February 13, 2023, Issue 845
Q Kids On The Block
When Travis Moon was named PD of Cox KKBQ/Houston last April, he had no idea he would be faced with filling not one but two drivetime air shifts. Serendipitously, his months-long search culminated Dec. 5 when new morning co-host Andy “Riggs” Riggle and afternoon host/MD Lauren “Lo” Sessions both cracked the mic on KKBQ for the first time. Country Aircheck recently sat down with all three to hear how the transition happened ... and how it’s going. “Coming into this situation was way Travis Moon different,” Moon says of his not-yet-a-year in the chair. “Not only are you trying to assess a new market and its competitive landscape, but we also had to make two massive changes to drive time, and that’s challenging, because PPM rewards heritage.” What didn’t concern Moon was a lack of format experience for both. “That wasn’t the Andy highest priority for me,” he says. “As an air “Riggs” Riggle personality, it’s about connectivity. Radio has every bit as much of an opportunity to connect with listeners as TikTok. We could spend our time talking about how ‘we play the most music in your workday,’ but there’s nothing memorable about that.” The Riggles: Riggle came from Milwaukee, where he’d been handling mornings at Audacy Top 40 WXSS for nine Lauren “Lo” years. “I got an email from a consultant,” he Sessions recalls. “Country? Okay, I’ll try it. Then I got a phone call from Travis, and the first thing out of his mouth was, ‘I know you haven’t done Country, and I don’t care, I‘m just looking for a good person to do a good show.’ He spoke my language.” Ensuring the morning hire was a fit with incumbent hosts Katelyn Maida and Erica Rico was a focus. “You have two people with big value in the market,” Moon says. (continued on page 9)
I Don‘t (End Zone) Dance: Curb‘s Lee Brice (r) with KNIX/Phoenix‘s Reid Spivey and the label‘s Allyson Gelnett at the Super Bowl Experience.
Inside The Music: VEVA Sound
From master tape reels in a warehouse (or dumpster) to a brave new digital world of cyber storage and metadata, keeping track of music is its own specialty. VEVA Sound Pres. Deborah Fairchild discusses how the company preserves the past while helping rights holders monetize their work. CA: What does VEVA Sound offer clients? DF: We handle master recording audio Deborah verification for the masters and credits. We Fairchild are the bridge between studio producers and engineers when they submit their music to a record label – it comes through VEVA – and we have a verification process and audio engineers who [quality control] everything. We
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