 | |
| Type | Radio network |
|---|---|
| Country | |
| Headquarters | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | French |
| Format | Adult contemporary |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Bell Media Radio (Bell Media) |
| History | |
| Launch date | 1990 |
Former names | RockDétente (1990–2011) |
| Coverage | |
| Availability | Quebec |
| Links | |
| Website | Rouge |
Rouge FM (or Rouge) is a network of French-language adult contemporary radio stations broadcasting throughout Quebec, Canada. Established in 1990 as RockDétente, they are owned by Bell Media.
All "Rouge" stations broadcast in the same markets as Bell's mainstream rock network, "Énergie", although Énergie also has a few stations in markets not served by "Rouge FM".
Although the stations concentrate on French adult contemporary music, it would mix in English music as well (especially in areas outside of Montreal and Ottawa, where English radio service is not available) much like Cogeco's "Rythme FM" network, which has fewer stations than "Rouge". The flagship radio station is Montreal's CITE-FM. The Astral jingles on this network are different from the adult hits jingles used by Astral's English-language adult contemporary stations, nut the network uses a very relaxing acoustic tune.
On August 18, 2011, at 4:00 p.m. EDT, all RockDétente stations were rebranded as "Rouge FM", when the longtime "RockDétente" branding was retired after a 21-year run. On most stations, the last song as "RockDétente" was "Pour que tu m'aimes encore" by Celine Dion, followed by a tribute of the branding. The first song under "Rouge" was "I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas.[1] [2] After rebranding, most of the soft rock songs were dropped, leaving the "Rythme FM" network to continue broadcasting them and moving "Rouge FM" towards a hot adult contemporary direction. By 2012, most of the classic hits and ballads returned due to the 35th anniversary of flagship CITE-FM Montreal, going towards its old RockDétente direction. From May 2011 to March 2012, the stations started identifying their call letters during station identification, and on April 27 to 29, 2012, the network was briefly rebranded Rose FM as a charitable promotion for breast cancer research.
All stations carry most Rouge FM programming simultaneously except for CITF-FM in Quebec City, all of which is programmed locally except for a few networked programs.