Kevin Riggs
Kevin Riggs recently retired from Randle Communications in Sacramento, where he served as Senior Vice President. Based on his 30 year career as a broadcast journalist, Riggs directed media relations, strategic communications and business development initiatives for the firm’s political, business and trade association clients.
Riggs also serves as a political analyst for KCRA-TV in Sacramento, with weekly in-studio appearances and a weekly blog published on the station’s website.
From 1994-2011, Riggs worked for KCRA-TV as a general assignment reporter, political reporter and anchor, where he covered the governor, legislature and political campaigns. He has covered a number of historic national events including the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing of the Murrah Federal Building, the 1999 school shootings at Columbine, the 2000 Florida presidential ballot standoff, and the historic 2003 recall of Governor Gray Davis and his replacement with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Riggs also led election and campaign coverage of three New Hampshire primaries as well as seven Democratic and Republican national political conventions. Foreign coverage has included trips to Taipei, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Mexico City.
From 1984-94, Riggs was a reporter and anchor for Fresno’s ABC affiliate, KFSN-TV, where he specialized in political and breaking news coverage.
From 1981-84, he was Santa Barbara bureau chief for Santa Maria’s CBS affiliate, KCOY-TV. There, Riggs covered former President Ronald Reagan during his frequent visits to his Santa Barbara-area ranch. That coverage included daily White House briefings and a visit by Queen Elizabeth II.
From 1979-81, Riggs was news director for Santa Barbara’s KTMS Radio and from 1978-79, he held the same title for San Luis Obispo’s KATY Radio.
Riggs has received numerous awards for broadcast excellence including being part of the KCRA team that was awarded the 2011 Edward R. Murrow Award by the Radio Television Digital News Association for breaking news coverage of the Galleria fire in Roseville. He was also awarded a Northern California Emmy for coverage of the Galleria fire and nominated for two others, including the 2010 Gubernatorial Election Debate hosted by KCRA. Riggs received awards for political coverage in 1996, 2000 and 2006 from the Center for California Studies at CSU Sacramento. He also earned an Associated Press award in 1992 for producing a documentary on California’s drought crisis.
Riggs earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. In October 2018, he was inducted into the Cal Poly Mustang Media Hall of Fame. He is married with two children and likes to travel and restore classic Ford Mustangs.