On the occasion of 100e anniversary of French-language radio in North America, The duty explores this medium in transformation.
Alyson Roussel and Ariane Corneau do not do community radio like the others. First, they host Boréal FM, a radio station for the small French-speaking community of Plamondon, in northern Alberta. But above all, they do it aboard their truck, all over America.
This is how these two Quebecers in their early twenties found a way to combine their love for radio, for the Francophonie and for travel.
The story began with love at first sight: that of Alyson for the village of Plamondon, where she went to do an internship, in particular to learn English, in 2016. In the meantime, the community radio of Plamondon is shaken by an internal crisis, with the departure of the former director. Its survival is compromised by financial problems and a lack of personnel.
Try the challenge
“People wondered whether or not we were going to keep a radio in Plamondon,” says Alyson, who gives us an interview from his truck, in front of the Golden Gate in San Francisco. ” […] There was a group of Francos who wanted to transmit French to their children through music and oral tradition. And the radio was a perfect medium to achieve this. In 2018, the president of the board of directors calls Alyson Roussel and asks her if she wants to take up the challenge of becoming a director.
“Today, the radio is in superb health,” says Alyson proudly. But it was very difficult for two years. I said radio was suicidal. I am a director and animator. I wear all the hats. »
“It’s often like that in the community,” adds Ariane Corneau, who came to join Alyson in Plamondon in 2019.
Passionate about their work, the two young women nevertheless feel the call of the open sea. Attached as they are to the community of Plamondon, they needed air. “It’s a fairly isolated community,” says Ariane. Plamondon is two hours from Edmonton, the nearest town. Even if for us Plamondon is culturally interesting, we had to find a way to escape. »
And why have to choose between two passions? Back in Quebec, and helped by their families, living in the Matapédia valley, they adapted a truck to be able to continue doing traveling radio. During the pandemic, they continued to do radio from Quebec, then left for the United States, where they were at the time of the interview, accompanied by their cat Grigris, who became the mascot of Boreal FM. In June, they will return to Plamondon, in particular to organize the June 18 Francophone Weekend, and to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Boréal FM license.
Rejuvenate the audience
Far from suffering from the temporary remoteness of its management, Boréal FM is doing very well, it seems. The two friends, who wanted to rejuvenate the audience, say they have achieved their goal. “When we arrived, the radio was mainly listened to by retired people. Now, we have gained listeners among 35 to 45 year olds, and even among 18 to 25 year olds, ”says Alyson Roussel.
“We do community radio, but there’s a professional side to it all,” says Ariane Corneau. The radio, for example, offers training in radiophony, in collaboration with the local school in Beauséjour. Thanks to a grant from Canadian Heritage, they launched the genealogical project Morceaux d’histoire, through which citizens of Plamondon tell segments of the history of their community.
The community of Plamondon was founded at the beginning of the XXe century by Joseph Plamondon. It then attracted settlers from Franco-Ontarians and from Michigan.
Building on its recent successes, Boréal FM wants to expand its airtime in other Franco-Albertan communities. The station is currently studying the possibility of offering radio services in Saint-Paul, Bonnyville and Cold Lake.