WWOZ Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer’s Report April 6, 2016
We have reformatted this report to more clearly summarize the key information first, and then include more detail in Appendices A and B. As we move forward, we intend to work closely with appropriate board members to hone this communication for maximum usability.
1. Membership. As of February 29, 2016, WWOZ has received $1,170,660 in donations for FY 2016, a year-to-date increase of 20% over the $973,750 received during the same period in FY 2015.
a. In the month of February 2016 alone, WWOZ received $386,444 in membership revenue, a 34% increase over revenue of $288,049 in February 2015.
b. As of March 30, 2016, WWOZ sold 3,226 Brass Passes to the 2016 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
2. Spring 2016 Membership Drive. WWOZ’s spring 2016 Membership Drive began on March 8, 2016 and ended on March 18, 2016. Thanks to the hard work of WWOZ’s volunteers, show hosts, musicians, and staff, WWOZ received $523,999 in pledges from 1,562 new or renewing members, a result that exceeded WWOZ’s goal of $500,000 by 5%.
On March 23, 2016, WWOZ invited all volunteers, show hosts, and staff to a post-drive thank-you party in a VIP area at the Young Leadership Council’s [YLC] “Wednesday at the Square” concert in Lafayette Square.
3. Underwriting & Sponsorship. For the fiscal year through February 29, 2016, the total dollar value of WWOZ’s signed underwriting agreements is $147,103, a 90% increase over the total value ($77,494) of agreements signed during the same period in FY 2015.
As of February 29, 2016, WWOZ has collected $133,351 in underwriting and sponsorship revenue for FY 2016, a decrease of 29% from the $187,966 in revenue generated during the same period in FY 2015. In the month of February 2016 alone, WWOZ underwriting and sponsorship revenue totaled $54,120, a 42% increase from the $38,080 in revenue generated during February 2015.
4. Major Giving. As of February 29, 2016, WWOZ generated $110,955 in revenue from major donors for FY 2016, compared to the $96,714 in revenue for the same period in FY 2015, a 15% increase. However, with all of the major shifts in management, it is not likely that we will achieve the full budgeted major giving revenue of $288,000.
5. Swamp Shop. As of February 29, 2016, the WWOZ Swamp Shop generated revenue of $12,194 for FY 2016, a 57% decrease from the revenue of $28,454 earned in February 2015. During the month of February 2016 alone, Swamp Shop sales totaled $1,239, a 54% decrease from sales of $2,414 in February 2015.
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WWOZ Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer’s Report April 6, 2016
6. Personnel. Since our last meeting, Program Director Dwayne Breashears has agreed to delay his resignation until we get through Jazz Fest. His final day with WWOZ will be May 1, 2016.
We have also reorganized in the programming/content areas as follows, building our core team from within the existing station staff. Further details are attached in a memo sent to staff and volunteers last week.
a. Scott Borne’s position has been upgraded to include overseeing music across all platforms. We’ve made a semantic change in his title to Director of Music (from Music Director) to better reflect his new status.
b. Jorge Fuentes has been promoted to Operations Director from Operations Assistant.
c. Damond Jacobs retains the title of Chief Engineer and will be the third leg of our radio leadership team.
d. We’ve also hired Carrie Booher as Digital Content Editor. This is a full-time staff position replacing her previous contractual work as Digital Content Assistant. Her primary role is managing WWOZ social media efforts.
e. We plan to leave the Program Director and Assistant to the PD position vacant for now as we see how this new leadership structure develops.
Our goal is to still fill most of the vacant positions in Development under a reorganization that was already in process when I arrived in January 2016.
7. New Media. The New Media team implemented a responsive and mobile-first email format for development-related mailings sent before and during the spring 2016 WWOZ Membership Drive. The newly-designed emails were opened by 35-50% of recipients; a typical open rate for similar non-profit solicitation emails is 25%.
8. Sound Sleep Initiative. On March 26, 2016, Doerr Furniture, the New Orleans Musicians Assistance Foundation and Clinic, and WWOZ announced a partnership entitled the “Sound Sleep Initiative,” which aims to improve the health of New Orleans’ musicians and culture bearers by helping them get a better night's sleep. Once a week, Doerr Furniture will deliver a brand-new queen-sized mattress to a member of the New Orleans cultural community, as recommended by a committee appointed by the New Orleans Musicians Assistance Foundation and Clinic. Criteria will include—but will not be limited to—recent surgery, chronic illnesses, and chronic pain. Recipients will include Mardi Gras Indians, social aid and pleasure club members, musicians, performers, music venue workers, and service industry workers.
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WWOZ Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer’s Report April 6, 2016
APPENDIX A
Further Details
i. WWOZ signed seven new underwriting & sponsorship agreements in March 2016: one amended annual agreement adding digital underwriting presence (The New Orleans Opera) and six promotional agreements (Slidell Jazz & Blues Festival; The Joy Theater for its Jazz Fest concert series; the Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans for “Adam Pendleton: Becoming Imperceptible”; Live Nation for “Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue’s Second Annual Treme Threauxdown” at the Saenger Theatre; The Orpheum Theater Presents “An Evening With Big Chief Donald Harrison, Jr.”; Outback Concerts for “The Last Waltz New Orleans” at the Saenger Theatre; Spotlight with John Calhoun.
ii. The New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation [NOTMC] has agreed to underwrite WWOZ’s syndicated program and podcast New Orleans Calling for one year. NOTMC’s underwriting will provide financial support, a comprehensive marketing campaign, and promotional collaboration with WWOZ’s social media team. As of March 28, 2016, WWOZ Sponsor Services secured $40,000 in sponsorship for the 28th Annual WWOZ Piano Night on April 25, 2016, from People Health ($10,000), NOLA Motorsports Park, The Helis Foundation, Roedel Parsons Koch Blache Balhoff & McCollister, First NBC Bank, Chevron, and the Port of New Orleans ($5,000 each). iii. New Media also posted lightly-edited videos of the in-studio musical performances on the WWOZ Facebook page, generating tens of thousands of page views during the membership drive. New Media has engaged a new WWOZ volunteer, Laura DeFazio, to write content for wwoz.org, particularly captions and information for the videos posted. In conjunction with the board’s renewed efforts to promote the WWOZ cookbook, That Sounds Good!, both the website and the April 2016 ‘Ozone newsletter feature John “Papa” Gros’ contribution, a recipe for Cajun Bruschetta. iv. WWOZ Development began the annual distribution of purchased Brass Passes at the YLC “Wednesday at the Square” concert on March 23, 2016, and continued distribution at the Whole Foods in Uptown New Orleans on March 24, 2016; the Whole Foods in Metairie on March 25, 2016, and at the Rouses supermarket in the CBD on March 26, 2016. WWOZ will next distribute Brass Passes during the French Quarter Festival, from the WWOZ Swamp Shop inside the Louisiana Music Factory, on April 8-10, 2016, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. each day. WWOZ will then implement distribution at the WWOZ offices in the French Quarter on April 19-April 21, 2016, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day.
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WWOZ Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer’s Report April 6, 2016 v. WWOZ Video.
During the month of March 2016, WWOZ Video recorded and/or streamed live the following:
March 4, 2016: Live performances and interviews with Papa Mali & Alvin Youngblood Hart at WWOZ.
March 5, 2016: Membership Drive pitch training video for volunteers with Pamela Wood & Arthur Cohen.
March 6, 2016: VIP Ladies and Kids Social Aid & Pleasure Club Parade.
March 8-18, 2016: WWOZ Membership Drive in-studio performances streamed live:
Jimmy Robinson; Luke Winslow King; Shotgun Jazz Band; Trapper Keeper; Barry Stephenson; Greg Schatz; John “Papa” Gros; Red Wolf Brass Band; Amina Figarova; 504 Experience; the Dr. King Charter School Brass Band; Evan Christopher; The Original Pinettes Brass Band; Meschiya Lake & The Little Big Horns; Little Freddie King; The Soul Brass Band; Steve Malinowski; The Cole Williams Band; Marc Stone’s New Orleans Kingpins featuring Benny Turner; Swamp Kitchen; F.A.S.T. with Dave Ferrato; Irma Thomas; Jesse McBride; Frank Oxley & The Joint Chiefs of Jazz; Herlin Riley; Johnny Sansone; James Andrews; and Joe Lastie.
March 19, 2016: Congo Square New World Rhythms Festival in Armstrong Park live performances and interview recorded:
Ivan Neville’s Mardi Gras Indian tribute, “Injuns Here Dey Come,” featuring Big Chief Roderick Sylvas of the Wild Tchoupitoulas, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux of the Golden Eagles, and Big Chief Juan Pardo of the Golden Comanches; Moyuba; Muevelo; Pirate’s Choice; Zion Trinity; Chakra Dance Theater; Culu & N’Kafu African Dance Troupes; Mardi Gras Indian Battle; One Love Brass Band; Bamboula 2000; Tonya Boyd- Cannon; Tank and the Bangas; Dee-1; Rebirth Brass Band; N’Fungola African Dance Ensemble Kumbuka African Dance Ensemble; Casa Samba; and the “Class Got Brass” contest. Page 4 of 12
WWOZ Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer’s Report April 6, 2016
v. WWOZ Video (cont).
March 31, 2016: Cyrus Chestnut in Concert at The George & Joyce Wien Heritage Center, New Orleans
In March 2016, the WWOZ Video team published seven new videos on the WWOZ Vimeo page: Carol Fran performing “Money (That’s What I Want)”; Muevelo performing live at WWOZ; Papa Mali & Alvin Youngblood Hart performing live at WWOZ; a WWOZ Spring 2016 Membership Drive promotional video; one song from each live performance during the spring membership drive (29 videos); Donald Harrison Jr. performing “Nouveau Swing”; WWOZ Busker’s Blog featuring The Overtakers; and Erica Falls performing live at WWOZ. vi. Spring 2016 Membership Drive Live Performances.
March 8-18, 2016: Marla Dixon Trio Luke Winslow King Jimmy Robinson & Friends Trapper Keeper Quartet Red Wolf Brass Band John “Papa” Gros Barry Stevenson Trio Mitchell Player with Leon Brown Dr. King Charter School Brass Band Amina Figarova Evan Christopher The Original Pinettes Brass Band Meschiya Lake & The Little Big Horns Soul Brass Band Little Freddie King Steve Malinowski Swamp Kitchen Marc Stone's New Orleans Kingpins featuring Benny Turner Cole Williams Band Joe Lastie Irma Thomas Jesse McBride F.A.S.T. with Dave Ferrato Frank Oxley & the Joint Chiefs of Jazz New Breed Brass Band Johnny Sansone Herlin Riley James Andrews
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WWOZ Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer’s Report April 6, 2016
vii. Live Remote Broadcasts.
March 23, 2016:
Wednesday at the Square with Anders Osborne and Colin Lake Presented by the Young Leadership Council Lafayette Square, New Orleans
March 31, 2016:
Cyrus Chestnut in Concert Presented by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation The George & Joyce Wien Heritage Center, New Orleans
April 1, 2016:
Papa Mali and Camile Baudoin Backroom at Buffa’s, New Orleans
viii. Upcoming Live Remote Broadcasts.
April 8-10, 2016:
French Quarter Festival 2016 “Esplanade in the Shade Stage” Presented by French Quarter Festivals French Quarter, New Orleans Artists to be announced
April 22-24 and April 28-May 1, 2016:
2016 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Presented by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation Fair Grounds Race Course, New Orleans Artists to be announced
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WWOZ Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer’s Report April 6, 2016 ix. Press.
The New Orleans Advocate/neworleansadvocate.com: “With records in the rooms and a respectable music lineup, the Ace Hotel chain puts its spin on New Orleans” Alison Fensterstock, March 31, 2016
“DJ Brice Nice spends a lot of time with records. His eclectic, long-running Block Party show airs Saturday evenings on WWOZ 90.7 FM. In 2013, he co-founded the vinyl- driven Sinking City Records label.”
San Diego Community Newspaper Group/sdnews.com: “Fundraiser set for MBHS music students to visit New Orleans” Bart Mendoza, March 28, 2016
“‘Our big performance opportunity will be a performance workshop at Preservation Hall,” [Mission Bay High School Music Bandleader J.P.] Balmat said. ‘This is the center of traditional jazz in New Orleans. There is no bigger honor than to be welcomed into the sanctuary of jazz. We will also be doing a live performance on radio station WWOZ and additional performances at The Old US Mint, which is now the New Orleans National Jazz Historical Museum. Each of these events will feature professionals from the city.’”
Esquire/esquire.com: “The Rats Won't F*ck Themselves” Charles P. Pierce, March 25, 2016
“Weekly WWOZ Pick To Click: ‘Two Wings’ (Rev. Utah Smith): Yeah, I pretty much still love New Orleans.”
OffBeat Magazine/offbeat.com: “Lightning Strike at T-Bois Blues Fest Leaves One Dead, Two Injured” March 21, 2016, Sam D’Arcangelo
“Longtime WWOZ programming director Dwayne Breashears, who knew Stavis through a circle of New Orleanians that attend the Burning Man festival each year, told the New Orleans Advocate, ‘We are all just numbed by it…She just dove into the culture of New Orleans, just became a part of it. She just wanted to do positive things here.’”
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WWOZ Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer’s Report April 6, 2016 ix. Press (cont).
The Times-Picayune/nola.com: “See inside the new Ace Hotel in downtown New Orleans” Jennifer Larino, March 21, 2016
“A swirl of white stars painted on a large swath of black fabric greets visitors at the front desk, a set piece from a past performance by the New Orleans Opera Association. Armoires in each room feature bayou scenes painted by local artists. Records hand- picked by WWOZ DJ Brice Nice sit waiting for a spin on the in-room record players.
The Advocate/advocate.com “New Orleans transplant killed by lightning strike: ‘She just dove into the culture' of city” Katy Reckdahl, March 20, 2016
“Longtime WWOZ Radio program director Dwayne Breashears knew Stavis through a tight-knit group of New Orleanians who travel each year to the Burning Man festival in Nevada. ‘We are all just numbed by it,’ Breashears said of Stavis’ death, adding that it seemed she’d been in New Orleans all of her life, though she grew up in New England, New York and Wisconsin. ‘She just dove into the culture of New Orleans, just became a part of it. She just wanted to do positive things here.’”
The Times-Picayune/nola.com: “New music venue debuts inside Ace Hotel” Chelsea Brasted, March 17, 2016
“Musically, Three Keys so far offers Sunpie and the Sunspots on March 19, Tank and the Bangas on March 19 and a full slate of musicians to coincide with the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell. Those two weeks — from April 21 to May 1 — include performances by PJ Morton, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Hurray for the Riff Raff, a night programmed by Jack White's Third Man Records and one by WWOZ.”
OffBeat Magazine/offbeat.com: “Newly Opened Ace Hotel Announces Jazz Fest Series, Free Shows” Sam D’Arcangelo, March 17, 2016
“Three Keys will also host curated events with WWOZ, Third Man Record and the Ponderosa Stomps, as well as a number of free daytime and evening events that will be presented by Preservation Hall.”
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WWOZ Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer’s Report April 6, 2016 ix. Press (cont).
OffBeat Magazine/offbeat.com: “WWOZ, Where Does It End?” Jan Ramsey, March 16, 2016
“OffBeat’s short post on the departure of Dwayne Breashears (long-time WWOZ Programming Director) as of April 1 created a storm of controversy in the media. The New Orleans Advocate picked up on the story as did NOLA.com, which expanded the piece into a litany of issues at the station, including staff and volunteer departures at the much-beloved radio station.”
The Times-Picayune/nola.com: “The future of WWOZ: Readers react” Heather Nolan, March 16, 2016
“Concern over the direction of WWOZ after Offbeat magazine reported Dwayne Breashears would step down from his position as programming director led to volunteer and employee departures. Some of those employees and volunteers voiced concerns to NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune that the station's focus and direction have gone too global, losing touch with its hyper-local sound.”
OffBeat Magazine/offbeat.com: “WWOZ: A Way Forward?” Sam D’Arcangelo, March 16, 2016
“Last week we reported that WWOZ programming director Dwayne Breashears had resigned from his position with the beloved community radio station. Yesterday, NOLA.com dug deeper into the situation with a report of their own, which details the on and off air issues that have forced at least six employees to leave the station over the past year. OffBeat has obtained a copy of a letter–written by former WWOZ Membership Director and longtime volunteer Dimitri Apessos–to the radio station’s Board of Directors.”
OffBeat Magazine/offbeat.com: “WWOZ Employees, Volunteers Voice Concerns about Station’s Direction” Sam D’Arcangelo, March 15, 2016
“When we reported that longtime WWOZ programming director Dwayne Breashears had resigned from his position with the station last week, plenty of readers had questions about the state of affairs at the beloved community radio stations [sic].”
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WWOZ Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer’s Report April 6, 2016 ix. Press (cont).
WGNO-TV “News with a Twist”/wgno.com: “MLK Charter students Cuttin’ Class for a good reason” March 11, 2016
“WWOZ's Nita Ketner strikes up the band for Cuttin' Class, a win-win deal on 'OZ. Says Ketner, ‘The program started about three years ago, here at WWOZ and to put the focus on music education in our schools. We try to do it once a month during the school year. We bring a different brass band in that's from the marching band of several different schools in the Greater New Orleans area!’”
“What's also cool is that WWOZ makes a $1,000 donation to the schools that appear. It's money that certainly comes in handy for the music department.”
OffBeat Magazine/offbeat.com: “Over 1000 Hours of Early Jazz Recordings Available Online” Sam D’Arcangelo, March 15, 2016
“WWOZ has pointed out an incredible collection of early jazz recordings that are currently available for free online. Compiled by jazz enthusiast David W. Niven between 1921 and 1991, the over 1,000 hours of jazz tapes includes music from Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, Sidney Bechet, Chet Baker, Billie Holiday, Charlies Parker, Django Reinhardt, Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra and many more.”
The New Orleans Advocate/neworleansadvocate.com: “Longtime WWOZ-FM program director Dwayne Breashears resigns” Keith Spera, March 9, 2016
“Longtime WWOZ-FM program director Dwayne Breashears has resigned, effective April 1. Breashears has worked at the community radio station, which bills itself as the ‘guardian of the groove’ of New Orleans music, for 18 years. As program director, he oversaw everything WWOZ listeners hear over the airwaves at 90.7 FM, including the volunteer DJs, the announcements and live broadcasts from festivals and concerts.”
OffBeat Magazine/offbeat.com: “WWOZ Program Director Dwayne Breashears Resigns” Jan Ramsey, March 8, 2016
“Dwayne Breashears, WWOZ‘s Program Director and a longtime member of the community radio station’s 20-member staff, has resigned, effective April 1. ‘It’s been an incredible 18-year journey,’ he said. ‘I’ve loved what I’ve done at the station and the friends I have made. Many of the people I have met while at OZ are now my family.’” Page 10 of 12
WWOZ Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer’s Report April 6, 2016
APPENDIX B
Memo from Chief Operating Officer Arthur Cohen to WWOZ Volunteers regarding personnel changes
March 21, 2016
Dear ‘OZ volunteers,
First, thanks for a very successful pledge drive. We exceeded our goal by 5% and are ahead of projections for membership to this point in the year. Your efforts are highly appreciated!
As part of WWOZ’s continuing effort to align our staffing for the media world of 2016 and beyond, we are pleased to announce that Scott Borne has been promoted to Director of Audio Content. This position will encompass some of his previous Music Director duties but extend his supervision to live recordings and broadcasts, online audio and artist relations. He will be the primary supervisor of our on air volunteers.
Jorge Fuentes has also been promoted to Operations Director (from Operations Assistant). His scope will include continuity, radio production and facilities management. Both Jorge and Scott will participate in training volunteer show hosts and producers.
In our digital department, Carrie Booher has been named Digital Content Editor. She has been running our social media efforts as Digital Content Assistant over the last year and a half and we are excited to have her join our full-time team.
For now, we’ll be leaving the job of PD vacant as we see how this new arrangement works. There will likely be some adjustments ahead as we identify areas needing attention. In all areas, we intend to fully utilize the deep pool of talent that is already part of WWOZ; while continuing to seek and welcome others from all parts of our community. Maryse Déjean will be working on updating our volunteer management systems and developing ways to optimize and increase communications between all of us.
Our goal is to maximize the impact of the tremendous capabilities that WWOZ now has – radio, audio, video, streaming, apps and digital/online (new website in the near future). The pieces and people are already in place with the talent, skills and understanding to shepherd WWOZ to even greater service to the community and to the music.
At a time of change, it’s always good to remember your mission. You’ve probably seen these before, but it’s a short read and it represents where we are, have been and will be:
MISSION STATEMENT
WWOZ's mission is to be the worldwide voice, archive, and flag-bearer of New Orleans culture and musical heritage.
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WWOZ Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer’s Report April 6, 2016
VISION
We aspire to have the music of New Orleans and Louisiana embraced worldwide as a raw expression of our vibrant, creative people.
CORE VALUES
We deeply value the music and culture of New Orleans and Louisiana and are dedicated to its preservation and promotion. Our programs and services not only benefit our listeners and Internet visitors, but also empower local musicians, tradition bearers, youth, businesses and a broad spectrum of community organizations.
Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. I hope to see you at our celebration on Wednesday.
Arthur
Arthur Cohen Chief Operating Officer
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