KSLO Opelousas

Official site for the Current KSLO (all zydeco!) = https://kslo1053.com/

KSLO Opelousas sits near the center of the old Cajun-radio map, one of the stations where French, music, commerce, and daily rural life overlapped. In the late 1950s, Elizabeth Roberts identified it among the active French broadcasters in Louisiana, and by her count KSLO aired more French music than any other station, about twelve hours a week. A few years later, Roberts found that French had not faded as quickly as many expected; in 1963, KSLO led the state with more than twenty hours a week in French.

Its most vivid program was The Blue Room Show, broadcast six mornings a week from Dezauche Feed and Seed Store. The name came from the room itself, where musicians played live at 6:45 a.m. Felix Dezauche announced in French, his daughter Miriam handled much of the English, and the show drew locals, tourists, and politicians. The Blue Room Gang even included young Rod Bernard, later a key swamp pop figure.

Photos from Daily World (Opelousas), Oct. 26, 1969 – The Blue Room Gang

KSLO also carried Cajun Frolics, a 4:00 to 7:00 a.m. weekday show followed by the Dezauche broadcast; in 1976 it was reportedly the station’s most popular program after LSU football. Later Cajun names tied to KSLO included Shirley Bergeron, Ray Brown, Rene Fontenot, Herbert Belleau, and Reggie Matte.

Today the old identity has split. KSLO AM carries Catholic programming, including an early French rosary. KSLO FM, launched in 2008, has become the area’s only all-zydeco station, a Creole counterpart to Cajun-centered KBON. Popular shows on the KSLO include the long-running Cravins’ Brothers zydeco show and also “Hot Sauce Saturday,” hosted by Corey Arceneaux.