France Culture


France Culture is a French public radio channel and part of Radio France. Its programming encompasses a wide variety of features on historical, philosophical, sociopolitical, and scientific themes, as well as literary readings, radio plays, and experimental productions. The channel is broadcast nationwide on FM and is also available online.

History

France Culture began life in 1945 as the Programme National of Radiodiffusion Française. Renamed France III in 1958 and RTF Promotion in 1963, the channel finally adopted its present name later in that same year. The Programme National had originally carried the bulk of French public radio's classical music output; however, since the establishment in 1953 of the specialized "high-fidelity" music channel which was to become today's France Musique, France Culture has by steps become an almost exclusively speech-based channel.

Some landmark programmes