Bayou Blue Radio is entering a period of renewal. After a brief stint under Windows, we are making our return to the Apple world, but with a second-hand machine. The current models we need for our work are overpriced, and we are not convinced by the oversized Mac Mini that is the Mac Studio. It would have sufficed if Apple had produced a metal mini Mac Pro in which we could easily add SSDs, graphics cards, or RAM, just like in the Mac Pro.

Regarding our music programming, we are taking advantage of the transition from spring to summer to refine our musical selection even further. We aim to make it more sophisticated without forgetting our listeners, as we are aware that some music that is enjoyable in concert might be less so in a broadcast setting where only the sound matters.

We are restructuring all our services. We have already reduced the number of contributors who send us CDs to focus on the best ones, which was necessary given the number of CDs we receive weekly. For our friends in Canada, unfortunately, the shipping costs for CDs have become too high, so we will be receiving fewer. Canada, like France, is hampered by its economic policies.

On the news front, we are also improving everything we can, focusing mainly on geopolitics, arts, and technology. We are deliberately leaving out religious and sports topics because we want to reach the broadest audience. You already know what will shape the world in the coming months: Europe’s position on the Ukrainian crisis. It is probably time for Europeans to do more than just play a symbolic role. France continues to deal with issues in its former colonies, problems that, in the case of New Caledonia, were caused by the French government’s policy, which merely relays the sinister European policy focused solely on the economy at the expense of social and cultural matters, harming all peoples. If you read French, I recommend this article from Agence France Presse: “Sur les barrages de Nouméa, deux camps, une certitude : Macron n’a rien réglé.”

Just like the situation in Palestine, nothing can be resolved without real political will from people capable of addressing the demands of both sides with full historical knowledge. In the USA, the two main current interests are the outcome of Trump’s trials and the upcoming elections, with the fear, of course, that the Republican Party might win. Like in Europe, there is no longer a right-wing but an extreme right that rants on an archaic vision of religion, including the banning of abortion and book censorship, as well as the denial of democracy. It’s uncertain if this will convince many people, especially since “January 6” left deep wounds.

Music is supposed to soothe the soul, and we are proud to swim against the current. The cultural diversity we champion like a flag, along with the humanist and anti-racist values we uphold, forms the foundation for a better humanity where open-mindedness and openness to others are the primary rules.