WWOZ

WWOZ is a nonprofit, community-supported radio station broadcasting at 90.7 FM from New Orleans, Louisiana. Its identity is closely tied to the musical culture of the city and the wider Gulf South. Rather than operating as a general-interest commercial broadcaster, WWOZ concentrates on jazz, blues, rhythm and blues, Cajun and zydeco music, gospel, bluegrass, country and old-time music, Celtic music, world music, and other styles connected to New Orleans’ cultural history. Contemporary jazz and rhythm and blues receive particularly strong representation, but the schedule is deliberately broad and reflects the city’s diverse musical communities. The station was conceived in the mid-1970s by Texas-born brothers Walter and Jerry Brock, who believed New Orleans needed a community radio outlet centered on local culture. The nonprofit Nora Blatch Educational Foundation was created to hold the station license. The call letters refer to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, including the idea that listeners should focus on the programming rather than the personalities behind it. WWOZ began broadcasting on December 4, 1980, initially from a small transmitter facility in Bridge City, Louisiana. It soon moved its studio to a modest apartment above the Tipitina’s music club in Uptown New Orleans, where its early operations depended heavily on volunteer labor and improvised facilities. Live local music became a defining part of the station’s personality. In the Tipitina’s era, performances downstairs were sometimes transmitted from the club to the studio through a microphone lowered through an opening in the floor, subject to artist permission and technical limitations. Over time, WWOZ developed a substantial network of volunteer hosts, many of whom were musicians, collectors, or active participants in the New Orleans music scene. Hosts generally received no compensation for the music they played, while a smaller paid staff handled administration and daily operations. WWOZ moved to Louis Armstrong Park in the Tremé neighborhood in 1985. Facing financial pressure, the station transferred its license to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation in 1986. That relationship connected WWOZ with the organization behind the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and provided financial and institutional support. The station became especially well known for broadcasting from the festival and other local music events, giving listeners access to performances that might otherwise have had limited reach. In 1996, WWOZ began streaming its broadcast online, extending its audience beyond New Orleans before internet radio had become widespread. Its archive of recorded New Orleans performances also became an important cultural resource. The Library of Congress accepted the collection for preservation, cataloging, and digitization after the archive survived Hurricane Katrina. By 2016, more than 2,000 recordings were available for in-person listening through the Library’s Recorded Sound Research Center. Hurricane Katrina created the most disruptive episode in WWOZ’s history. The station signed off in anticipation of the storm on August 27, 2005, while staff and volunteers evacuated. Although the studio sustained limited physical damage, its power infrastructure was unavailable and the station’s personnel were scattered across several states. Within a week, WWOZ reappeared online as “WWOZ in Exile,” using internet facilities provided by WFMU in New Jersey. It resumed limited over-the-air programming in October from Louisiana Public Broadcasting facilities in Baton Rouge and returned to New Orleans in December using temporary space at the French Market. The disaster also destroyed or displaced many hosts’ personal record collections, which had long supplied the station’s programming. WWOZ later operated from the French Market and supplemental locations before moving its studios and offices to the Jax Brewery building on November 28, 2023. The station continues to combine FM broadcasting, web streaming, live-event coverage, membership drives, volunteer-hosted programs, and community education. Its “WWOZ in the Schools” initiative and its support for local performers reinforce its role not only as a broadcaster but also as a cultural institution preserving and promoting New Orleans music.

WWOZ emerged from a mid-1970s effort by Walter and Jerry Brock to establish a community radio station devoted to New Orleans culture. The Nora Blatch Educational Foundation was formed as the nonprofit license holder, and the station adopted the call letters WWOZ as a reference to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its “man behind the curtain” motif. The founders intended the station’s content and community role to matter more than broadcast personalities. Broadcasting began on December 4, 1980, from a transmitter building in Bridge City, Louisiana. The station soon established its first New Orleans studio in a small apartment above Tipitina’s. Early operations were austere and volunteer-led. Hosts performed programming while also handling routine work such as correspondence and cleaning. Because Tipitina’s was an active music venue, WWOZ sometimes aired downstairs performances through improvised audio arrangements when artists gave permission. Technical constraints occasionally forced the station to use recorded material instead. In 1985, WWOZ moved to Louis Armstrong Park in Tremé. Financial difficulties led to a major institutional change in 1986, when the license was transferred to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. The foundation’s support helped stabilize the station and connected it to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. WWOZ subsequently became recognized for location broadcasts from the festival and other live events, while maintaining a schedule built around jazz, blues, R&B, Louisiana roots music, and international traditions. The station entered online broadcasting in 1996. Streaming allowed WWOZ to serve listeners outside its FM coverage area and strengthened its reputation as a worldwide source for New Orleans music. Its recorded-performance archive also acquired historical importance. The collection survived Hurricane Katrina and was later transferred to the Library of Congress for preservation and digitization; more than 2,000 recordings were available for public listening by 2016. Katrina was a major operational and cultural crisis. WWOZ ended its local transmission late on August 27, 2005, as the storm approached. The station’s staff and volunteers evacuated, its studio’s surrounding power system failed, and regular operations became impossible. The transmitter remained usable, however, and the station reconstructed a service through “WWOZ in Exile,” an online webcast supported by WFMU. Listeners and supporters also supplied old recordings for rebroadcast. Limited terrestrial programming returned from Baton Rouge in October, followed by a New Orleans return in December from temporary French Market space. Many hosts lost personal music collections that had supported their shows, although the institutional archive was preserved. WWOZ remained associated with the French Market for many years, with additional offices used elsewhere in the region. It continued to rely on a combination of paid operational staff, volunteer programmers, membership drives, live broadcasts, and community partnerships. Its educational work included WWOZ in the Schools. In 2018, the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters recognized the station as Station of the Year. On November 28, 2023, WWOZ moved into the Jax Brewery building in the French Quarter, where its studios and offices occupy the former brewery’s fifth floor. The station remains an active nonprofit broadcaster and a prominent audio archive and advocate for New Orleans music.

• 2023

  Move to Jax Brewery

  [1]WWOZen.wikipedia.org

  WWOZ moved its studios and offices to the Jax Brewery building in the French Quarter.

• 2018

  Louisiana Station of the Year

  [1]WWOZen.wikipedia.org

  The Louisiana Association of Broadcasters recognized WWOZ for its programming, volunteers, live broadcasts, and educational work.

• 2016

  Archive becomes available through Library of Congress

  [1]WWOZen.wikipedia.org

  More than 2,000 preserved WWOZ recordings were made available for on-site public listening at the Library of Congress.

• 2005

  Hurricane Katrina recovery

  [1]WWOZen.wikipedia.org

  After evacuating and going off air, WWOZ operated online as WWOZ in Exile, returned through Baton Rouge facilities, and re-established a New Orleans studio.

• 1996

  Online stream begins

  [1]WWOZen.wikipedia.org

  WWOZ started streaming its programming on the internet.

• 1986

  License transferred to Jazz & Heritage Foundation

  [1]WWOZen.wikipedia.org

  The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation assumed ownership of the station license and helped support operations.

• 1985

  Studio moves to Louis Armstrong Park

  [1]WWOZen.wikipedia.org

  The station relocated its studio to Louis Armstrong Park in the Tremé neighborhood.

• 1980

  WWOZ begins broadcasting

  [1]WWOZen.wikipedia.org

  WWOZ commenced broadcasting on December 4 from a transmitter facility in Bridge City, Louisiana.

• 1970

  Community radio concept develops

  [1]WWOZen.wikipedia.org

  Walter and Jerry Brock began organizing a New Orleans community radio station focused on the city’s musical culture.

A nonprofit, volunteer-driven cultural radio service that documents, presents, and supports the musical traditions of New Orleans and Louisiana.

• FM radio station · 1980

  WWOZ 90.7 FM

  The station’s principal terrestrial service for New Orleans, carrying a volunteer-led schedule centered on jazz, blues, rhythm and blues, Louisiana roots music, gospel, world music, and related cultural programming.

• Internet radio · 1996

  WWOZ Online Stream

  An internet simulcast that extends WWOZ programming beyond the New Orleans FM footprint. Introduced in 1996, it became especially important during the post-Katrina period and supports the station’s international listener base.

• Event broadcasting

  Live music broadcasts

  Location programming from New Orleans music events, most notably the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. These broadcasts connect the station’s cultural mission with live performances by local, regional, and visiting artists.

• Educational programming

  WWOZ in the Schools

  A community education initiative associated with the station’s mission to introduce students to New Orleans music, radio, and local cultural history.

• 2005WWOZ in Exile

  United States · Online worldwide

  After Hurricane Katrina forced the station off its normal facilities, WWOZ created an online service using servers and support from WFMU in New Jersey. The initiative kept the station connected to displaced listeners and preserved a continuous cultural link to New Orleans during the recovery period.

  Outcome. WWOZ restored a functioning webcast within a week and later resumed terrestrial broadcasting from temporary Louisiana facilities.

  Source
• Membership drives

  New Orleans · Online worldwide

  WWOZ conducts recurring membership drives to fund its nonprofit operations. The drives often include live performances and special programming from local musicians, highlighting the station’s community-supported model.

  Outcome. The drives remain part of the station’s ongoing funding and audience-engagement structure.

  Source

• 2005

  Emergency broadcast continuity after Hurricane KatrinaStrategy

  Background

  Hurricane Katrina forced staff evacuation, interrupted local facilities, and made normal studio operations impossible.

  Action taken

  WWOZ moved programming online as WWOZ in Exile, used temporary Baton Rouge facilities for limited over-the-air service, and later returned to New Orleans through temporary French Market space.

  Aftermath

  The station survived the disaster, restored local broadcasting, and continued its role as a cultural service despite the loss of many hosts’ personal music collections.

  Source

• 1986

  Transfer of station license to the Jazz & Heritage FoundationStrategy

  Background

  Financial difficulties threatened the station’s stability during its early years.

  Action taken

  The station license was transferred to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, which helped subsidize WWOZ and provided an institutional relationship with the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement established the foundation as WWOZ’s owner and supported the station’s continuing nonprofit and cultural mission.

  Source

• 2020.03.10

  Reported2020.03.10

  WWOZ wins two Louisiana broadcasters' awards[3]WWOZ获得路易斯安那州广播奖项wwoz.org

  The Louisiana Association of Broadcasters honored WWOZ's live broadcast from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and its program Takin’ It To The Streets with awards. WWOZ received the top award for best live on-site remote and the top award for its program highlighting New Orleans diversity.

Read more

1. 1WWOZen.wikipedia.org
2. 2WWOZ official websitewwoz.org
3. 3WWOZ获得路易斯安那州广播奖项wwoz.org
4. 4WWOZ wins 3 Prestige Awards from Louisiana Association of Broadcasterswwoz.org
5. 5WWOZ wins two awards from the Louisiana Association of Broadcasterswwoz.org