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I wonder if the “new” New Orleans will be as charming and
wonderful as the “old” New Orleans. It was one great
place!!!!
I once worked as a disc jockey at WNOE in New Orleans. The
station was located on the mezzanine of the St. Charles
Hotel. The 50 thousand watt signal could be heard at night
all through the Midwest and most of the Southwest…..I know,
BECAUSE I WAS THERE at the studio answering the phones for
those who wished to make a dedication.
It was a very happy time for me. I was newly married and
worked the 6 PM to Midnight shift. In those days New Orleans
didn’t start to party till midnight. After a quick late
night dinner Pat (my wife) and I would check out the Quarter
for a few hours, then on many occasions would visit a small
club on AirLine Highway where the Four Freshman played
regularly. They were a hot jazz vocal group with heavy
blends.
Bill Stewart and his wife, Marlene, lived in the Claiborne
Towers Apartment Hotel adjacent to our apartment. . Bill was
program director of WNOE, and as I have mentioned in other
columns, was the guy who gave me the “big break” when he
joined the Todd Storz Stations as national, executive PD of
their great group, and asked me to come along. Bill
convinced Todd that I was a logical PD for their new station
in Miami, WQAM, and my job was to clean it up when I got
there. It was pretty easy since we had assembled a fabulous
air staff. We had 40 shares during my two year stay there.
When this recent hurricane ripped through Louisiana,
Mississippi, and Alabama I was very concerned because
Marlene, and her daughter, Sharon, and her kids were living
in Slidell which is a part of the New Orleans metro. I
e-mailed Sharon and got a quick reply that they were in the
Florida panhandle with relatives, that Marlene’s house at
Slidell had four feet of water in it, that her job at the
daily newspaper was probably gone forever, that the kids
were in a Florida school…but other than that things were
fine. “Health is Wealth” for sure!!!!!!
A person I have not heard from is Jimmy Walsh who is Joe
Namath’s manager, agent, and friend since their University
of Alabama days. Jimmy is married to Yvonne, and they have
eight or nine kids and, if I remember correctly, lived in
the Garden district of New Orleans. I can’t make contact at
this time since the phone lines are still out, and I do not
have his cell number. We wish for their “health”.
Other than working there for six months I have spent many
vacation days in the Big Easy, and have attended a dozen
radio meetings there. The Windsor Court and the Sonesta are
two of our favorite places to stay. I hope they are back in
business soon…whenever that may be.
What did Yogi say….Deja vu all over again!!!!
Similarities…Galveston and New Orleans???? A definite
maybe!!! Texas history is clear that Galveston was the
largest city in Texas in 1900. A hurricane with a huge
forward wave killed 6000 citizens. The 3000 survivors moved
immediately sixty miles north west to Houston to start a new
life and open new retail stores. There were a few who stayed
in Galveston and nurtured their NOW small city into
tourism…promoting a good beach….it worked. Today I read an
article that Baton Rouge AS OF THIS WEEK has the largest
population in Louisiana replacing New Orleans. 3000 homes
were sold in Baton Rouge last week (some unseen by buyers)
to New Orleans folks moving up the highway about 90 miles.
There are only 300 homes left for sale in Baton Rouge. Big
city traffic, crowded restaurants, and full hotels happened
OVERNIGHT!!! National and regional advertisers and Arbitron
have been alerted and are directing their advertising from
New Orleans (where at the moment there is only one station
on the air) to the Baton Rouge stations. This will be a huge
increase in revenue for that market, and a lot more cash
flow for the stations. And I heard on radio today that 80
percent of the people who were moved out or voluntarily
abandoned New Orleans say they will never return there to
live. Does this mean that New Orleans will be another
Galveston???? Does it mean that the Quarter will be the
entertainment capitol of Louisiana, and Baton Rouge will be
the business capitol??? Time will tell, right Yogi???? But
my guess is yes.
I sure could use a dozen raw oysters (they seemed better in
New Orleans), some Cajun coffee, and just one more dinner at
Commanders Palace. I hope that happens. And, of course, we
all hope that those who were forced to flee will find new
jobs, a lot of groceries and gasoline, and have a transition
that is good news. It sure won’t be easy, and we will
witness and hear of many transitional problems as the
months, and the next few years come along. Let’s keep our
fingers crossed!!
I for one will miss the old “New Orleans”. Great
memories!!!!
e-mail Kent
kent@kentburkhart.com
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