For better or worse, Mowod everywhere on jazz scene

The Tribune-Review‘s Bob Karlovits has an excellent profile of Tony Mowod, nighttime host on WDUQ-FM (90.5) who’s also syndicated around the country as part of the JazzWorks service that the station partners with.

The founder of the Pittsburgh Jazz Society, Mowod, 71, is a fixture at local concerts and is being honored Saturday with a “Walt Harper All That Jazz” award at Hill House, Uptown.

Mowod worked at the former WAZZ (860), WYDD-FM (104.7) and WTAE (1250) in the 1960s and ’70s before quitting radio to open his own nightclub; he was lured back into radio by former WAMO general manager Judy Jankowski and program director Ron Chavis, and has been at WDUQ, the Duquesne University pubcaster, since 1987.

Not everyone thinks Mowod is an entirely positive force for jazz in Pittsburgh. A few people tell Karlovits that Mowod is involved in too many activities and appears at too many events. They say his refusal to promote new talent, broaden his playlist, or explore different artists on his show is stifling the local scene.

But others say Mowod is simply delivering what a mainstream audience wants to hear. “I’m just trying to get people to listen to jazz,” he says.