Press Release

Paris, January 18 2010

Radio France puts back in use the UN radio in Port-au-Prince and gives assistance to Haitian radios

With the help of TDF, Radio France took the initiative to put into place an emergency operation allowing several Haitian radios to start again their programmes after the destructions during the earthquake.

A team of six persons, among whom a TDF engineer, was brought in this weekend along with the necessary material (radio station and a kit transmitter) in order to put back in service and in as a matter of great urgency the UN radio (Radio Minustah) set in the Port-au-Prince airport, but also to repair the great transmitters located on the city heights.

Radio France is also going to help several radios. The team started to evaluate their needs on the spot.

For the Haitians, radio is the dominant media.  After the disaster, this need for information became vital for the search for lost persons as well as for the deployment of food and medical aid.
Hence the need to start again one or more radio stations.

« The extent of the catastrophe, the links uniting Haiti to France and the importance radio holds in the Haitians’ lives fully and quite naturally justify the mobilization and implication of Radio France to assist its colleagues.”
Jean-Luc Hees, Chairman and managing Director of Radio France

Radio France is the first French radio group, with its seven stations available on every support (France Inter, France Info, France Bleu, France Culture, France Musique, Fip and Le Mouv’), more than 13.3 million daily listeners and a network, which is national and close at the same time. It is also the reference cultural company in France through the wealth of its channels’ programmes and the activity of its four musical ensembles (the Orchestre National de France, the Orchestre Philharmonique, the Choir and the Radio France Youth Choir School). In all her activities Radio France combines cultural demand and respect of the general public, thus complying with its social and educational mission.