France's Lagardère-owned Europe 1 is returning to its full service roots, with a new schedule that includes entertainment, music and variety shows.
In 1997, Europe 1 switched to an talk/news format with an emphasis on news, sports and listener contacts. The move back to the original full service format puts Europe 1 in direct competition with RTL Group's market-leading RTL and public service outlet France Inter.
Several of the station's stars from the past have been brought back to participate in the chat show Le débat des grandes voix. The music chart Le Top 50 also makes a comeback and a new culture show – Studio Europe 1 – has been given a daily evening slot.
"Full service radio doesn't need to be bland and boring. I'm convinced that the winning format for Europe 1 is to return to the station's roots" says Europe 1's managing director Alexandre Bompard to the Paris daily Libération.
Alexandre Bompard has stated that he expects to turn Europe 1 into a profitable operation during 2009. He also wants to increase off-air business, so that it reaches 15-20% of Europe 1's total sales.
Europe 1 was launched in 1955, as a competitor to the then Luxembourg based RTL. The station was bought by the Lagardère group in 1986.
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