WWOZ Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer’s Report May 11, 2016
1. New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. WWOZ provided full broadcast and website coverage of the 46th annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, held April 22-24 and April 28-May 1, 2016. WWOZ provided live feeds to nine community radio stations across North America. More than 100 volunteers helped WWOZ staff carry out WWOZ’s multiple Jazz Fest activities at the Fairgrounds, including the live broadcast, national syndication and simulcast broadcasts, WWOZ Brass Pass distribution, the WWOZ Hospitality Tent, and WWOZ Mango Freeze sales. WWOZ entered into a collaboration with New Orleans’ skywriting company Positive Sky, who rendered “WWOZ” in the skies above the festival at pre-arranged times, allowing us to post pictures of the writing on social media for posterity.
2. Piano Night. WWOZ held its annual WWOZ Piano Night fundraiser at the House of Blues New Orleans on April 25, 2016, with performances by Tom McDermott, Kyle Roussel, Courtney Bryant, Conun Pappas, Craig Adams, Marty Sammon, Joe Krown, Henry Butler, John Gros, John O’Brien, Jesse McBride, Marcia Ball, Sonny Schneidau, and Monty Alexander—Harlem Kingston Express.
3. Membership. As of March 31, 2016, WWOZ has received $1,888,595 in donations for FY 2016, a year-to-date increase of 18% over the $1,602,699 received during the same period in FY 2015. For the second year in a row, WWOZ sold its entire inventory of 3,500 Brass Passes to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
a. In the month of March 2016 alone, WWOZ received $720,194 in membership revenue, a 15% increase over revenue of $628,949 in March 2015.
b. Ticket pre-sales for Piano Night 2016 totaled a record 350 general admission tickets, owing to a marketing campaign—using direct mail, social media, and face-to-face interaction—person that combined Piano Night and Brass Passes to Jazz Fest, encouraging members to purchase both.
4. Underwriting & Sponsorship (including Piano Night). As of March 31, 2016, WWOZ has collected $217,799 in underwriting and sponsorship revenue for FY 2016, a decrease of 4% from the $225,716 in revenue generated during the same period in FY 2015.
a) For the fiscal year through March 31, 2016, the total dollar value of WWOZ’s signed underwriting agreements is $158,548, a 66% increase over the total value ($95,591) of agreements signed during the same period in FY 2015.
5. Major Giving & New Orleans Calling. As of March 31, 2016, WWOZ has generated $113,955 in revenue from major donors and from grants for New Orleans Calling for FY 2016, compared to $118,214 for the same period in FY 2015, a 4% decrease.
Page 1 of 2
WWOZ Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer’s Report May 11, 2016
6. WWOZ Mango Freeze at Jazz Fest 2016. During the seven days of the 2016 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, WWOZ’s Mango Freeze booths grossed $102,043, a decrease of 16% from revenue of $121,836 at the festival in 2015. Dangerous thunderstorms and flooding hit New Orleans on April 30 and May 1 (the final Saturday and Sunday of Jazz Fest) and had a negative effect on sales.
7. Swamp Shop. As of March 31, 2016, the WWOZ Swamp Shop generated revenue of $14,229 for FY 2016, a 57% decrease from the revenue of $33,136 earned in March 2015. During the month of March 2016 alone, Swamp Shop sales totaled $2,035, a 57% decrease from sales of $4,682 in March 2015.
8. New Media. On April 23, 2016, New Orleans’ Positive Sky rendered the late Prince’s erstwhile stage name in skywriting above the Jazz & Heritage Festival. WWOZ’s Facebook post featuring photograph of the symbol in the sky generated more than 18 million impressions, and more than 1 million interactions (likes, shares and comments). The post drew several thousand new followers to the WWOZ’s Facebook page, which now has 80,000 total followers.
Page 2 of 2
WWOZ Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer’s Report May 11, 2016
APPENDIX A a) Underwriting Agreements. WWOZ Sponsor Services signed 11 new underwriting agreements in April 2016: The Historic New Orleans Collection; Healthier Air for All; Winter Circle Productions for “case/lang/veirs” (Neko Case/k.d. lang/Laura Veirs); Second Line Brewing; The Orpheum Theater for The Revivalists; Live Nation for Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue’s Treme Threauxdown and for Alabama Shakes; Spotlight with John Calhoun; the Mid City Yacht Club; The Boom Boom Room (San Francisco); and Doobie Decibel System. b) Live Video Streams. During the month of April, the WWOZ website hosted the following live video streams: The Historic New Orleans Collection’s 17th annual Bill Russell Lecture, “100 Years of New Orleans String Bands (1849–1949),” featuring Seva Venet and the Storyville Stringband of New Orleans (April 6, 2016); the Abita Springs Busker Festival (April 17, 2016); the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s Sync Up Conference (April 22-24, 2016 and April 29-30, 2016); and “WWOZ and the Ace Hotel Present The Bootleg Duo,” featuring Tricia Boutté and Paul Longstreth (April 27, 2016). c) Video Recordings. During the month of April 2016, WWOZ Video recorded the following live performances and events:
April 1, 2016: Cuttin’ Class featuring the Einstein Academy Charter School at WWOZ.
April 6, 2016: The Historic New Orleans Collection’s 17th annual Bill Russell Lecture, “100 Years of New Orleans String Bands (1849–1949),” featuring Seva Venet and the Storyville Stringband of New Orleans.
April 8-10, 2016: French Quarter Festival 2016: Little Maker, Susan Cowsill, Daria & The Hip Drops, Happy Talk Band, Naughty Professor, Tank and the Bangas, The Revealers, Alex McMurray Band, Astral Project, Dave Jordan & the NIA Creole String Beans, Egg Yolk Jubilee.
April 17, 2016: Abita Springs Busker Festival 2016: Bad Pennies Pleasure Makers, Loose Marbles, Shotgun Jazz Band, Sluetown Strutters, The Deslondes, Tuba Skinny.
April 19, 2016: Sync Up Conference 2016: “How to Launch a Career in Jazz,” “Take me to the Next Level,” “The Art of a Jazz Career with Geri Allen,” “ Newport Revived with Jay Sweet,” “Streaming, Spotify, and You,” “The Business of Gospel Music,”
Page A-1
WWOZ Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer’s Report May 11, 2016 c) Video Recordings (cont).
“Busting a Move: S-8ighty on His Trip to a Major Label,” “Managing a Platinum Rap Artist,” “Crowdfunding Originator,” “Hitting it Big the Old-Fashioned Way,” “Running a Grammy-Winning Independent Jazz Record Label,” “How to Build a Rap Artist’s Career: The Story of Pell,” “Making Money from Artist-Owned Records,” “Social Music Platforms: Turning Content into $$.”
April 25, 2015 Piano Night 2016: Courtney Bryan, Craig Adams, Henry Butler, Jesse McBride, Joe Krown, John Gros, Kyle Roussel, Marcia Ball, Marty Sammons, Monty Alexander, Tom McDermott, John O’Brien.
April 28, 2016 The Bootleg Duo (Tricia Boutté and Paul Longstreth) at Three Keys in the Ace Hotel New Orleans.
On April 12, 2016, WWOZ Video published an edited version on the WWOZ Vimeo page of Sonny Landreth performing live in the ‘OZ studio on January 22, 2016.
d) Live Remote Broadcasts.
April 1, 2016
Papa Mali & Camile Baudoin Backroom at Buffa’s New Orleans
April 8-10, 2016:
33rd Annual French Quarter Festival/Esplanade in the Shade Stage Presented by French Quarter Festivals French Quarter, New Orleans
Featuring: Little Maker, Susan Cowsill, Daria & The Hip Drops, The Revealers, Happy Talk Band, Naughty Professor, Tank & The Bangas, Dave Jordan & the NIA, Creole String Beans, Alex McMurray, Egg Yolk Jubilee, Astral Project
Page A-2
WWOZ Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer’s Report May 11, 2016 d) Live Remote Broadcasts (cont).
April 22-24 and April 28-May 1, 2016:
46th Annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Presented by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation and Festival Productions Fair Grounds Race Course, New Orleans
Featuring: Shannon Powell, Aya Takazawa, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Jason Marsalis, Matt Lemmler presents “The Music of Stevie Wonder” with Brian Blade, Geri Allen presents The Errol Garner Jazz Project, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Louis Ford and His New Orleans Jazz Flairs, Dr. Brice Miller & The Mahogany Brass Band, Dr. Michael White and Butch Thompson’s “Tribute to Jelly Roll Morton,” Pocket Aces Brass Band, NOCCA Jazz Ensemble, The Woodshed Trombones with Stephen Walker and Michael Watson, Herlin Riley Quintet, The Garifuna Collective of Belize, Terence Blanchard featuring The E-Collective, Spencer Bohren & the Whippersnappers, Meschiya Lake & the Little Big Horns, Gerald French & The Original Tuxedo Jazz Band, Tuba Skinny, Derek Douget, Lillian Boutté & Gumbo, John Boutté, The Preservation Hall Brass Band, Joe Lovano & Us Five with James Weiderman, Peter Davoy, Otis Brown, and Francisco Mela, Aurora Nealand & the Royal Roses, Jesse McBride Big Band, Gregory Porter, The Mashup, featuring Ike Stubblefield, Terence Higgins, and Grant Green Jr., and Bobby Lounge.
e) Press.
NYSMusic/nysmusic.com: “The Show Goes On: WRPI’s Steve Daub Bids Farewell to ‘Stormy Monday Blues’ This Week” Steve Malinsky, May 7, 2016
“[Steve Daub] is looking forward to splitting more of his time between New York and New Orleans to take in the rich music scene and culture of the city where he already makes an annual pilgrimage for the New Orleans Jazz Festival, and he may look to pick up some on-air time in the Crescent City at Tulane University or the renowned jazz and blues station WWOZ.”
Page A-3
WWOZ Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer’s Report May 11, 2016 e) Press (cont).
BizNewOrleans.com: “Sound Sleep Initiative to Give Free Beds to Big Eazzzzy Performers” Leslie Snadowsky, May 5, 2016
“Doerr Furniture has partnered with WWOZ 90.7 FM and the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic and Assistance Foundation, which treats more than 2,500 local musicians, to provide new mattresses and box springs for New Orleans’ health-challenged musicians. The Sound Sleep Initiative will be giving away 52 mattresses, one a week this year, to members of the New Orleans cultural family, including Mardi Gras Indians, social aid and pleasure club members, musicians, performers and music and service industry workers to help them get a better night’s sleep.”
OffBeat Magazine/offbeat.com: “Eagle Saloon Initiative to Host Cinco de Mayo Pop Up Concert” Sam D’Arcangelo, May 3, 2016
“Participants include musicians like Porter, Big Sam, Ivan and Ian Neville, Dave Torkanowsky, DJ Soul Sister, Deacon John Moore, PJ Morton and Eric Krasno, as well as former WWOZ programming director Dwayne Breashears, music journalist Alison Fensterstock, music historian Holly Hobbs, author Louis Maistros, writer Brett Michael Dykes and OffBeat’s own Jan Ramsey.”
The Times-Picayune/nola.com: “Step inside the WWOZ VIP Tent at New Orleans Jazz Fest” Ann Maloney, May 1, 2016
“The WWOZ 90.7 FM VIP Tent, which sits just outside the Grandstand on the Fair Grounds, has been around for more than 20 years. It continues to grow in both size and perks. ‘We sold out of them this year,’ Sondra Bibb, host of a contemporary jazz show on WWOZ, said of the 2016 Brass Passes that allow access to the station's tent. ‘It really speaks to the love of the radio station and also the sense of community and camaraderie that happens within the hospitality tent. It's almost like a family reunion at Jazz Fest because you see so many of the same faces’ each year.”
The Daily Beast/dailybeast.com: “How to Get Drunk at New Orleans’s Jazzfest” Noah Rothbaum, April 30, 2016
“But even if you’re not going to be in town this weekend, you can still enjoy a taste of the festival at home. I suggest streaming Jazz Fest on famed New Orleans radio station WWOZ and fixing a Crescent City cocktail.”
Page A-4
WWOZ Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer’s Report May 11, 2016 e) Press (cont).
Esquire/esquire.com: “Will Ferrell Made the Right Choice” Charles P. Pierce, April 29, 2016
“Weekly WWOZ Pick To Click: ‘Stop These Teardrops’ (Miss Lavell): It's JazzFest in NOLA, so the mighty, mighty ‘OZ livestream is even more of a must than it usually is. And, yeah, I pretty much still love New Orleans.”
The New Orleans Advocate/neworleansadvocate.com: “Perfect weather brings skywriting, large crowds at Day 2 of Jazz Fest” (Photos) Advocate Story, April 23, 2016
Caption: “Advocate staff photo by MATTHEW HINTON—A skywriter makes part of a ‘Z’ for ‘WWOZ’; on the second day of the Jazz Fest in New Orleans, LA.”
The Times-Picayune/nola.com: “21 Snacks for Frugal Festers” (Video/Slideshow) Todd A. Price, April 21, 2016
Caption: “And frankly, we [can think of few sweeter ways] to end the day than walking back to your car or waiting in the shuttle line while scooping up frosty bites of a WWOZ Mango Freeze. Still $5, y’all.”
OffBeat Magazine/offbeat.com: “WWOZ Reorganizes Programming Department” Sam D’Arcangelo, April 15, 2016
“‘Our goal is to maximize the impact of the tremendous capabilities that WWOZ now has—radio, audio, video, streaming, apps, social media and other digital platforms (including a new website in the near future),’ [Chief Operating Officer Arthur] Cohen adds. ‘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 and musicians of New Orleans.’”
Current/current.org: “Longtime WWOZ general manager transitions to new role” Tyler Falk, April 12, 2016
“The WWOZ board of directors announced management changes April 6, including a role shift for longtime general manager David Freedman. Freedman, who has been [G.M.] since 1992, will transition into the role of chief strategic officer. He remains with the community radio station but will ‘focus on strategic planning, assisting with fundraising, and community engagement, according to the board’s announcement.”
Page A-5
WWOZ Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer’s Report May 11, 2016 e) Press (cont).
AllAccess.com: “WWOZ/New Orleans Names Arthur Cohen COO, Longtime GM David Freedman Moves To Chief Strategic Officer Role” Posted April 8, 2016
“The changes at NEW ORLEANS JAZZ AND HERITAGE ASSOCIATION noncommercial Jazz WWOZ/NEW ORLEANS continue with the formal naming of ARTHUR COHEN as Chief Operating Officer and the move of longtime GM DAVID FREEDMAN to a new position, Chief Strategic Officer. COHEN has been serving as Interim COO since JANUARY, returning from retirement after a long career that includes stints at WNYC-A-F/NEW YORK, MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO, and WETA/WASHINGTON. The moves follow the departures of some other longtime staffers, including PD DWAYNE [BREASHEARS].
OffBeat Magazine/offbeat.com: “Long Live WWOZ” (Editorial) Jan Ramsey, April 6, 2016
“A new Chief Operating Officer, Arthur Cohen, has been hired to run the station and will have complete responsibility for the management of WWOZ, including all content, operational fundraising and budget management. Cohen, 69, was lured out of retirement in January 2016 and also was hand-picked by Freedman as Interim COO, but now has taken on the job full-time.”
Page A-6