1942
SOFIRA
Société financière de radiodiffusion (1942-....)
Origine de la SOFIRAD
La société financière de radio (SOFIRA) a été créée à l’origine sous l’impulsion de nécessités commerciales et politiques. En 1939, les postes d’État étaient rattachés à l’administration des P.T.T.. Ce système ne convenait pas entièrement aux caractères particuliers de l’activité de la radiodiffusion. Les exigences commerciales de la gestion d’une entreprise de spectacles et d’information ne pouvaient s’accommoder du carcan administratif. Il fallait créer une structure parallèle permettant de satisfaire cette vocation commerciale que la radio d’État ne pouvait assurer par elle-même.
D’autre part, se posait le problème du contrôle des postes périphériques qui s’étaient établis sur le pourtour du territoire français pour émettre à destination de la France. Ces postes échappaient en effet, en raison de leur implantation en dehors des frontières, à l’application des lois françaises.
La question fut soulevée au début de l’Occupation. Le gouvernement allemand demanda alors une station d’émission sur le littoral méditerranéen pour les besoins de sa propagande et il fallut créer à cette fin une structure permettant de contrôler ce poste privé allemand. C’est pourquoi, une société anonyme de droit monégasque, la société Radio Monte Carlo fut créée et autorisée par un arrêté du ministre d’État de la Principauté du 16 mars 1942. Son capital était pour moitié aux mains d’une société privée allemande (Inter Radio) et pour moitié dans celles d’une affaire privée française, l’Office français d’Etudes et Participations (OFEPAR). Pour être substitué à l’OFEPAR, l’État français créa alors la SOFIRA (qui deviendra en 1945 la SOFIRAD) dans laquelle il investit 80 millions de Francs. La SOFIRA racheta l’OFEPAR et l’État posséda ainsi 50 % de Radio Monte Carlo par personne publique interposée.
Forme juridique, capital social
La SOFIRA est une société anonyme, créée le 7 novembre 1942, avec un capital de 80 millions de francs souscrit à 99,9 % par l’Omnium Français d’Etudes et de Participation, qui les rétrocède dès le 20 janvier 1943 à l’administration de la Radiodiffusion nationale. Un acte dit loi du 7 novembre 1942 avait autorisé la Radiodiffusion nationale à prendre des participations directes ou indirectes dans toutes entreprises présentant un intérêt direct et certain pour l’expansion de la Radiodiffusion nationale.
Les représentants au conseil d’administration sont désignés par arrêté du ministre secrétaire d’État à l’Information et du ministre secrétaire d’État aux Finances.
Le capital social a été augmenté à plusieurs reprises pour permettre les différentes opérations de prises de participation de la SOFIRA.
Objet social
La création de la SOFIRA répondait à un double objectif.
D’une part, et c’était la principale raison de ce montage juridique, permettre au Gouvernement de Vichy d’avoir un droit de regard dans une société monégasque créée par les Allemands pour gérer une station de radio, Radio Monte Carlo, qui émettant depuis la Principauté, pourrait couvrir la « zone libre » et l’Afrique du Nord. La SOFIRA a ainsi racheté 50 % des parts de RMC fin 1942.
D’autre part, constituer auprès de la Radiodiffusion nationale un organisme d’un statut plus souple et mieux adapté à d’éventuels opérations commerciales, notamment susceptibles de prendre des participations dans des entreprises étrangères.
A la Libération, les parts italiennes et allemandes dans RMC ont été confisquées par l’État monégasque et remises à la société devenue la SOFIRAD, celle-ci en a recédé 1/6 à la Principauté.
Contrôle des pouvoirs publics
La SOFIRAD est une société anonyme dont le capital est détenu à 99,9 % par l’État. Son statut est hybride : d’une manière générale, elle relève, dans son organisation et son fonctionnement, du droit des sociétés, mais son appartenance à l’État lui impose un certain nombre de particularités qui lui donnent une configuration originale.
Composition du conseil d’administration
La société est administrée par un Conseil d’administration de 14 membres dont 8 sont administrateurs représentant l’État, nommés par décret pour une durée de 3 ans.
Trois membres sont nommés pour l’Assemblée générale. Deux de ces postes sont traditionnellement occupés par des représentants de la presse écrite. Enfin, deux membres représentent les salariés de l’entreprise conformément aux dispositions de la loi de démocratisation du secteur public du 26 juillet 1983.
Désignation du Président directeur général
Il est nommé par décret du Président de la République en Conseil des ministres pour 3 ans.
Tutelle sur certains actes de gestion
Comme l’ensemble des entreprises placées sous la tutelle de l’État, la SOFIRAD est tenue de solliciter, pour certains actes de gestion, l’autorisation des pouvoirs publics. Il en est ainsi en particulier pour les cessations prises ou extensions de participations. Ces opérations doivent être approuvées par arrêté conjoint du ministre des Finances et des ministres intéressés.
Rôle de la SOFIRAD
L’action de la SOFIRAD répond à deux missions confiées à la société par l’État :
d’une part, assurer la gestion des participations publiques dans un certain nombre de sociétés exploitant des radios dites périphériques, qui émettent vers le territoire national, hors service public. Elle a principalement, à ce titre, pris successivement 83 % du capital de RMC en 1942, le contrôle avec 99 % de Sud Radio et Radio des Vallées en 1951, 34 % des parts d’Europe n°1 en 1959 et 100 % de Radio Caraïbes international en 1982.
d’autre part, maintenir et développer la présence internationale de la France dans le domaine audiovisuel.
Ainsi, la SOFIRAD a pris l’initiative en 1970 d’implanter à Chypre un émetteur qui diffuse des émissions de Radio Monte Carlo sur l’ensemble des pays du Proche Orient.
Elle a pris part à la création et a participé à l’exploitation de deux stations radiophoniques, l’une au Maroc (Radio Méditerranée International), qui couvre une grande partie du Maghreb, l’autre au Gabon (Africa n° 1), qui émet sur l’ensemble de l’Afrique du centre et de l’ouest et offre, par ailleurs, un relais aux émissions de Radio France International.
D’autres initiatives ont eu pour objet de favoriser la diffusion des productions françaises sur les chaînes de télévision étrangères (des Etats-Unis avec Téléfrance International, du Brésil avec la société SOBRASCOM).
La SOFIRAD a également assuré la diffusion commerciale des productions des chaînes de télévision françaises jusqu’à ce qu’elle soit déchargée de ces tâches par la création de France Média International.
Evolution récente
Dans les dernières années, l’évolution du contexte audiovisuel, avec en particulier, l’apparition des radios locales privées, l’augmentation de la part du marché publicitaire de la télévision du secteur public et l’ouverture de chaînes de télévision privées, a entraîné une baisse du chiffre d’affaires des radios périphériques et, en conséquence, du dividende reçu par la SOFIRAD.
C’est pourquoi, devant cette évolution, la société a été amenée à réaliser un certain nombre d’opérations répondant plus à une recherche de profits à court terme, tels un contrat de maîtrise d’oeuvre pour la deuxième chaîne de télévision au Maroc et les prises de participations dans RMC Audiovisuel (gestion d’un accord de distribution cinématographique avec Parafrance et production audiovisuelle) et VDM (société de duplication et post production vidéo).
Enfin, elle s’est efforcée d’intervenir dans la production audiovisuelle en prenant une participation dans France Animation (société de production de dessins animés) et dans la SOFICA Investimage, afin de répondre aux vœux des pouvoirs publics de voir se renforcer en France l’industrie de programmes audiovisuels.
Quelques filiales de la SOFIRAD
- la SOMERA ;
- au Maghreb : Radio Méditerranée Internationale ;
- au Proche et Moyen Orient : Compagnie Libanaise de Télévision et un relais de Radio Monte Carlo au Moyen Orient ;
- en Afrique : Africa n° 1 ;
- aux Caraïbes : Radio Caraïbes Internationale ;
- les radios FM : Radio Paris Lisbonne ;
- Radio Monte Carlo et Télé Monte Carlo ;
- Radio Andorre ;
- Radio Télé Luxembourg ;
- Europe n°1 ;
Depuis les années 1950, la SOFIRAD a pris des participations dans deux sociétés de télévision : Télé Monte Carlo et Téléliban.
En 1989, elle lance Canal France International (CFI) qui est une banque de programmes français diffusé vers les stations de 35 pays dont 24 sont situés au sud du Sahara, au Maghreb et au Proche Orient puis vers l’Asie dont le Vietnam.
La liquidation de la SOFIRAD a été décidée en 2001.
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