A Message from Beth Arroyo Utterback, WWOZ General Manager

We are thrilled to announce that this week WWOZ will be moving into our beautiful new home atop Jax Brewery on the 5th floor overlooking the Mississippi River! Our first broadcast originating from our new state-of-the art Helis Foundation Broadcast Studio is scheduled for Thursday morning at 11 am central with the New Orleans Music Show.

We are excited to share some sneak peek photos with more coming soon once we are settled in and unpacked! I think you'll agree that our long search and journey to get here was definitely worth the wait. This is the space that our incredible staff, show hosts, volunteers, supporters and beloved musicians and artists deserve!

In designing the space we were careful to include a mix of old and new by paying homage to our previous homes of the last four decades. Throughout the station you will see familiar colors to WWOZ. The blue walls are a tip of the hat to our French Market interior, the peach/pink walls honor our time at the Treehouse in Armstrong Park. The yellow and green cottage facade in our new Gia Maione Prima Performance Studio is a salute to our first home at Tipitina's. We also brought along our iconic outdoor sign which hung in front of the French Market for nearly 2 decades. It's now installed in our broadcast studio. These are just a few examples.

Our beautiful Prima Performance Studio is still being outfitted for live performances. The studio will include the late, great Eddie Bo's baby grand piano which has been played over the years by icons including Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Marcia Ball, Jon Cleary and many other legendary New Orleans musicians. We will keep you updated on the completion of that space and when live performances and station visits can resume!

So many people to thank for their invaluable support and belief in WWOZ. Thank you to our WWOZ Board of Directors led by Judge Sidney Cates who were with us every step of the way. Thank you to Darryl and Ryan Berger and the entire Berger Group who have been not only instrumental in making this move possible for WWOZ with their support but have also ensured we had a place to broadcast from temporarily for the last several months. Thank you to David Kerstein and The Helis Foundation for stepping forward to sponsor our new Broadcast Studio. Thank you to Anthony Sylvester and the Gia Maione Prima Foundation who have stepped forward to sponsor our new Performance Studio. Thank you to our amazing, intrepid realtors Mike Siegel and Chris Ross who never let us down during our yearlong search. Special thanks to Chris who also stepped forward and has done a terrific job as our Project Manager throughout the construction process. Thank you to Louis Livers and the entire team of Livers Construction Inc. Thank you to John Williams and the entire team of Williams Architects. Thank you to the Jazz and Heritage Board of Directors led by Tara Hernandez.

Thank you to all of our members, sponsors, brass passers, supporters and listeners of our wonderful station. And last but certainly not least, thank you to our amazing WWOZ Staff, Show Hosts, Volunteers and the incredible musicians of New Orleans who have been on this roller coaster with us through all of our ups and downs and who were instrumental in making WWOZ the international powerhouse it is today! You are all the ultimate Guardians of the Groove!

With love and appreciation,
Beth

Photos by Beth Arroyo Utterback