If you flip to ‘behind the scenes’ in any encyclopedia, you’re likely to find a picture of Diane Newman. Diane rarely makes a public statement, although she’s the one who’s responsible for organizing all that chatter you hear on WWL, day in and day out. That remains as true today as it was on August 29th, 2005.
Diane Newman was central in keeping the engine of WWL running as New Orleaneans used it as a lifeline to contact emergency services, reconnect with separated loved ones, and to keep anchors like Dave Cohen and Garland Robinette on air as they demanded that federal and state authorities provide aid.
Diane sat down with Dave Cohen for a rare interview to share her untold story of leading WWL through the chaos, and her assessment of progress in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina battered the Gulf 20 years ago…