Striving for Excellence Christopher Baldelli on the New Challenges Ahead for RTL Radio in France
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17 September 2009 week 38 Striving for excellence Christopher Baldelli on the new challenges ahead for RTL Radio in France Germany United Kingdom RTL II presents Five presents outstanding miniseries autumn line-up Japan Belgium Take Me Out to RTL Belgium organises launch in Japan a Green Day COVER: Chistopher Baldelli, the new CEO of RTL Radio France 2 week 38 the RTL Group intranet “ We’ll constantly be striving for excellence” In an exclusive interview, Christopher Baldelli, the new CEO of RTL Group’s French radio family, told Backstage about the new 2009/10 season and the challenges ahead. Christopher Baldelli France - 16 September 2009 What does the radio station RTL mean to you? Can you cite any stark difference between the A great deal. After over 10 years spent working in worlds of radio and TV? Or have you initially the TV sector, it’s with great enthusiasm that I’m been struck by the similarity between them? now entering the world of radio. As for RTL On the radio, live broadcasting plays a very specifically, I’ve been a real fan for a very long prominent role, so we need to be better at time. In fact, I grew up in Lorraine, a region where reacting to live input. Also on the radio we fully RTL, both as a TV channel and a radio station, produce our output in-house in our own studios was extremely popular. What’s more, I have a and therefore our content belongs to us. With TV, wonderful memory of paying a visit to the Grand- things are different. On the other hand, one thing Duchy of Luxembourg as a 14-year-old and both media have in common is of course an going on a tour of Villa Louvigny, the historical audience, while another is the need to put headquarters of RTL, where I saw my first ever together a programme schedule that delivers studios. Coming back to the present, though, our what the public wants. On both radio and TV we radio group is the leader in France, so it’s a real have to manage our talent, meaning our honour to be running it. presenters and show hosts. Another similarity is the fierce competition rife in both media due to Is your prime objective to boost profitability? the digital revolution. In this difficult environment, What secret weapon are you counting on to no position can be taken for granted, even by a pull that off? leader. I should first reiterate that, being first and foremost a medium, our main objective remains Do you already have any ideas about to ensure we attain sufficient ratings. All the synergies between RTL and M6? same, improving our profitability is definitely a To be frank, yes I do already have some ideas, key aim, too. I intend to involve all our employees but we must be pragmatic about this. Over the in attempts to meet this objective, so that next few weeks I’ll discuss what I think with everyone feels driven by a common imperative. Nicolas de Tavernost and then we’ll see. As for me, I’ll do my best to set out a clear, readily understandable line. You’ve just taken up your post. Do you have any anecdotes for us? Are you working on any other major plans? At the end of July I chaired my first Executive Yes, I am. We still have to complete an internal Committee meeting and, when my colleagues digitisation process of our production and had already packed their suitcases and were broadcasting equipment and I also intend to look getting ready to go on holiday, I asked some of into ways of developing the radio station RTL in them to reschedule their departure to begin to the future. More specifically, I’m thinking of the work as quick as possible. I can easily imagine Internet, mobile telephony, licensing and also that my request did not please them that much sports betting. but they all rose to the occasion. For the new season just starting, what would you want us at Backstage to wish you? Well, with all the files piled up on my desk, I really could do without catching swine flu! 3 week 38 the RTL Group intranet Overview: the 2009/10 season on RTL Radio When presenting his new programme schedule Another popular presenter during this morning to the press, Christopher Baldelli described RTL information slot is Jean-Michel Aphatie, who Radio as “essential, faithful, masterful radio”. hosts L’invité RTL. His interviews have become France’s leading radio station brings its listeners major highlights, attracting over 1.8 million essential content, for example everything they listeners every morning. Politicians, opinion need: information, relaxing entertainment, leaders, business executives or anyone else who humour and sport. In fact, RTL Radio is a happens to be in the limelight are subjected to general-interest medium offering something for his incisive questions on current affairs. In everyone, with all genres represented. This September 2009 alone, he interviewed the season, RTL Group’s flagship radio station has former french Minister of Justice Rachida Dati, lined up a schedule of programmes that not only the former Socialist presidential candidate make essential listening, but also guarantee Ségolène Royal and the re-elected European continuity. In short, RTL is remaining faithful to Commission President José Manuel Barroso. itself as well as to its listeners. RTL’s mastery will extend over all domains, including detailed political coverage of the French regional elections and of major sporting events like the 2010 Football World Cup. RTL Radio will also continue expanding its mastery by using new broadcasting platforms to enlarge its audience. Information will remain RTL Radio’s trademark content, dominating its daytime programmes. The first news broadcast will air at 04:30, followed by other bulletins, including at midday and in the evening. Denis Girolami, Vincent Parizot, Elisabeth Martichoux and Jérôme Godefroy are just some of the big names presenting RTL Radio’s news. The scoop of the autumn season is the arrival of Harry Roselmack, France’s favourite journalist, who is coming to RTL Radio to host the station’s long-standing and emblematic Journal Inattendu on Saturdays. His job will be to get a celebrity guest to play editor-in-chief and help that guest put together the day’s programme and host together a 1-hour live show. Another important arrival this autumn season is Christophe Hondelatte, who will henceforth be hosting the evening programme RTL Soir, offering listeners a full overview of the day's events. Vincent Parizot will take charge of the extensive morning news coverage, where the emphasis will be firmly on hot, often exclusive news stories. With almost 4 million listeners tuning in each morning, Vincent Parizot’s RTL Matin is the most popular morning radio programme in France, lauded by listeners and critics alike, for its 07:00- 09:30 show was crowned “Best New Programme of the Year” at the latest CB News Awards. Harry Roselmack is the most popular journalist in France and the new presenter of Journal Inattendu on RTL. 4 week 38 the RTL Group intranet Left, the MEP Rachida Dati was a guest on Jean-Michel Aphatie's programme. Right, Ségolène Royal, the Socialist president of the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council, appeared also on Jean-Michel Aphatie's programme: two opinionated women with opposing political views, but it's in RTL that they chose to confide. At 14:30, the entertainment show La Tête dans les Etoiles provides listeners with a relaxing respite in the company of Laurent Boyer and his studio guest for 90 minutes. It’s generally quiet in the early afternoons, making it a perfect time for confiding. Over the years, Boyer has become something of a stars’ confidant, forging close ties with the celebrities who come on his show, a closeness he shares with his listeners, giving them a real insight every day into what it’s like to be a star and letting them in on lesser-known aspects of celebrities’ lives. Indeed, it was to Laurent Boyer last year that the singer and French First Lady Carla Bruni revealed that if she was going to be alone on a desert island, she would take “a radio for songs and news”! La Tête dans les Etoiles has nearly 1 million listeners tuning in every day, making it France’s leading L'invité RTL, hosted by Jean-Michel Aphatie, is all about "receiving show aired between 14:30 and 16:00. Bonne key movers and shakers and helping you understand what they Touche, the ever popular hit programme co- have to say". presented by Jean-Pierre Foucault and Cyril Hanouna, provides listeners with a mixture of entertainment and humour. Neither of these two is ever short of ideas about challenges to put to candidates who do their best to break the bank and take home the prize money. Yesterday the sum up for grabs reached a record total of EUR 124,750, an unprecedented amount for a radio game show in France. And then of course there’s that unparalleled radio phenomenon Grosses Têtes, a massive success ever since its launch and RTL’s only show to air every day of the week all the way through the year. This amazing evergreen has provided no less than 18,000 hours of live humour, drawn 1,200,000 fans to RTL’s Grand Studio to serve as the programme’s live audience, and welcomed 2,000 honoured guests from every conceivable kind of background.