Public radio station WWNO 89.9-FM spotlights New Orleans community

New Orleans CityBusiness, Jun 2, 2003 by Keith Pandolfi

While the FM radio dial is being gobbled up by media giants such as Clear Channel Communications Inc., public radio station WWNO 89.9- FM is trying to make a name for itself by keeping its microphones trained on the New Orleans community.

The classical music and news station spends most of its $1.7 million annual budget on National Public Radio or Public Radio International programs such as "Morning Edition," "This American Life," "All Things Considered" and "Car Talk."

Fred Kasten, WWNO programming director, said he is trying to devote more resources to locally produced programs, which include "Crescent City," a live monthly variety show, "Getting There," a series of stories on aging, and cultural reporting that airs locally during "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered."

"One of the things we want to do is provide our listeners with stories that are important to them -- both nationally and locally," Kasten said.

Kasten sees the station's recent hiring of former WDSU-TV anchorwoman Susan Roesgen as a perfect opportunity to beef up local reporting.

Along with serving as a classical music disc jockey, Roesgen is also assisting Diane Mack, WWNO producer, on "Getting There," which focuses on housing, financial, transportation and retirement issues for the elderly in New Orleans. The spots, aired each Wednesday during "Morning Edition," are aimed toward the station's large demographic of 35 to 65 years olds, Kasten said.

Kasten said WWNO also has plenty of programming for the 18 to 34 set, including the radio documentary series "This American Life," as well as music programs like "American Routes" and "Saturday Night Jazz."

But the show that most concerns him right now is "Crescent City," which he hopes to one day market to NPR affiliates nationwide.

Hosted by Ronnie Virgets, the one-hour program features a blend of music, comedy and essays.

Kasten, who is "Crescent City's" executive producer, recently introduced the show to about 100 NPR executives from around the country as New Orleans played host to the 2003 NPR Convention. "The response was uniformly positive," he said, "but no one bought it."

Before he can start marketing "Crescent City" to other stations, Kasten will have to raise enough money to produce 30 episodes of the show each year. Right now, the show tapes just once a month and costs about $5,000 per episode.

To help fund increased "Crescent City" production, WWNO has submitted about $50,000 in grant proposals to organizations such as the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and is looking for sponsors willing to underwrite the show.

While he tries to be democratic about WWNO's programming, Kasten admits he often receives calls from listeners who want more nationally broadcast news and cultural programs on WWNO. He understands why listeners want more of these programs but said the station has no plans to deviate from its current format.

"State and government support for public broadcasting is way down so stations like WWNO must be more self-sufficient," he said. "For some, the answer is more (programs), but from the beginning, this station has been committed to being an outlet for classical music, and I don't see that changing. We are always auditioning new programs, but there are no plans to alter the basic formula of WWNO as a blend of classical music and NPR (programming.)"

While no major changes are in the works, Kasten is strongly considering airing the daily version of the NPR show "Fresh Air" on WWNO, though no official decision has been made. The station now airs a weekend edition of the show on Sunday nights.*