RTBF La Première streams French-language news, talk and variety programming anchored by its flagship morning show, Matin Première. It is the main generalist, spoken-word channel of Belgium's French-language public broadcaster, built around current affairs and information rather than a music format, and it can be streamed live and free right now.
Belgium's First Public Radio Station
La Première was Belgium's very first public service radio station and for a long stretch of its history the most listened-to station in the country, according to Wikipedia's history of the channel. Belgian radio broadcasting itself dates back to March 28, 1914, when a concert performed at the Royal Palace of Laeken near Brussels was transmitted live, one of the earliest radio broadcasts anywhere in Europe. RTBF's own radio operations formally launched in 1930, decades ahead of the broadcaster's television service, which did not arrive until 1953.
Carrying the Name Through Changing Times
La Première has leaned on that inherited history even through periods when its audience slipped behind newer competitors, restructuring flagship programs like Matin Première and Entrez sans frapper to find a faster, more dynamic rhythm while holding onto the channel's identity as Belgium's original news and talk voice.
Tune In
RTBF La Première carries more than a century of Belgian broadcasting history into its current morning lineup. Stream it free on Radio Shuffle.