After a few years of “dipping his toes” in Country Music, Urban One Country KKBQ (93Q Country)/Houston morning co-host Andy “Riggs” Riggle jumped into the deep end of the Country radio pool. Joining Riggs Katelyn & Erica – The Q Morning Show.
Before joining 93Q in 2022, Riggs co-hosted mornings at Audacy’s Top 40 WXSS (Kiss 103.7)/Milwaukee.
For Riggs, it was the opportunity to try something different in a major market with a team that was assembled and ready to go.
“We have quite a few players at our station now, so we can activate and get things done on the ground that we couldn’t in Wisconsin.”
Moving to the Country format on a huge stage in a state that loves its Country music meant a different mindset from the Top 40 in the Midwest.
“It felt like a natural progression,” said Riggs. “How we present our show is very similar to Top 40, just a little more family friendly.”
“There’s a little bit of adulting it up. I always like to think when I’m talking on a Country station that I have my grandma in the backseat, so am I going to say something that is going to ruffle my grandma’s feathers? It can take some edginess, but if it gets too much, I run it through the grandma filter.”
“Radio is still radio. People are still people. It’s being present on the dial and off the dial socially and having digital components as well. We can’t just be on the radio.”
Even in a city of six million people, Riggs sees the value of “Being able to get out and meet the people, get into the city, and learn the city as well.”
For Riggs, part of the appeal of the Country format was the artists and their partnerships with radio. “I always admired the format and the way that artists work with the format and the listeners.”
The social media component is a large part of the 93Q morning show, and Riggs says it is important to “Be yourself. Don’t be something that you think other people want you to be or something you think you’re supposed to be.”
“Don’t worry if you’re not posting constantly like everyone else. Don’t try to keep up with the Joneses too much. Just stick with the plan and what you’re comfortable with. And be a little bit vulnerable when you can.”
When Hurricane Beryl impacted Houston this past June, 93Q devised a unique way to help the community.
“When Beryl hit, there were three million people without power. That was the biggest problem everyone had right away. We have five or six generators, and we took them out. We targeted the neighborhoods that were hardest hit, took the generators and a big power strip, and let people charge up their battery-powered items.”
“Personally, we weren’t affected by it. We live in a building that has a generator. I couldn’t sit in my house after a day of doing the show and watch TV of people suffering in the heat without air conditioning or refrigerators, knowing that I could do something.”
“I think more than anything, it was just being there as an ear for people to talk to and giving them some relief. Saying someone else is here and someone else cares about you.”
In addition to giving back on the radio, Riggs and his wife Elana founded HeartHead, a non-profit that helps people pay for mental health care.
“It came about after I lost my uncle to suicide and a couple of other industry friends. I realized a lot of people weren’t reaching out for the help they needed. A lot of times, people don’t go to therapy for two reasons. Either they can’t afford it, or there is a stigma around it.”
“We started HeartHead, and we directly pay practitioners for healthcare.”
People fill out an application on the website. There are no personal questions about the person’s issues.
“We want to know how much you need to get to a better place.” Adding, “We researched to find that about 12 sessions are what somebody needs to get a mindset shift. And to get some tools to help them troubleshoot what they may be going through.”
While not strictly radio, I asked Riggs about his recent appearance on the TV show “Bar Rescue.”
“What you see on the show is what it is. From Jon Taffer’s reactions to how the staff reacts. They completely renovate these buildings in 36 hours. It was fun to see it happen and realize that it is very real and not scripted. Jon Taffer is a very nice guy. He believes in local radio, so he reaches out to a lot of local radio people when he does these.
Riggs credits an “amazing team” and not just in the morning for Q93’s success. “Travis Moon is our Ops Manager; LO is our afternoons. Cory Dillion, our producer, has been instrumental in helping us elevate our digital content. He does all the video work for us. He’s also on the midday show, so he takes on double duty. He has totally elevated our game. We can use him on the air. He keeps the three of us organized, and that is what we need.
Listen to The Q Morning show here. On social media @riggsradio
Jeff Lynn serves as Editor of Barrett Media’s Music Radio coverage. Prior to joining Barrett Media, Jeff spent time programming in Milwaukee, Omaha, Cleveland, Des Moines, and Madison for multiple radio groups, including iHeartMedia, Townsquare Media, NRG Media, and Entercom (now Audacy). He also worked as a Country Format Editor for All Access until the outlet shut down in August 2023.
To get in touch with Jeff by email, reach him at Jeff@BarrettMedia.com.
