What Is WLAE-TV?

Updated

WLAE-TV is New Orleans Public Television, a public television station serving the New Orleans area. Its schedule centers on Catholic religious programming — most notably daily Mass and the Rosary — alongside locally produced documentaries, cultural specials, and community affairs shows. You can watch it on a local broadcast station or stream selected programming online.

What kind of station is it?

WLAE-TV identifies itself as New Orleans Public Television. Its programming mix is narrower than a general public broadcaster's: it leans heavily on religious and local cultural content rather than national PBS-style series.

The station's own navigation groups its output into a few clear buckets:

  • The Daily Mass & Rosary — its most consistent daily offering
  • Monthly Highlights and Documentaries
  • Ongoing Programs such as Let's Talk, Affordable Housing Matters, and Coping Today
  • Special Events including annual LPO (Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra) concerts and Caroling in Jackson Square
  • Upcoming Projects and a Shop section

What can you actually watch?

Daily and weekly Mass

Mass airs on a fixed weekly rhythm from two New Orleans churches:

Day Time Location
Weekdays 12:05 p.m. St. Louis Cathedral
Sundays 11:00 a.m. St. Louis Cathedral
Saturdays 4:00 p.m. Basilica of St. Stephen

These broadcasts also stream on TheDailyMass.com and on Facebook.

Documentaries and cultural specials

The station produces and airs documentary work with a local and cultural focus. One example in its listings is Al Scramuzza: The Crawfish King, available on its YouTube channel, and The Warner Way, also on YouTube. WLAE-TV also notes a 2025 Suncoast Emmy win for Best Cultural Documentary.

Local talk and community programs

Let's Talk with Keith Spera is a weekly talk show hosted by a veteran Times-Picayune and NOLA.com entertainment reporter. Other ongoing titles include Affordable Housing Matters and Coping Today.

Special broadcasts

The station carries one-off live events, such as a Black History Month Celebration Mass broadcast live from St. Louis Cathedral, and seasonal schedules like its Holy Week lineup (Palm Sunday Mass, Chrism Mass, Mass of the Last Supper, Good Friday Prayer Service, and Easter Sunday Mass).

How do you watch it?

Two routes:

  1. Over the air / on your local station — the station provides a "Find WLAE on your local station here" tool. Note that WLAE has announced a change to a new broadcast frequency, so if you receive it via antenna you may need to rescan.
  2. Online streaming — select programs stream through TheDailyMass.com, Facebook, and the station's YouTube channel.

Who is it for?

WLAE-TV suits viewers in the New Orleans area who want daily Catholic Mass on television, plus locally rooted documentaries and community programming. If you're looking for broad national public television content, this isn't that — its identity is specifically New Orleans public television with a religious and local-culture core.