Sussex.-History:...
newspaper, a Brighton resident re-broadcast FIP for nearly ten years on two frequencies (91.0 and 98.5) on the FM band. The two signals, which were relays of FIP from satellite could be heard in many parts of Brighton. The two transmitters were operated to serve different parts of the city, one of them allegedly being in the Bohemian
Bohemianism
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits...
Hanover area of the city. The station had proved very popular.
The two signals operated on frequencies originally used by FIP at Lille and Metz, which were unused in the Brighton area and caused no interference to existing national or local stations. Technical quality was very high and the Radio Data System
Radio Data System
Radio Data System, or RDS, is a communications protocol standard for embedding small amounts of digital information in conventional FM radio broadcasts. RDS standardises several types of information transmitted, including time, station identification and programme information.Radio Broadcast Data...
(RDS) identification was F_I_P with the two signals linked to ensure best reception on an RDS car radio. The Program Identification codes of the RDS appeared to be the same as those used on the real French transmitters.
The rebroadcasts broke UK broadcast rules enforced by UK telecom and radio, TV regulator Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
. Although it is believed that Ofcom officials visited the address of the station operator and confiscated the equipment, thus taking the pirate broadcasts
Pirate radio
Pirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. The term is most commonly used to describe illegal broadcasting for entertainment or political purposes, but is also sometimes used for illegal two-way radio operation...
off the air, the station can still be heard on one of the original frequencies, 91.0 MHz.
The pirate station was one of the UK's longest running land based unlicensed stations, running almost continuously for 10 years.
An appreciation society for fans of FIP, Vive la FIP, meets regularly in Brighton; some members even visited the Paris studios of FIP and were featured in an article in the French listings magazine Télérama
Télérama
Télérama is a weekly French magazine owned by Le Monde S.A. Its primary contents are television and radio listings, though the magazine also prints film, theatre, music and book reviews, as well as cover stories and feature articles of cultural interest. The name is a contraction of its earlier...
in February 2007.
External links
- FIP
- Internet Radio Stream 128 kbit/s
- Low-bandwidth Internet stream 32 kbit/s
- Streaming audio
- BBC Radio 4's You and Yours feature on FIP in Brighton
- Lyngsat Satellites carrying FIP.
- Fip Radio To Make A Comeback, The ArgusThe Argus (Brighton)The Argus is a local newspaper based in Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, with editions serving the city of Brighton and Hove and the other parts of both East and West Sussex.-History:...
, 2 May 2007 - Love Fip The website for FIP in Brighton and Hove.