Musical ‘heart and soul' back on the air

[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Bill Nichols]
WWOZ-FM, a tiny public radio station that serves as a voice of the multihued New Orleans sound and a lifeline for area musicians devastated by Hurricane Katrina, made it back on the air for its first full day since the storm smashed its New Orleans studios. “Oz,” as the station is known to listeners, has become more than a radio station in the new world of New Orleans, where any link to pre-Katrina life is cherished. The city's musical community sees the station as its central nervous system, and the news that it was back on the radio dial was cause for celebration. Like most New Orleans institutions, WWOZ's future is unclear. Contributions totaling more than $100,000 have poured in from around the globe since Katrina hit, but manager David Freedman worries that his subscription base could wither in a vastly smaller New Orleans. He vows that Oz will try to do its part to heal this wounded city by showing the world that its syncopated style has not been stilled. “Communities aren't just buildings,” Freedman says. “Our job is to try to be sure that we don't lose this spirit that sets New Orleans apart.”
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20051020/a_wwoz20.art.htm