SOFIRAD

Société financière de radiodiffusion was founded on 7 November 1942 under the name Sofira (société financière de radio/Radio Funding Company) to hold financial operations which were not possible for the State's administration of national radio, especially concerning participations from private companies, eventually launching a "war of the waves". In 1943, the German-backed government creates a radio station in Monaco, Radio Monte Carlo, with the aim of disseminating its propaganda towards southern France. The financial company grouped all French companies holding shares on the station.

After Liberation, on 13 November 1944, the administrative council changed entirely, its presidence entrusted to René Hoffherr and its headquarters transferred from Cusset (Allier) to Paris.^[1] On 17 June 1946, the administrative council decided to add a D (this becoming SOFIRAD) to avoid confusions with another company also named Sofira.^[2] This holding allowed the State to take part in the shares (and financial control) of the main peripheral stations in small countries along the French border: RMC from Monaco (in 1944), Europe 1 from the Saar Protectorate (in 1954), Sud Radio from Andorra (since 1961). Only Radio Andorra and RTL (from Luxembourg) remained outside its control. In 1968, it launched Monte Carlo Doualiya, an Arabic subsidiary of RMC, its first station.^[3]

In the late 1970s, SOFIRAD took the control, with Gaumont, of a French-language television station in New York City and available on cable companies, named Telefrance USA. After important injections of capitals, one of its partners, Gaumont, faced financial issues and the channel was put into liquidation.^[4] In 1981, it tried a partnership in Brazil, by signing a contract to sell equipments without Coface's warranty, to the television network Rede Bandeirantes. The revenues caused by the airing of dubbed French films, sold by Sofirad do Brasil, would reduce potential economic failures.^[5] In practice, SOFIRAD acquired a number of rights for films and its dubbing, which did not see a release. The ratings of the first titles were seen as a deception and the revenues could not afford further rights. The company was liquidated and SOFIRAD agreed on a partial remittance agreement for the debt, in exchange for the payment over the years.

Still in 1981, it launched Africa No. 1 in association with the Gabonese president Omar Bongo, catering Françafrique.^[6]

Through a subsidiary company owned by RMC, but entirely managed by SOFIRAD, it started entering in the production of feature films and animated series. Following an agreement passed with Parafrance, it coproduced the film Les Uns et les Autres, released in 1981,^[7] and co-distributed a dozen others, such as Rue Barbare and La Passante du Sans Souci. Independently, it produced animated series, through its France Animation subsidiary (Les Mondes Engloutis,^[8] Tarzan, etc.). Initially named RMC Audiovisuel, SOFIRAD left the company in 1987, and also planned selling the Saint Lucian radio station Radio Caribbean International.^[9] It then left Europe 1 (in exchange for the building of a legal FM network)^[10] and Sud Radio in 1986, and from RMC later on, in 1998.^[11]

The dissolution of the company, debilitated in 1999 following the sale of RMC, ended up being a lengthy process.^[12] The company was finally dissolved on 1 August 2017.^[13]

Its archives are preserved and searchable on the National Archives of France.^[14]