French public radio station France Inter is set to make major changes to its weekend morning schedule at the end of the current season, with Ali Baddou leaving the breakfast slot he has co-hosted with Marion L’Hour since 2023. After three seasons presenting the Friday-to-Sunday morning show, Baddou will no longer appear in that role, but he will remain on France Inter in a new time slot next season. According to France Inter head Céline Pigalle, Baddou will host a new weekend program airing from Friday to Sunday between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Pigalle said the change is intended to create more continuity across the station’s weekday and weekend schedules, while also allowing for more live coverage of weekend events. She noted that, in a presidential election year, many important developments are expected to happen on Saturdays and Sundays, making a later program better suited to current affairs and live reaction. The new show is expected to be broader than a simple news roundup and will not focus only on breaking updates.
The future of Marion L’Hour is still undecided. France Inter is reportedly in discussions with the journalist about whether she will stay with the station in another format. The weekend morning show itself will not continue with the same duo. Instead, France Inter is looking for a new pair of presenters for the next season, following the model of its weekday morning program: one lead figure and one interviewer. Management wants the weekend edition to mirror the editorial structure of the weekday breakfast show more closely, in order to strengthen coherence between the station’s weekday and weekend output.
The reshuffle comes amid reports of tension behind the scenes between Baddou and L’Hour. Earlier this month, French media outlet L’Informé reported that the two presenters had not been getting along for some time and that efforts to find an alternative solution had been ongoing for months. According to those accounts, the working relationship was described as strained, with one source suggesting that Baddou arrived only shortly before the broadcast while L’Hour began preparing much earlier in the morning. Another witness claimed he did not always review the program content in advance, contributing to a noticeable mismatch on air.
Despite the reported friction, Baddou’s departure from the weekend breakfast show is not a full exit from the station. France Inter appears to be repositioning him in a role better aligned with weekend news and live events, while preparing a fresh editorial duo for its morning audience. The changes are expected to take effect at the start of the next season.
