NEW ORLEANS — WYES TV turns 63 years old today. The station says its gift to the community is the return to broadcast of its two long-running local programs, Informed Sources (featuring Biz New Orleans Editor in Chief Errol Laborde) and Steppin’ Out, which both moved online last week as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
“After testing an online version of the programs last week, our dedicated staff have managed to bring the programs back to our regularly scheduled times on WYES-TV while still meeting our goals of keeping our program guests, producers, staff and community as safe as possible from the COVID-19 virus,” said a WYES spokesperson. “Viewers can tune in this Friday, April 3 to watch Informed Sources at 7 p.m. and Steppin’ Out at 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Both shows will use video conferencing, so panelists can interact virtually and WYES editors will fine-tune the programs for broadcast.
Informed Sources will welcome prize-winning and New York Times bestselling author John M. Barry of “The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History” and “Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America.” Gordon Russell, managing editor of The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate, will also join in the panel. Marcia Kavanaugh will host. Errol Laborde is a producer and panelist.
Steppin’ Out is back on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. This week, producer and host Peggy Scott Laborde welcomes Poppy Tooker, host of WWNO radio’s “Louisiana Eats,” Ian McNulty, food writer for the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate and Alan Smason, editor of Crescent City Jewish News and Theatrecriticism.com. Also included, will be a feature by filmmakers Jonathan Evans and Marian Gay about how New Orleans chefs are coping with restaurants closing due to the Coronavirus Crisis.
