Europe 2
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Radio broadcasting |
Area served | France |
| Products | Radio broadcasting (rock and pop music format) |
| Owner | Lagardère Active (implied, former owner) |
Europe 2 is a French private radio network classified under musical category D (category C for its local stations). It functions as a broadcasting network where local affiliates air their own shows during peak listening hours, while the national feed is broadcast at other times. Its primary audience consists of young adults, with a music format focused on rock and pop hits.
Year 2007
On July 17, 2007, the CSA authorized the rebranding of Europe 2 to Virgin Radio. The station’s owner, Lagardère Active, committed to refraining from promoting or advertising other Virgin products within its broadcasts. This change faced legal opposition from competitors NRJ and Skyrock, but their challenge was ultimately rejected.
Year 2008
At midnight on January 1, 2008, Europe 2 officially transitioned to Virgin Radio, with DJ Zebra hosting the initial six hours of programming. The station’s schedule closely resembled that of Europe 2 prior to the rebranding.
By July 2008, Virgin Radio was under the leadership of Jean-Christophe Lestra (Managing Director of Lagardère musical radios and President of Lagardère Active Radio International) and Sam Zniber (Director of musical radios programs and Vice-President Programming). Following audience research conducted in March and April 2008, Virgin Radio discontinued its Get more slogan on July 26.
At the beginning of the school year in 2008, several prominent presenters departed, including Nagui and Manu. They were succeeded by Cauet, who launched Le morning de Cauet. Presenter Kash moved to NRJ, taking over from Bruno Guillon on 6/9, while Albert also left for NRJ after an eight-year tenure. The station adopted a new slogan, Rock Star Music, along with updated branding. Bruno Guillon and Camille Combal joined Virgin Radio’s late afternoon slot Le 17/20, exchanging positions with Kash. On December 23, Éric Madelon exited, replaced by Clément from Fun Radio’s Talk program.
Year 2009
On April 29, 2009, Gaël Sanquer—previously responsible for channel and musical programming at Fun Radio—was appointed as Virgin Radio’s program director.
Mid-2009 saw several key departures: Jean-Pierre Sablier and Sébastien Cauet left in June; Léo Lanvin and DJ Zebra followed in July after serving for approximately one year and a half respectively. Between July 1 and July 15, new presenters joined Virgin Radio including Déborah Grunwald (formerly with Fun Radio), David Mantaul ("Ti 'Dav", ex-Skyrock), and Léo Cuenca (ex-Radio FG). On July 31, Sébastien Séfrin concluded his thirteen-season run at the station.
Starting August 24, Bruno Guillon, Christina Guilloton, and Arthur Pillu-Périer took over the morning show titled Bruno Guillon airing from 5:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., succeeding Cauet. Camille Combal hosted the early evening segment from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with "Camille Combal and her orchestra."
In December, Jean Isnard replaced Sam Zniber as director of Virgin Radio—marking the third change in management within two years. That same month, listeners voted on the top 100 pop rock tracks of the 2000s decade, with Muse ranking highest.
Year 2010
In 2010, Lagardère divested the Virgin 17 channel to Bolloré, which rebranded the channel as Direct Star starting September 1.
Starting in August 2010, Déborah exited the station. Gaël Sanquer also left for NRJ, with Denis Rostagnat (formerly of NRJ Group and Rouge FM) stepping in as his replacement. Florian Gazan, a prominent figure from 6/9 sur NRJ, joined Bruno Guillon on the revamped morning show airing from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. Meanwhile, Arthur Pillu-Périer transitioned to Camille Combal et son orchestre, initially scheduled from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., later adjusted to run until 7 p.m.
On September 1, employees from Virgin Radio and RFM staged an inter-union strike to oppose the proposed closure of several local stations—a landmark event since the group's inception.
Amidst declining listener figures since early 2010, Virgin Radio revamped its programming by moving away from its traditional pop rock format, integrating more dance tracks and contemporary R'n'B with increased airplay frequency.
Year 2011
The station introduced its fifth slogan on January 3, 2011: Un MaXx' de Tubes, a phrase previously associated with Europe 2. In April, program director Denis Rostagnat departed and was succeeded by Thomas Plessis, who simultaneously managed internet development for Lagardère Active Radio International. Plessis left in May 2012 to join C8 focusing on production work, with Roberto Ciurleo taking over his responsibilities.
Between 2010 and 2011, the share of dance music played rose by 22%. In July 2011, after three seasons, Bruno Guillon transferred to Fun Radio; Ti'Dav moved to Mouv', Thomas Caussé joined OÜI FM, and Philippe Despont began at RFM following a thirteen-year tenure at Europe 2 and Virgin Radio. Cyril Hanouna launched "Hanouna le matin" alongside Énora Malagré, formerly affiliated with NRJ, while Camille Combal took charge of the "Soir Show" airing from 9 p.m. until midnight.
Year 2012
In June 2012, Lagardère Active disclosed intentions to sell part or all of Virgin Radio due to ongoing audience decline. Although Goom Radio expressed interest in acquiring the station, no deal was finalized.
At the close of the 2011–2012 season, Greg di Mano departed; Léo Cuenca moved to RFM; and Camille Combal’s "Le Soir Show" was discontinued because of poor ratings. On August 27, Cyril Hanouna returned for a second season with a refreshed team and introduced a new late-night program, Le Lab, hosted by Double F from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. The station also adopted a fresh slogan: The Pop Music Playlist.
Year 2013
A revamped schedule launched on February 26 reinstated Albert Spano in the 9 a.m.–1 p.m. slot, while weekend evenings saw DJ Zébra’s return.
On March 28, Denis Olivennes, chairman of Lagardère Active, acknowledged receiving a non-binding offer from NRJ for a 20% stake in Virgin Radio but affirmed that the station was not available for sale.
By June, Cyril Hanouna announced his departure for Europe 1 after two seasons hosting morning shows. Double F concluded his decade-long affiliation with Europe 2-Virgin Radio. On August 26, two new programs premiered: Virgin Tonic, hosted by Christophe Beaugrand and Florian Gazan, and "Enora in the evening," featuring Énora Malagré.
The station updated its slogan to The Pop-Rock-Electro Playlist; nevertheless, audience share continued its downward trend, falling to just 4.1% by November 2013.
Year 2014
On March 5, 2014, Virgin Radio unveiled a new broadcasting space named Studio Indochine. Shortly thereafter, on March 20, the station ventured into television through a cost-effective channel launched by Lagardère Active after the divestment of Virgin 17 to Bolloré. Operating with an annual budget below two million euros, this channel features concerts, music clips, and videos delivered via internet and ADSL platforms. Plans were also in place to collaborate with to develop approximately thirty YouTube web TV channels.
In May 2014, the program Énora le Soir was reduced by one hour due to underwhelming audience figures, coinciding with the addition of Jean-Michel Maire to the lineup. On July 4, Albert Spano departed from Virgin Radio after a 16-month tenure hosting the 9 a.m.–1 p.m. segment, moving on to RFM. Concurrently, DJ Zebra exited the station and Christophe Beaugrand transitioned to RTL. On August 25, Camille Combal resumed hosting duties for the second season of Virgin Tonic, joined by Laure Cohen and Clément Lanoue.
Year 2017
Camille Combal declared on June 29 that he would conclude his role as host of Virgin Tonic, alongside Clément, Nico, Ginger, and Mélanie. On July 2, veteran presenter Lionel announced his departure to embark on a world tour. Morgan left his evening slot from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on July 7 to join Mouv ', with Victor from Virgin Radio Provence stepping in as his replacement. On August 21, Cauet revealed via Facebook that he would launch a new show titled "Cauet let go," airing from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., beginning August 29.
Year 2018
Camille Combal returned as host of Virgin Tonic for its fifth season, airing from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., accompanied by Ginger, Nico, Clément, and Mélanie. Lionel Virgile assumed the weekday mid-morning slot from 10 a.m. to noon, taking over from Pierre-Alex who shifted to weekend mornings. Marion resumed her midday show from noon until 4 p.m. Victor took charge of the national afternoon program between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., succeeding Cauet who rejoined NRJ. Evening broadcasts included Victor presenting Top VirginRadio from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., followed by WorldOfPop running until midnight.
Year 2019
Following Lagardère TV's acquisition by Groupe M6, Virgin Radio TV ceased operations on July 1, 2019.
Camille Combal continued hosting the sixth season of Virgin Tonic from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., alongside Ginger, Nico, Clément, and Mélanie. Lionel Virgile and Marion left for new ventures and were succeeded by Paul de Montreuil (formerly of Radio FG) from 10 a.m. to noon and Julien (formerly of Mouv) from noon until 4 p.m. The local programming persisted between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., with Victor leading the national broadcast as well as presenting Le Top VirginRadio from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Amandine handled the evening segment from 9 p.m. to midnight featuring highlights from earlier shows.
Year 2020
In September, Virgin Tonic’s seventh season saw Manu Payet replacing Camille Combal as host while maintaining the existing team members Ginger, Nico, Clément, and Mélanie.
Year 2022
Virgin Radio declared intentions to reinstate the Europe 2 brand identity. Consequently, Virgin Tonic concluded on July 1, 2022, making way for the new program Le Morning sans filtre (The Morning without filter).
Year 2023
Europe 2 was formally reintroduced as the station's official name on 1 January 2023.