French Radio Station Founder Stages Sit-In
The cult French radio station Skyrock is the country's most popular station with those under 25 years old. It has launched the careers of some of France's biggest hip-hop stars and also sparked France's social networking craze. Now the station is in crisis, as its eccentric founder has locked himself in his office over a shareholder battle that sought to replace him.
Pierre Bellanger is a one-time pirate radio pioneer who is also known for his unconventional private life. He is staging a sit-in protest in his office and has managed to garner the support of a number of French politicians who have taken to the airwaves in his support after shareholders tried to replace him. Before Facebook, the Skyrock website was one of the most important social network sites in Europe, and it still hosts more than 33.5 million French blogs.