Thank You to Our Generous Groove Gala Sponsors

We're thrilled that Guardians of the Groove from 18 states will be attending our sold out Groove Gala! Thanks to our Groove Gala hosts Dickie Brennan & Co. and to all of our generous sponsors who help make it possible. We look forward to seeing y'all on September 10!

» Groove Gala 2026 Sponsors

11 Million YouTube Views!

WWOZ surpassed 11 million views on our YouTube channel recently! Special shoutout to Charlie Steiner and Damond Jacob, who lead our award-winning video and audio productions. Check it out and subscribe at youtube.com/wwozneworleans to help us get to our next milestone of 50k subscribers! And here's a summer-time lagniappe: a set by New Orleans singer songwriter Feeferella, making her first visit to WWOZ on July 26.

» Feeferella

WWOZ Wins Press Club of New Orleans Awards

The Press Club of New Orleans' 68th Annual Excellence in Journalism Awards took place on the evening of July 18, and WWOZ had an excellent night, winning two First Place Awards and several other honors! The First Place awards were for General Excellence in Radio and Best Live Remote Broadcast (Jazz Fest Live 2025), both to WWOZ Staff and Volunteers. WWOZ was also honored in several other categories: Feature Videography, Best Use of Instagram, Best Use of Facebook, And Still Photography Portraits. Congratulations to our amazing Staff, Show Hosts, Board Members, Volunteers, Donors, and the incredible Musicians and Culture Bearers of New Orleans who allow us to share their talent with the world!

» WWOZ Press Club Awards

Satchmo SummerFest Photos

It was a fantastic weekend celebrating Louis Armstrong at the 2026 Satchmo SummerFest, held in and around the New Orleans Jazz Museum! Volunteer photographer Bob Gibson was there to capture the scene for WWOZ. Check out his photos below!

» Satchmo SummerFest Photos

A Closer Walk: New Orleans Music History Map

A Closer Walk: New Orleans Music History Map, is our block-by-block online guide to important locations in the musical history of New Orleans. Boasting curated tours and an interactive map of the city, "A Closer Walk" can be filtered by time period, neighborhood, or music genre to follow the city’s musical journey. In 2025, A Closer Walk received the prestigious Best in Digital Humanities Award from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.

» A Closer Walk: New Orleans Music History Map

» Follow A Closer Walk on Facebook and Instagram

Show Host Profile: Jim Hobbs

Jim Hobbs is the longtime co-host (with Charles Laborde) of WWOZ’s Cajun and Zydeco Show, which airs Sundays, Noon-2pm. Hobbs, a Shreveport native, dates his interest in Cajun and Zydeco music to the 1975 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, where he enjoyed performances by artists like Allen Fontenot and Clifton Chenier. Here's Hobbs on being an OZ show host: "The number one goal, for me and for the listener, is to have fun. Maybe the number two goal, a close second, is the hope to keep this stuff alive for the future.... [I]f I can bring the music through WWOZ to people who maybe have not ever heard it, or maybe forgot it from their youth, and let them know, hey, there’s something going on here that’s worth preserving, then I’m just as thrilled as I can be to part of it." And we're thrilled to have such passionate & committed show hosts!

» Read the full Jim Hobbs profile by Melissa Milton

Recipe: Watermelon Granita

Late summer means watermelon, and making a granita is a great way to consume fresh melon during these steamy months. A granita is kind of like a sno-ball, but made in slow motion. Unlike sorbets, making granitas doesn't require an ice cream freezer or any other special equipment, just a baking dish and a freezer large enough to accommodate it.

» Recipe: Watermelon Granita