• Radio One has won a new frequency on the FM band in Montpellier.
  • The FM band being saturated, this is rather rare. "Finding new exploitable FM frequencies is increasingly difficult," Arcom, which carries out calls for applications when frequencies are available, told 20 Minutes.
  • To win the 103.1, Radio One had to show white paw, by making a thick file, so that Arcom could assess the relevance of its application.

There is a little news on the FM band in Montpellier (Hérault): Radio One. Since Wednesday, by turning the wheel until 103.1, Montpellier listeners can listen to the programs of this coastal radio, which was, until now, only broadcasting in Agde and Sète. A new radio station, on FM, doesn't happen every four mornings. "It's a real event!" says Eric Hirschi, Radio One's morning host.

The allocation of new frequencies by Arcom is, in fact, rare in France. "The creator of the radio, Olivier Coquin, has been working hard for ten years to get a new frequency in Montpellier," says Eric Hirschi. Because it's not easy at all, to get a frequency! ». Asked by 20 Minutes, Arcom confirms that "finding new exploitable FM frequencies is increasingly difficult". "The FM band is saturated over a large part of the territory," explains the media regulatory authority. In order for a new frequency to be validated, it must make it possible to sufficiently cover the targeted area without interfering with frequencies already authorized in the same area, in neighbouring areas, or near our borders. »

To get a frequency on the FM band, you have to show your white paw to Arcom

Radio One benefited from the release of 103.1 in Montpellier. This frequency was not officially occupied, until now, by a radio. But it was, on the other hand, regularly parasitized by other programs. It is impossible for a radio station to settle there. However, a technical overhaul has recently made it possible to finally release this frequency. Arcom has therefore launched a call for applications, as it does as soon as possible, for a radio station to seize it. And it was Radio One, which had been demanding to be heard in Montpellier for many years, which was favored by the Sages.



But to get its frequency, it was necessary that Olivier Coquin and his team show white paw. Arcom requires each candidate radio station to submit a thick file, describing "the programmes envisaged, the target audience, and the funding" of its schedule. Radio One had to prove to the media regulatory authority that it was not going to destabilize the radio advertising market, already shaken since the Covid-19 crisis. But above all, she had to demonstrate that her arrival in the Hérault capital was relevant.

Radio One has relied heavily on proximity. "We hope to be able to become the radio of Montpellier, confides the host. There is Radio Scoop in Lyon, Wit FM in Bordeaux... In Montpellier, there is France Bleu, certainly, but its audience is more departmental. There is RTS, too, but it broadcasts from the doors of Toulouse to the gates of Marseille. What we want is to focus on the Montpellier basin. And being in people's lives. »

DAB+, the radio of the future, will "strongly enrich the radio landscape", according to Arcom

FM is packed? DAB+, the radio of the future, will offer much more chances to broadcast to stations coveting a frequency. This technology, which requires a special receiver, will eventually make it possible to receive more than 50 radios in metropolitan areas, compared to 34 on FM. DAB+ is certainly not unlimited, says Arcom, but it promises to "strongly enrich the radio landscape". Radio One, by the way, has benefited from it. The station is also available on the DAB + in Montpellier.

So many victories, it's worth celebrating. On Friday, Radio One will saber champagne, from 7am to 9am, from the Comédie, in Montpellier. With on-board radio equipment, Eric Hirschi planned to stroll, accompanied by mascots from local sports clubs, on the famous Montpellier square. "I can't tell you what's going to happen on Friday," he laughs. That's the very meaning of Radio One's morning show! »

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