Patrick Cohen is leaving Radio France

“I have decided to stop all cooperation with Radio France. » On July 2, Patrick Cohen will present the last program “L’Esprit public”, which he delivered every week on the antenna of France Culture since the beginning of the academic year 2021. Then, barring a dramatic change, the journalist will no longer set foot in Maison Ronde to work there. .

Still, he was preparing for September’s return from the front door. Franceinfo director Jean-Philippe Bayle has indeed offered him to present the morning show, which Marc Fauvel is preparing to leave as editor-in-chief of France Inter.

The idea seemed so attractive that it was enthusiastically accepted by Sybil Weil, president of Radio France. In mid-May, before Patrick Cohen flew to Cannes for an episode of “C à vous,” the France 5 program for which he contributed a daily editorial, she even greeted him. The opinion of Lawrence Bloch, who was vacationing in Greece at the time, was not requested.

A threat to Dili Inter’s stability

Following the return of Sybil Weil, now director of antennas and editorial strategy, the former Inter France employee has been hired. According to the relatives of Inter France between 2010 and 2017, he would have objected that his return would threaten the stability of Inter, animated by Nicolas Demorand and Léa Salame. “He was told that 500,000 listeners could leave Inter and find him on the info”We are assured by his entourage that he is very distressed.

Patrick Cohen did not hide, in fact, the desire to remake the radio every day and, if possible, on the front line. But Lawrence Bloch would never forgive him for leaving, in 2017, for the morning competitor of Europe 1.

“Several meetings were held this week where all options for this tranche were discussedProtects the management of Radio France. Patrick Cohen is very close to Inter in France, where he went. But we decided to give preference to a person who embodies Franceinfo in a more unique way. » Contacted Patrick Cohen for some explanation, Sybil Weil convinced him that he had committed ” very fast “. “We do not comment on pseudo-conversations”Radio France answers.