'Oprah' to Feature Maine's Frenchboro
4/28/2009
Bangor Daily News
FRENCHBORO, Maine — Only a few dozen people call this remote offshore island home, but for a few minutes this week it is going to be the center of the universe.
The center of the Oprah universe, that is.
Frenchboro, which is seven miles offshore from Mount Desert Island and has only about 40 year-round residents, is going to be profiled Wednesday, April 29, on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
...A production crew from the show traveled to the island last month on St. Patrick’s Day, Finn said, and learned about the island’s school, its lobstering industry and its history, among other things. A few days later, about 30 island residents gathered at the school to be interviewed... “She asked questions about our one-room schoolhouse, how we cope without having a store or anything like that. It was fairly quick.”
He said that if nothing else the show could help boost tourism to the island, which has about 150 residents during the summer.
“Overall, I think it was a positive experience,” Finn said of talking to Winfrey. “A majority of the people were pretty open and inviting.”
The show is expected to air at 4 p.m. Wednesday (April 29, 2009) on WABI-TV Channel 5.