French in the Morning: Cajun & Creole Radio in Louisiana and Texas

In partnership with the AATF and La Renaissance Française USA

Event begins at 1pm PT / 2pm MT / 3pm CT / 4pm ET

Decades ago, critics predicted French broadcasting in the U.S. would fade away. Instead, a vibrant grassroots community took to the airwaves to reclaim their heritage and give voice to local culture.

Join us for a discussion with author and SDSU Media Studies Professor Noah Arceneaux as he shares stories from his book, French in the Morning: A History of Cajun and Creole Radio in Louisiana and Texas, 1928–2025. Drawing from personal reflection and historical research, Professor Arceneaux explores the enduring power of local broadcasting and roots music.

Noah Arceneaux is a professor of media studies at San Diego State University and lifelong aficionado of all things radio. He is the editor for the Journal of Radio and Audio Media and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in 2007 with a dissertation that examined the role of department stores during the early years of American broadcasting. In 2008, this work was named the best dissertation of the year by three national academic organizations.

His academic research has explored the social construction of new media technologies, including historical phenomena (such as wireless telegraphy) as well as emerging forms of mobile media. He has edited two anthologies of mobile phone studies, and he spent the Spring 2014 semester in India on a Fulbright-Nehru Research Grant. He spent the summer of 2017 as a research fellow at the Bodleian Libraries of Oxford University and conducted original research with the Marconi Archives.

Dr. Arceneaux’s research has been published in the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, American Journalism, New Media & Society, Technology & Culture, and Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly. Prior to joining academia, Dr. Arceneaux produced websites for the ABC, CBS, and Fox television networks. In addition to researching and writing about Cajun radio, he’s also the host for the Saturday Cajun Music Show on KEUN 105-5 FM, radio station in Eunice, Louisiana.

To learn more about Dr. Arceneaux's work and to order French in the Morning: A History of Cajun and Creole Radio in Louisiana and Texas, 1928–2025, visit his website. 

Free for all AF, AATF, La Renaissance Française and TAPIF members. (For AATF members: the AATF office will send certificates of attendance to members who request the certificate and provide a screenshot. Please email: staff@frenchteachers.org.)