Radio: Blog of New Orleans, Gambit

Harry Shearer's Le Show loses le flagship NPR station

Kevin Allman — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:13:00 -0500

Harry Shearer's radio program Le Show, which airs locally on Sunday nights at 8 p.m. on WWNO-FM, has been axed from the lineup at its home station, Santa Monica, Calif.-based NPR giant KCRW-FM — and Shearer is looking for a new home base for the, uh, le show:

On Monday, April 15, I had an Income Tax Day to remember. I was invited to hear a “proposal” from the general manager of KCRW.…
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WWNO-FM names new news director

Kevin Allman — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 10:21:23 -0600

WWNO-FM, the NPR affiliate at the University of New Orleans, has hired Eve Troeh as its first-ever news director as the station continues to rebrand and expand its news coverage of south Louisiana. Troeh will begin April 1.…

Gus Kattengell's "Sports Hangover" moves to afternoon drive time on 106.1 FM Monday

Kevin Allman — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 15:56:33 -0600

Gus Kattengell, host of "The Sports Hangover" and New Orleans Saints columnist for Gambit, moves to the newly reaffiliated 106.1 FM "The Ticket" starting Monday.

The station is becoming an affiliate of the new CBS Sports Radio network, and Kattengell will be "The Ticket"'s sports director, as well as the station's afternoon drive-time host.…

Gus Kattengell joins Gambit as sports correspondent

Kevin Allman — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 09:00:00 -0500

As Saints season gets underway, we're pleased to announce Gus Kattengell is joining Gambit's roster of contributing writers.

He'll be providing reports from training camp, pre- and post-game wraps of New Orleans Saints games and breaking Saints news on Blog of New Orleans — as well as a weekly column in Gambit.…

WWNO-FM and NPR to announce partnership with NewOrleansReporter.org

Kevin Allman — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 18:25:00 -0500

The University of New Orleans (UNO) and its NPR affiliate station, WWNO-FM, have called a press conference for Friday morning for the announcement of "a major new initiative." The initiative is NewOrleansReporter.org, the fledgling newsroom being put together by Greater New Orleans Inc. president Michael Hecht and Educate Now! head Leslie Jacobs.…

As the New Orleans media landscape turns ...

Kevin Allman — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 18:12:00 -0500

As The Times-Picayune continues down its path of thrice-weekly-plus-occasional-Saints-Monday print publication, several local online news sources have made moves to bolster their own positions.

The New Orleans Digital News Alliance is a collaboration between four local websites: My Spilt Milk (the cultural-criticism site recently started by former OffBeat editor Alex Rawls), NOLA Defender, Uptown Messenger and the non-profit newsroom The Lens.…

"New Orleans became a blank slate after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005..."

Kevin Allman — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 21:17:04 -0500

National Public Radio began a new series today, "NPR Cities: Urban Life in the 21st Century," and New Orleans was chosen for the inaugural report. Its title was "Filling In New Orleans' Future, One Blank At A Time," and Debbie Elliott's story began with more references to the city's blankness:

New Orleans became a blank slate after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. And ever since, entrepreneurs have rushed in to experiment with new ideas for building and running a city.

The most-recommended comment on the story comes from New Orleans resident Beth Blankenship:

New Orleans most certainly did not become a "blank slate" in 2005. More than 350,000 people live here, in our homes that were either minimally damaged or have been restored since the storm, and continue the lives we lived before 2005, in the traditions of this very old, very non-blank city.…
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How the country's only reading radio will handle The Times-Picayune's big changes

Alex Woodward — Tue, 29 May 2012 16:26:00 -0500

Tune into 88.3 FM and you'll hear the city's — and the country's — only full-time FM dial reading radio. Twice daily, volunteer readers read from The Times-Picayune.…

This American Life retracts damning Apple story

Lauren LaBorde — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:42:48 -0500

In my interview with This American Life host Ira Glass that ran in Gambit last week, we discussed the show episode "Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory," in which monologist Mike Daisey details his first-hand account of the deplorable conditions of Foxconn, the Chinese factory where Apple products — among other brand electronics — are manufactured. But today, This American Life has completely retracted the episode, saying they have discovered details from the episode to have been "partially fabricated."

The show's website says this Sunday's episode will be devoted to "detailing the errors" of the episode with Marketplace reporter Rob Schmitz, and Daisey appears on the show to talk with Glass "about why he misled This American Life during the fact-checking process."…

More from the Ira Glass interview

Lauren LaBorde — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:39:00 -0600

This week's Gambit features my interview with Ira Glass, host of the popular syndicated radio show This American Life. Glass appears Saturday at Tulane's McAlister Auditorium to discuss the show and answer audience questions (tickets available here).…

Ira Glass tickets on sale

Lauren LaBorde — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 10:24:40 -0600

If you're a fan of WWNO, chances are you've stayed in your car longer than you needed to finish listening to the sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and always intriguing syndicated program This American Life. Ira Glass, the host of the program, comes to Tulane University's McAlister Auditorium on Saturday, March 10.…

WWL-AM: We stand behind Garland

Kevin Allman — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:23:00 -0500

Those hoping for a complete explanation by WWL-AM radio host Garland Robinette were no doubt disappointed this morning, as the host punted on explaining the details of a $250,000 personal loan he and his wife received from River Birch landfill owner Fred Heebe — a friend of the family whose Waggaman landfill, co-owned by stepfather Jim Ward, was the subject of a $160 million contract from Jefferson Parish.

"I would like nothing more than to respond to each and every allegation, because I have answers for each and every allegation,” Robinette said at the top of his popular "Think Tank" morning show on "The Big 870."…

Here is the bounce remix of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep"

Lauren LaBorde — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 16:35:52 -0500

Singer Adele has become a pop radio sensation, and rightfully so — she's really, really good (embedded below is her incredible NPR Tiny Desk Concert if you need proof). Seemingly everyone is taking notice of the British soul crooner, including Power 102.9's DJ Chicken, who created this bounce remix of Adele's hit "Rolling in the Deep."…

A week of fasting and prayer at Claiborne and Martin Luther King

Alex Woodward — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 16:17:00 -0600

New Hope Baptist Church Pastor John Raphael is spending this week at the intersection of South Claiborne Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Central City. He's fasting — drinking only water, Gatorade and coffee — and praying for an end to the violence in New Orleans.…

Jay-Z on Katrina, Kanye, and the apology

Alex Woodward — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 16:19:28 -0600

Jay-Z appeared on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross promoting his memoir Decoded. In it, he reflects on his rough upbringing, drug dealing and rap career — he also discusses Hurricane Katrina and the levee failures.…

Susan Larson to host "The Reading Life" on WWNO-FM

Kevin Allman — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 15:25:09 -0500

Susan Larson, the former Times-Picayune books editor (and all-around God's gift to the New Orleans literary community) will begin hosting "The Reading Life," a new show dedicated to all things bookish, on WWNO-FM Nov. 23. The show, with interviewer Fred Kasten, will run on Tuesdays from 6:30-7:00 pm, and feature author interviews, a literary calendar and other news.…

This one goes out to the checkers at the Winn-Dixie in Marrero

Kevin Allman — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:45:30 -0500

Winn-Dixie announced on Tuesday it plans to close 30 of its "underperforming" supermarkets, and today we found out that Louisiana was largely spared the axe -- except for the Winn-Dixie in Marrero on Lapalco Boulevard. And, of course, the first thing I thought of was: Johnny Fasullo!

OK, it's not terribly logical, but the late great WWOZ-FM DJ with the accent that made Buddy D and Ernie K-Doe sound like Queen Elizabeth was always name-checking "da Winn-Dixie on Lapalco" on his Sunday morning Cajun music show.…

Tee-Hee

Alejandro de los Rios — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 23:11:36 -0500

They said "cock-up".

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Tales from the Crate Diggers

Alex Woodward — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:39:27 -0500

Now in the second half of its first century of programming, WTUL continues its annual Rock On Survival Marathon, a few-weeks-long fundraiser to keep the Tulane University radio station (and New Orleans' only FM college radio station) on the air.

Last weekend the station held a three-day court at Maison 508 with a stellar showcase for the Foburg Music Festival.…

Wait Wait...Where Are We?

Will Coviello — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:07:41 -0600

The popular NPR news quiz show Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me recorded this week's episode at the Mahalia Jackson Theater last night in front of a packed house. The episode will air at 10 a.m. Saturday on WWNO 89.9 FM.…

Brownie gets heckuva full-time talk radio job

Kevin Allman — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 23:52:10 -0600

From the Failing Up Dept.: Seems that Michael "Brownie" Brown has been given his own three-hour evening talk show on KOA radio in Denver, which seems to be the Mile-High City's version of WWL-AM minus some of the Hebert-Deke-DelGiornoisms.

But why Brownie? Let's ask Clear Channel honcho Kris Olinger:

Regarding the notoriety Brown earned from his Katrina actions, Olinger says, "I think it's a definite positive. He has great insight into what happened in New Orleans and how government works.…
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New Orleans does have the Blues

Will Coviello — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:40:53 -0600

New Orleans has a blues circuit, but it's made up of below-radar neighborhood bars, including Joe's House of Blues, the Young at Heart Lounge and The Place to Be. In conjunction with a radio documentary project by Richard Ziglar and Barry Yeoman of Durham, N.C., there's a free blues show featuring local talent at the Mother-in-Law Lounge at 7 p.m.…

Garland Robinette comes out in support of same-sex marriage; WWL-AM listeners plotz

Kevin Allman — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 23:19:26 -0600

WWL-AM, like most AM talk stations in the country, will never been mistaken for MSNBC. And "The Big 870" has a variety of hosts, but none of them is likely to be mistaken for Keith Olbermann, either -- much less Rachel Maddow, since the station's sole female host, Monica Pierre, decamped a few months back and is now working with the Mitch Landrieu campaign for mayor.

All of this is preamble to what Garland Robinette, the station's least predictable talker, chose to discuss during his "Think Tank" show this morning.…

Anthony Bourdain, Garrison Keillor, David Sedaris coming to town

Kevin Allman — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:28:17 -0600

Anthony Bourdain, role model for a generation of bad-boy (and wannabe bad-boy) chefs. Garrison Keillor, the rumpled personification of folksy humor.…

There's an app for Voodoo -- and an app for WWOZ, too.

Kevin Allman — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:47:52 -0500

iPhone users who are planning to check out the Voodoo Music Experience would do well to download the official Voodoo app from the iTunes Music Store -- it has schedules, biographies, and all kinds of Voodoophernalia for the music lover.

And for those who aren't going but dig being able to listen to WWOZ wherever or whenever -- the Louisiana jazz and heritage station now has its own dedicated app for 24-7 listening. Take a look at the screenshots below, or just go ahead and download both of them -- they're free.

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