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10 Questions with ... Maurice "Mo-Better" Rivera
June 13, 2006
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POSITION:PD (The Man Next To The Man)STATION:KXHT-FM (HOT 107.1)MARKET:MemphisCOMPANY:Flinn BroadcastingBORN:New York CityRAISED:New York City
1. What makes radio in Memphis different from say...San Antonio?
Everything... SA is over 65% Hispanic; Memphis is over 65% Black, so musically things are far apart. An artist like Play-N-Skillz blows up out there and would never even come close to breaking in Memphis.
2. Think back...what initially got you interested in Radio?
1985 Potsdam, New York. SUNY Potsdam's basketball team was over 90% African American and no station in the market played Hip Hop or R&B. So I got on the station and started scratching Led Zep, Pink Floyd, etc, until I got a Hip Hop show.
3. What was biggest step in your transition from promotions/marketing to programming?
Looking at things from programming first instead of the promotional opportunity first. In promotions its all about making the promotions work no matter what. Programming wise it has to sound good on the air and fit station above all other things first.
4. Who's on your staff at HOT?
6a-10a TK & Nappy Wilson
10a-3p Superman
3p-7p Boogaloo
7p-Midnight Lil Larry
12a-6a Spanish Fly
As well as Jus Borne, Kojak, and Rob Storm.5. What secret about Mo Better will surprise even those that know you?
I'm a wine connoisseur; I collect wine, drink wine, and educate others about truly tasting what you have, instead of just drinking it.
6. What would you like to see less of on your station, musically?
Less? Shit the station sounds great musically.
7. Who do you consider to be your radio mentor(s)?
Robert Scorpio for believing in me and teaching me to always focus on what you can control. Robin Breedon for teaching me the importance of the community. Duane Hargrove for showing me that it is possible for Sales, Promotions, and Programming to work together as one to create the best sounding station that I have been apart of in my career, thus far.
8. This summer is as good as any to take up a new hobby. If you have to take up a new one this weekend, what would it be?
Gourmet Cooking.
9. What do you love about Memphis' rich musical tradition?
That it's still growing... from Elvis, the whole Stax sound, to Three 6 Mafia. The music scene in Memphis continues to evolve.
10. If you were to leave the business today and do something totally unrelated, what would it be?
Work for a professional sports franchise, or teach.
Bonus Questions
Your VP/GM tells you that you've got an additional $50,000 in the programming budget for the remainder of 2006. Where do you spend it?
On the listeners... with gas prices at an all time high and dumb ass stations giving away free gas for cars, everyone is forgetting that a substantial amount of homes are heated with gas and the bills are ridiculous. So the next time someone burns down their homes with a space heater or passes away because they couldn't pay their utility bill to keep that a/c on just remember that dumb ass free gas promotion.
A freak gravitational shift has added three hours to everyday. What would you do with those extra three hours?
Spend that extra time with my wife Angela and my kids without the phone on.
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