Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française
 | |
| Type | Public establishment of an industrial and commercial character |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
Key people |
Jacques-Bernard Dupont |
Launch date | June 27, 1964 |
| Dissolved | December 31, 1974 |
| Affiliates |
Radio Stations
France-Inter TV Channels La première chaîne Others Régie française de publicité |
The Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (ORTF) was the national agency charged, between 1964 and 1974, with providing public radio and television in France.
Post World War II
A public monopoly on broadcasting in France had been established with the formation of Radiodiffusion Française (RDF) in 1945. RDF was renamed Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (RTF) in 1949 and replaced by the ORTF in 1964.
From the beginning, the public broadcaster experienced fierce competition from the "peripheral stations": French-speaking stations aimed at the French public but transmitting on longwave from neighbouring countries, such as Radio Monte Carlo (RMC) from Monaco, Radio Luxembourg (later RTL) from Luxembourg, and Europe 1 from Germany (exceptionally, in 1974, RMC was allowed to set up a transmitter on French territory).
French television revolution
On December 31, 1974, the ORTF fractured in 5, leaving 7 successor institutions:
- Télévision Française 1 (TF1) (privatised in 1987)
- Antenne 2 (now France 2)
- France Régions 3 (now France 3)
- SFP - Société Française de Production (programme production)
- INA - Institut National de l'Audiovisuel (archives)
- TDF - Télédiffusion de France (transmission)
- Radio France - (Société Radio France) French national and international radio
Membership of the European Broadcasting Union
In 1950 the ORTF's predecessor, RTF, had been one of 23 founding broadcasting organisations of the European Broadcasting Union. Upon the break-up of the ORTF in 1974, French membership of the EBU was transferred to the transmission company TDF, while TF1 became a second French active member. A2, FR3, and SRF became supplementary active members before eventually becoming full members in 1982. In 1983 the French public broadcasters' membership was transferred to a joint organisation, the Organisme français de radiodiffusion et de télévision (OFRT). Nine years later, the OFRT was succeeded by the Groupement des Radiodiffuseurs Français de l’UER (GRF) which currently holds one of the French memberships of the EBU.
See also
- Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française
- Musique concrète
- Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel, regulating authorities
- Groupe TF1
- France Television
- Orchestre National de France