The world news radio station in French and 16 other languages
RFI is a French news and current affairs public radio station, broadcasting to all five continents in French and 16 other languages, via 134 FM and DAB+ frequencies, via short-wave relays, on 30 different satellite signals throughout the world and also on the internet and dedicated apps. RFI is also broadcast across the globe via more than 1,800 partner radios.
What makes radio unique is its multilingualism, its 360° view of the entire planet, its expertise, its proximity and interaction with audiences and its ability to take a step back and put news into perspective in longer formats.
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134FM and DAB+ frequenciesworldwide *
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1,820partner radio stationsworldwide
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40,4millionfollowers on social networks
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5editorial offices abroad (Dakar, Lagos, Nairobi, Bucharest, Phnom Penh) -
8permanent special envoys (Abidjan, Dakar, Jerusalem, Moscow, Beijing, Nairobi, Kinshasa and Washington)
* 18 FM transmitters have been shut down in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger following censorship of RFI in these three countries.
Speaking to the world in French and 16 other languages
French, English, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Spanish, Hausa, Khmer, Kiswahili, Mandingo, Persian, Fula, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.
Languages are at the heart of RFI’s global presence. This multilingualism is part of a local approach and enables the radio to reach as many people as possible, particularly in areas where free information is restricted. When the language slots are broadcast on FM or shortwave, they are always part of the overall French-language offering: they are therefore a natural invitation to speak the French language.
Expertise, diversity and interaction
RFI gives pride of place to news, with three news sessions — morning, midday and evening — and news bulletins on the hour to accompany listeners throughout the day, with reports, debates and analysis of current affairs. RFI offers all its listeners in-depth reports and investigations by journalists working in the field all over the world.
Daily and weekly magazine programmes also emphasise the general nature of the channel and its taste for a wide range of subjects (politics, economics, culture, music, science, health, environment, sports, etc.).
Listeners’ participation in interactive programmes (‘Appels sur l’actualité’, ‘Priorité santé’ ‘8 milliards de voisins’) also contributes directly to the plurality of accents and points of view that characterise the channel.
Supporting changes in usage patterns
As well as being broadcast on all media, RFI can also be heard online and in catch-up mode on the RFI website, mobile applications, platforms and social networks (X, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, etc.). Recently, the global radio station also launched channels on WhatsApp, with more than 5 million followers.
RFI is also developing podcasts: in addition to its replay catalogue, ‘native’ podcasts offer investigations, fiction, interviews and cultural subjects. They can be found on RFI’s ‘Pure radio’ app.
Promoting French learning and teaching at the heart of RFI’s mission
RFI is a major player in the field of learning, particularly for teaching the French language through ‘Le français facile avec RFI’ and its daily news programme, ‘Le Journal en français facile’, which is very popular with learners all over the world. The radio also develops educational resources and designs bilingual series for learning French from mother tongues.
The fight against fake news with ‘InfoVérif’
In 2023, a digital verification and investigation unit was set up within RFI to complement the France 24 Observers, with which it works in close coordination, as well as with all the other editorial offices in the group, particularly those produced locally in African languages.
Journalists from the ‘InfoVérif’ unit provide an insight into fake news that are spreading on the web and social networks, through verification articles and open-source digital investigations.
Audience can contact the unit’s journalists directly to verify information.
A stronger commitment to discussing environmental issues
RFI has been a signatory of the ‘Charter for Journalism that Responds to the Ecological Emergency’ since 2022, and its organisation has been strengthened to deal with ecological issues more extensively and across the board: appointment of ‘environmental advisors’ within each editorial department, followed by the creation of a department in its own right, a plan to train journalists on environmental issues, and so on. On the airwaves, coverage of these issues permeates all programmes, and is addressed in all its dimensions in news bulletins, magazines and discussion programmes; in addition to the historical benchmark programme on the subject, ‘C’est pas du vent’ and the daily column ‘Questions d’environnement’.
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Europe4%39%
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French speaking Africa54%5%
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ANMO4%5%
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Non-French speaking Africa11%16%
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America27%24%
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Asia0,1%19%
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French-speaking Africa, a historic audience base
Half of RFI’s audience is located in French-speaking Africa, where it is the leading international radio station. It is also in the Top 6 most listened-to radio stations in French-speaking capitals, every day and every week.
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The success of African languages
RFI has also recorded audience success in African languages, particularly in those broadcast in the Sahel (Fula, Mandingo). Developed as part of the Afri’Kibaaru project, they are followed by over 70% of the inhabitants of the regions studied, and particularly reach women and young people. RFI’s Hausa and Kiswahili services are also very popular.
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A solid foothold in Latin America
Historically anchored in Latin America, RFI’s audience in Spanish has almost doubled in 4 years thanks to the development of its partner radio stations, with 71% awareness rate and 37% weekly audience in 7 countries measured (Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Peru), representing 28.4 million listeners each week. Spanish-language programmes are also broadcast by 717 radio partners.
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Record performance on digital environments
RFI is also very popular on digital platforms with 21,1 million monthly visits to its proprietary environments (+4%) and 90,3 million audio and video streams each month (+26% vs 2023).
RFI Musique, a space dedicated to music
RFI Instrumental: the music library
Go to RFI Instrumental