WWOZ brings the sounds of New Orleans to the world through our live broadcasts. Our festival broadcasts are some of the most popular programming we have, and bringing you to the big festivals like Jazz Fest and French Quarter Fest require a lot of moving parts, a focused team of players, and a bit of luck. Here, a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to bring a live event to the airwaves and online at wwoz.org:
The Young Pinstripe Brass Band, a New Orleans brass band that was broadcast on '0Z during Jazz Fest 2015 [Photo by Hunter King]
One of the most common questions we receive about our live broadcasts is how we decide which artists to feature live. Deciding the on-air performance lineup at a large event like Jazz Fest is a challenge (and pleasure-- so many excellent choices!) that starts weeks before the festival when our staff identifies a list of likely artist candidates and begins the process of obtaining the signed waivers that allow us to broadcast their sets. With many moving parts of the live broadcast process, many artists who we would like to share with the audience just don't make it to the air. We want to make sure to bring as much live music to the radio as possible, so 'OZ usually ends up broadcasting from the stages with lineups that provide a combination of New Orleans artists, artists who are relevant to our format and, importantly, with the highest number of artists who signed the waiver agreeing to be broadcast. This is a bit of a juggling act and scheduling decisions are sometimes made last-minute.
Chief engineer Damond Jacobs in one of the mobile studios [Photo by Pat Jolly]
WWOZ has two broadcast trucks that are set up near the stages we'll be broadcasting from. This allows us to be ready to broadcast from two different stages or locations at any given time. The broadcast truck is out many hours before the broadcast is set to begin (usually an entire day in advance), preparing the connections and equipment and troubleshooting to anticipate problems that might arise throughout the day.
The mobile studio
Each truck houses a mobile studio with three team members-- two engineers and an editor. The truck team interfaces with the stage and receives the multi-split input. From that, they independently create WWOZ's own mix right from the live stage. This mix is usually fine-tuned during the first song of the set.
From the mobile studios, the audio is then transmitted back to the WWOZ broadcast trailer where the producer auditions the sonic quality of the feed coming from the trucks before deciding it's ready for air and sending it out to our listeners.
It may not be pretty, but it’s important!
At Jazz Fest, we have an on-site broadcast trailer which houses the broadcast's director, assistant director, and engineering room. The engineering room receives the broadcast mix from our truck. The equipment translates this mix into a format that can reach the web stream and airwaves at 90.7 FM.
Director’s assistant Linda Santi and director George Ingmire at work inside the broadcast trailer on Day 3 of Jazz Fest 2015. [Photo by Ryan Hodgson-Rigsbee]
In the next room, the director quarterbacks the broadcast. The director communicates directly with both of the mobile studios and the assistant director, who sits with the show hosts, as well as makes sure that the details of what goes into each hour of programming run smoothly. This includes things like determining when to go live to the stage, playing the livewire, reminding show hosts when it's time to mention our legal ID on-air, and playing music from CDs in between live sets. Though the director runs the flow of the entire broadcast, you'll never hear him or her on-air.
Show hosts Allan "Alski" Laskey, Missy Bowen, and director "Rockin' Ron" Phillips broadcasting live from the WWOZ Hospitality Tent on Day 3 of Jazz Fest 2015. [Photo by Ryan Hodgson-Rigsbee]
At Jazz Fest, our on-air broadcasters, along with the assistant director, are set up inside the WWOZ Hospitality Tent where we have two show hosts. There are also spots for two guests, and ambient mics are also set up so listeners can get a real auditory feel for what it's like on site. All of this audio is transmitted back to the broadcast trailer, as well.
The show hosts have a line on the pulse of the festival as they're right amongst the crowd. They sit with the assistant director, who communicates with the broadcast trailer director through a headset. He writes down any information that the hosts need to know or should talk about during their next mic break on a white board and holds it up so it's easy for the hosts to see and refer back to as they're speaking. This includes information like who is being broadcast at the moment, what was just played, who will be coming up next, suggestions of evening events to promote, etc.
WWOZ usually has 10-15 live broadcasts each year. We are always coming to you from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and French Quarter Fest each April, as well as the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Fest each October. WWOZ also usually airs the Bayou Boogaloo, Jazz Journey, Congo Square Rhythms Festival, and Great Night in Harlem, along with a handful of other special events throughout the year. Thanks for listening!
