Travaillons Ensemble

Announcing a new partnership between Country Roads and Télé-Louisiane

Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

We’ll just come out and say it: 2023 is a strange time to be in local media. The world of independent journalism is totally unrecognizable from what it was when this magazine got its start in 1983. The economic models have been overturned, and the ways in which content is consumed have changed so drastically as to alter almost every aspect of our experience in the world. And local, in dependent journalism has undoubtedly suffered for it.

But still, we manage to carry forth—evolving as we must, but continuing to tell the same sorts of stories about place, and about culture. Because we know that these stories and the people who live and work and create in this dynamic re gion we call home are important, worth documenting, worth elevating.

And we aren’t alone! From this new and unprecedented media landscape, innovative new ways of storytelling have emerged to do this important work. One company we’ve been following since they got their start in 2018 is Télé-Loui siane —a media platform working across the spectrum in television broadcasting, podcasting, writing, and more; with a special focus on celebrating and fostering Louisiana’s Francophone heritage by creating multilingual content.

The space Télé-Louisiane occupies is one that we on occasion cross over into in our own cultural reporting. So, when their chief correspondent and staff writer (and longtime Country Roads contributor) Jonathan Olivier reached out to suggest we embrace the ways in which our companies align, and to collaborate—we jumped at the opportunity.

So, this month, we’re excited to share the first of a series of Country Roads stories produced in partnership with Télé-Louisiane, in which we will share our resources to facilitate cultural reporting that will now be shared multi-lin gually, across our audiences.

“Telling nuanced stories about Louisiana and its numerous unique communities is incredibly important,” said Olivi er. “That sort of coverage is best when it’s done by local journalists and local publications that are invested in the region. I’m excited to work with the editorial staff at Country Roads magazine, because their work has also focused on stories that unravel the rich cultural layers of Louisiana and its people.

co-founder and CEO Will McGrew acknowledged the importance of local media companies finding ways to support one another and collaborate, “so we can continue telling the stories of our people” and to invest in sto rytelling that is “rooted in local culture and identity, which is critical to elevating the voices of forgotten communities, we also are eager to combine our efforts with this remarkable team, and to explore new and better ways of illustrating the intricate tapestry of Louisiana’s cultural landscape—in partnership with other talented, passionate storytellers.

Read our first story created in partnership with Télé-Louisiane, a feature on Louisiana French musician Jourdan Thibodeaux on page 38, or read it in French at telelouisiane.com.