A legend in New Hampshire broadcasting has passed away. For more than four decades Joe Maltais hosted Franco-American programs on radio stations ranging from WBRL in Berlin to WTOW in Nashua. NHPR?s Trish Anderton has this remembrance.
Trumpet call
FOR JOE MALTAIS?S LISTENERS, IT WAS A CALL TO RALLY ROUND YOUR RADIO.
Promo ? I invite you to listen to the franco-american show ?.
MALTAIS BEGAN BROADCASTING ON WKBR IN MANCHESTER IN 1951, PLAYING FRENCH LANGUAGE MUSIC FOR THE STATE?S MANY FRENCH SPEAKERS. IT WAS AN ERA BEFORE RADIO STATIONS BEGAN TARGETING AUDIENCES WITH PROGRAMMING JUST FOR TEENAGERS, OR JUST FOR SPORTS FANS. ROBIN BONO USED TO CARRY MALTAIS?S SHOW ON WTSV IN CLAREMONT.
What you were were everything to everybody. You made room for country listeners, you made room for easy listening listeners, you made room for classics, you made room for ethnic programs. We had a polish program, because we had a big population like that up in Claremont, too. So, you kind of had to program to take care of everybody?09 133
Excerpt from news cast
THIS IS HOW IT SOUNDED ON WKBR IN 1953
And now back to joe maltais.
ALONG WITH THOSE HOURLY NEWSCASTS AND HIS MUSIC, MALTAIS MIGHT FILL IN WITH IMPORTANT TIDBITS OF LOCAL NEWS. HE TALKED ABOUT HIS ROLE IN THE COMMUNITY DURING THIS 1995 INTERVIEW ON MANCHESTER?S WFEA.
I found all kinds of things, lost parakeets and lost dogs and lost monkeys, you name it ? I found it over the years.
MALTAIS RETIRED IN 1995. HE HAD A LOT OF YEARS OF BROADCASTING TO LOOK BACK ON. HE ALSO HAD A DISTINGUISHED MILITARY HISTORY TO LOOK BACK ON. MALTAIS WAS SHOT DOWN OVER NORMANDY ON D-DAY AND IMPRISONED IN A GERMAN POW CAMP. HE EARNED A PURPLE HEART AND NUMEROUS OTHER DECORATIONS. PERHAPS THE MOST APPROPRIATE WAS THE ONE HE RECEIVED LAST YEAR FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF FRANCE. DESPITE SEVERE INJURIES, MALTAIS HAD SERVED AS A TRANSLATOR FOR OTHER IMPRISONED G.I.?s. JOE MALTAIS DIED TUESDAY. HE WAS 84.
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