weekly November 10, 2025, Issue 986
Q&A: KYGO’s Shawn Patrick
From pro bowler, to large market PD and wig-wearing lead singer of ’90 country tribute band Double Wide, the radio journey for KYGO/Denver’s Shawn Patrick has been an unusual one. Patrick was promoted from APD to PD at the Bonneville station, where he also does afternoons, last month (CAT 10/27). The Colorado native has spent his whole career in the state – and nearly all of it in Country radio – previously serving as PD at KXGB/Ft. Collins, CO, then KCCY/Colorado Springs before joining KYGO in 2022. CA: Congratulations on your promotion. SP: Thanks. I didn’t ever think this was a possibility. Shawn Patrick I chose to take a lesser role when I got here knowing I was getting to work under [then PD and now Dir./Operations] Brian Michel and stay home [in Colorado]. It’s cool that it happened the way it did, because I thought that unless Brian died or retired, I was probably never getting it. What advice did you have for Michael “Big Mic” Buhrman, who succeeded you as APD, about dealing with Nashville? He comes from the hip-hop world, which I know nothing about. But I told him to prepare his waistline, because the [label] dinners are a lot more expensive than what he’s told me about the hip-hop world, and he’s an eater. If you follow him on social media, it’s constant food photos. That dude makes me hungry all the time, so he will definitely get a treat out of some of these record dinners. Beyond that, I’ve told him it’s a relational business. I’ve created some of my best, lifelong friends out of this industry, just because everybody is a big family. On a personal note, having Big Mic in the mix is going to open up more time for me for ideation and creativity. What are you telling him about music scheduling? Denver’s a unique market. It’s is the closest thing to Texas and Oklahoma outside of Texas and Oklahoma. If you look at our playlist, it’s a lot different than most Country radio stations. Unlike some of these big conglomerates, we have the ability to truly control music here, so we can take more calculated risks with the music that we play. And we like to play the music, not hide it in overnights. We expose it, then let our audience tell us what they think. (continued on page 9)
Casserollin’ With The Homies: WLHK/Indianapolis hosts Hanksgiving. Pictured (l-r) are the station’s Nick Jordan and Andrea Kahrer, Records Nashville’s George Birge, Wheelhouse’s Dylan Schneider, the station’s Sean Copeland, Wheelhouse’s Brittany Pellegrino, the station’s Annie Fox, guitar player Reid Mounts and the station’s Mel McMahon.
Q3 CDM Drivetime Leaders
Following the analysis of the format’s Q3 drive-time leaders in PPM markets last month, Country Aircheck has also compiled Country’s top performers for the quarter from Nielsen Audio’s 44 Continuous Diary Measurement (CDM) markets. WIVK/Knoxville’s Joey Tack and Nancy Barger lead morning drive for the seventh consecutive quarter, and their 12.7 share gives them the largest in the daypart since Q2 2024. WHKO/Dayton’s Nancy Wilson and Woody lost a share from the last quarter but managed to move from third to second overall. The Dayton duo edged out cross-state WKKO/Toledo’s Lyn Casye and Marco Nation by one tenth. (continued on page 3)
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