Acadian Airwaves: A History of Cajun Radio.

This study examines the history and contemporary status of French-language radio broadcasting in southern Louisiana’s Acadiana region, home to the descendants of Acadian French settlers known as Cajuns. It traces the origins of Cajun radio from the 1920s through its growth in the mid-twentieth century, highlighting key programs, stations, and individuals who have promoted Cajun language, music, and culture despite challenges such as language stigma and assimilation pressures. French-language programming today primarily features Cajun music, with limited news and religious content, sustained by local stations like KVPI and KRVS and supported by cultural organizations such as the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL). The study situates Cajun radio within broader ethnic media scholarship, emphasizing its role in maintaining cultural identity rather than serving a French-only-speaking audience, and notes its persistence reflects a strong regional attachment to French heritage.