County needs bilingual radio station

To the editor:
    Aroostook County needs its own powerful AM radio station where most of the news and music is in Valley French, also known as “le brayon.” Over the years many Francophones of northern New Brunswick and the American side of the St. John Valley have moved to Connor, Caribou, Limestone, Presque Isle, Ashland, Houlton, and so on. Many people who want to listen to the language of their ancestors are out of reach of French-Canadian FM transmitters.
    Le brayon is as close as we can get to the French of Evangéline and Tante Blanche. It survived the ravages of le grand dérangement of 1755 and the Maine State Board of Education’s anglicisation efforts in more recent times. Le brayon deserves its own showcase, even if it has only one tiny radio station in a small corner of a giant continent.
    I envisage an average day like this:
    At the top of the hour, an announcer could read the news. For example, he could read an item in le brayon about Gov. John Baldacci making a promise about economic development in northern Maine during the fall of an even-numbered year. The announcer could then read the same item in English. This would allow Anglophones to learn Valley French and also allow a wider audience.
    After the news, the music could start. To keep the interest of the younger listeners, the first song could be a recent American heavy-metal release with lyrics about Satan, anarchy and drugs. The second song could perhaps be an old European-French song such as Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour” or Charles Trénet’s “Que reste-t-il de nos amours.” The third item could be a traditional Québécois or Acadian piece such as “Les bûcherons” or “Pour boire il faut vendre.” The fourth song could be a modern Québécois or Acadian song such as Edith Butler’s “Quand je reviendrai à Caraquet” or “Dégénérations” by S. Archambault and the group Mes Aïeux.
    There could also be a talk radio program where callers could complain in either English or French.
    To pay for all this, the commercials could be in English and/or French based on the advertisers’ needs. A powerful AM transmitter in Caribou could probably reach as far as Rivière-du-Loup, Québec, or Houlton. The station would therefore have a wide audience and many potential advertisers.
Joseph Normand Grinnell
Grand Isle