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10 Questions with ... Shauna Moran
August 23, 2016
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1) What was your first job in radio?
Such a simple question with such a long answer! I was an intern in promotions at a station in Denver. The Promotion Director at the time took an extended leave of absence. This elevated the promotion manager to director and I was hired temporarily to be the manager. On the DAY the Promotion Director was to return, and I was going to go back to being an unemployed student, the receptionist left so I took that position for about a year-and-a-half. A re-organization in the promotion department lead me back to the promotion manager position -- this time for good!
2) What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment that made you realize "this is it?"
I was one of those college students who wasn't completely clear on what I wanted to do. A friend and I were talking and he said that he was going to look into getting into radio. I thought that was the greatest idea! I always loved music, came from a musical family, but never imagined that I could actually have a career in the music industry. Through school I did a couple of internship programs that allowed me to experience all the different facets of radio. What I realized was, promotions was my absolute favorite part of radio! I loved the behind the scenes work, I loved being a part of creating events- I was hooked. Those internships made me realize that radio was my calling.
3) Can you give us a brief outline of your radio career to this point?
- KAZY, KRFX (THE FOX), KBPI / Marketing and Promotion Manager / 1991-1996
- XTRA-FM (91X), KIOZ (ROCK 105.3), KHTS (CHANNEL 933) / Marketing and Promotion Dir. / 1996-2000
- KIOZ (ROCK 1053) / PD / 2000 - Present
- KGB / PD / 2008 - Present
4) You are programming two legendary sets of calls with both Active Rock KIOZ (Rock 105.3) and Classic Rock 101 KGB. What makes each of these stations so unique?
I'll start with KGB; this station is remarkable and is a San Diego institution. The legendary Ron Jacobs put the KGB calls on 101.5 in 1972 and launched San Diego's first Rock station. Today, 44 years later, KGB is still rocking San Diego! So many ground-breaking events have come from KGB - The KGB Chicken, which later became the San Diego Chicken, The Homegrown local album series, and Sky Show - our fireworks show which is the largest synchronized pyrotechnics show in the west - this September will be our 41st Sky Show. KGB has also had some amazing talent on the air and behind the scenes for the last 44 years who have kept the station evolving and successful. I am so honored to be a part of its history.
ROCK 105.3 is the Rock station that could! This station has maintained the dominant Rock position in the SD market for so many years! This is an accomplishment that I am very proud of with a market that is like no other -- two Alternative stations, two Classic Rock stations, one Classic Hits station and us the Active Rock station. The pride that the KIOZ crew takes in their work and in the station is really what keeps this station going. Everyone wants to win! Musically we positioned ourselves over 14 years ago to be able to tap into both the Alternative format and the Rock format that has allowed us to not be pigeonholed as a stereotypical "black concert T-shirt Rock station." We can do slight pivots in the alt world or in the rock world depending on the strength of the music at the time. We are a very mass-appeal Rock station.
5) Tell us about your Morning Show "The Show" on KIOZ. Who are the players and how are they doing in the market?
The show consists of host, Eddie Pappani, Sky, Ashlee and Thor. They are great! Ratings-wise, they are consistently top 3 in all Person and Male demos. I personally think The Show sounds better now than they ever have and we are looking to have a possible #1 sweep for the month of August - fingers crossed! To say I'm proud of these guys is an understatement. They have survived a lot of chaos and a lot of attacks and have always come out on top. They have a huge P-1 following with content that appeals to the masses and the best part is they are just plain funny. It has been so much fun watching them grow into the show they are today.
6) Now give us the lowdown on the "Bob And Coe Show" on KGB. How are they rocking San Diego?
Bob and Coe are awesome. Coe is the heart of the KGB listener and San Diego. Her name is synonymous with the KGB call letters. She has been a part of this station for over 25 years and just gets what KGB is all about -- and you hear that every morning with her. Bob Buchmann came to us with such an amazing wealth of knowledge and talent and has some legendary call letters under his belt as well. He is a rock star in his own right and his connections with artists and managers in this industry is very impressive. The Bob and Coe show is a marriage made in rock n roll heaven!
7) KIOZ has been on the Active Rock panel for years and it looks like you're playing a fair amount of currents. How aggressive is the station in jumping out on new rock and new bands?
Well - most would call us slow ... and that's the nice way of putting it. =). We are playing more currents now than we have over the past few years. We aren't aggressive about jumping on new bands or new music - but we are aggressive on jumping on good bands and good music. Once we make our decision on a song that should be a current, we get it on and stick with it until it proves us right or proves us wrong. Our biggest goal and success is when a GOOD new current makes it into our library - it's good for the station, the band, the label and the format.
8) What's your take on the Active Rock format as a whole?
How lucky am I that you are asking me this question now instead of two years ago?! I think the format now has some amazing product coming through! Metallica just dropped "Hardwired" on us this week - amazing! People are going crazy over it; everyone is saying that it's "Old School" Metallica and they love it! Green Day's "Bang Bang" is a great song as well! Two iconic bands with great songs that you can tell came from their gut. There is no secret we are in crazy times right now - and history has proven when the world is in chaos, that is when rock shines! Hello? Prophets of Rage! They're pissed! And we are going to get great music because of that! Other bands that are bringing a fresh sound to Active Rock that I'm excited to hear more from are Holy White Hounds, Thrice, and Avatar (I think it freaks a lot of people out that I love that band! =) )
9) Now give us your take on the Classic Rock format. How do you keep a station that plays Classic Rock sounding fresh and relevant today?
That is a challenge with this format for sure. Your audience won't allow you to go too much out of their comfort zone musically, but we try to make the sound of the station more interesting by bringing a little depth into our library through double shots and deep cut hours. We also have incorporated some '90s titles into rotation, which has freshened up the sound of the station a lot. A huge piece of the puzzle is what happens between the songs. Our content, imaging, promotions and talent need to be topical, current and a little attitudinal. Although we play the music of yesterday our presentation is very much about today.
10) Finally, in keeping with that famous Ron Burgundy line from Anchorman, how do both of these Rock stations help San Diego "stay classy"?
I love lamp.
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