Denver Sports Radio Wars

13 - That is the number of cities in the United States that have a sports franchises in all 4 major sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL).  Of course, that is including small technicalities like Arlington being close to Dallas, San Jose being included in the "Bay Area", etc.

Denver is one of those cities, and has been since 1995 when the Colorado Avalanche came over from Quebec, formerly known as the Nordiques.

So if you are a Denver Sports fan, consider yourself lucky, we have it pretty damn good.

Without a doubt, the Sports Franchise that claims the Iron Throne for Denver is the Broncos, there is no doubt about that.  The Broncos have the most Championships with 3 and the most recent occurrence of ultimate success with the unforgettable 2015 season which culminated in Peyton Manning, Von Miller, and company winning Super Bowl 50 in February 2016.  The Avalanche have 2 Stanley Cup victories, but the last one came 18 years ago, in 2001.  The Rockies made their only World Series appearance in 2007, and the Nuggets have never made an NBA Finals, #NugsLife.

So it is no wonder, when it comes to a formula of success, 104.3 The Fan has shown, a focus on Broncos Talk will win the Ratings Battle.  Pair that with the fact that 104.3 The Fan has been on the airwaves since the early 1990's and you can see why they have developed such a loyal fan base.

But, are the tides turning?

Coincidentally, shortly after the Broncos won their Super Bowl in February 2016, a new Sports Radio Station launched in April 2016, Altitude 950 AM, now also available on 92.5 FM.

It may be easy to focus on Broncos focus segments when you have Tim Tebow, Peyton Manning, and that team is going to the playoffs every year, all while the Avalanche, Nuggets, and Rockies are for the most part irrelevant in playoff discussions.

But, what happens when the Broncos suddenly find themselves in the cellar?  The Broncos now have the longest playoff drought out of all 4 major sports teams, not to mention the Rockies, Avalanche, and Nuggets have all advanced a round in the playoffs within the calendar year:

Rockies - 2018
Nuggets - 2019
Avalanche - 2019
Broncos -2016

Does the same Broncos-talk formula continue to work?

Here are the Nielsen Audio Ratings, year-over-year;

March 2018:

3.7 The Fan
0.3 Altitude
0.2 Orange & Blue
0.1 Mile High

March 2019:

2.9 The Fan
0.4 Altitude
0.1 Orange & Blue
0.1 Mile High

As you can see, The Fan still dominates.

So while 104.3 The Fan builds their shows around a former NFL Player being on every single one of their 4 weekday shows, Altitude 92.5 only has 1 former NFL Player in Ryan Harris.  Altitude focuses on all 4 major sports teams, including the Broncos, when they are relevant to talk about.

I will not accuse 104.3 The Fan of not talking about the other sports teams besides the Broncos, because they do.  In fact, my guess is The Fan is going to make a push to try and get better content for the other 3 major sports teams, inviting guest speakers to join their shows to talk these sports.  The problem is, the shows just aren't very good at it, with the exception being Zach Bye.  In fact, Zach Bye and former Nuggets player Earl Boykins do a tremendous job talking Nuggets basketball on their Podcast only 'Mile High Hoops Podcast', which I highly recommend checking out.  But it is only 30 minutes and isn't broadcast on the 104.3 airwaves.  The best Avalanche commentary you might get is from Sandy Clough, but he is hidden away in the late hours.  There is an underlining issue when you stray away from football, when your shows personalities were put in their position, because of their knowledge of football.  You have former NFL players trying to breakdown the NBA or NHL, it can be a tough listen, especially is you feel you know more about what is going on than the individual trying to convey their opinion.  The quality of the content, knowledge, and discussion is poor when The Fan shows start to wander away from what they are good at, and that is talking about the Broncos.  Cecil Lammey is a football encyclopedia.  Nobody does a better job at covering The NFL Draft or NFL breaking news than The Fan, but is it enough?  Especially with the Broncos being down, and seemingly the least likely franchise to make a playoff run.

The Fan took a tough blow when Alfred Williams left the station in late February.  Even if The Drive was primarily a football show, Al's opinions on any topic, not even sports related was something to tune in for.  I was a die hard fan of that show.  I listened to The Drive every show, every segment for the past 10 years, some live, but mostly through Podcast.  DMac and Big Al had a chemistry that was one-of-a-kind, and while Tom Nalen is a good hire, it will never be as good as the pairing with Big Al.  Not to mention The Fan fired The Drive Producer, Brian aka "Big Sexy" on his Birthday this past March, not a good look.

But that allowed me to re-think my listening habits, was there something better available?

It is the NFL off-season.  The Nuggets are in a playoff run.  The Avalanche are in a playoff run.  The Rockies are coming off a year in which they advanced past the Cubs and got to play in a playoff series.

I didn't want Broncos talk about Joe Flacco.  I didn't want to hear about Broncos free-agency.  I didn't want to hear mock drafts after mock drafts about who the Broncos would take at number 10.  So 760 Orange and Blue was out of the question.  I respect the guys who do shows at that station, because I imagine even they get tired of talking about the same league every single day, but there is a market for that, which is why they do it.  Perhaps if Big Al, who is going to KOA in late August, does a show on KOA's affiliate, 760 Orange and Blue, then it might be worth checking out full-time.

But, I wanted Avalanche and Nuggets sports talk, and shows that made me laugh.  I craved that.

I have options.  104.7 Mile High Sports and 92.5 Altitude Sports Radio were the ones I tried out.  What I found was both 104.7 and 92.5 had quality shows.  The Afternoon Drive with Goodman and Shapiro was surprisingly good.  Plenty of high quality, well known guest to talk Nuggets and Avalanche, with a sprinkle of Rockies and Broncos.  I always knew Nate Kreckman's show was high quality as well, but never listened to it that much because I was so locked into The Drive with Big Al and Dmac.  But Nate Kreckman was talking Nuggets, and he was talking Avalanche, I had to tune in.  Had to get my fix.

104.3 The Fan as a promo running right now bashing Altitude 92.5, saying listeners can tune into Sandy Clough's show to hear unbiased comments about the Avalanche, Nuggets, and Rockies, because he is not on Monfort's or Kronke's payroll.

Give me a break.  What a joke.

What is disappointing, is this doesn't surprise me at all.  I have heard DMac, who I think is underrated and I respect very much, say numerous times on air that he is proud he works for a station that isn't directly linked to a team, insinuating that these other stations won't provide honest opinions or critiques on the teams they cover because they are "on the teams payroll".  I have heard, on numerous times, Vic Lombardi, Marc Moser, Nate Kreckman, Ryan Harris, speak critically of the Nuggets and Avalanche.  The Fan needs to be better than that.

While I respect all the radio personalities at The Fan, I see the station as a whole growing in arrogance, always gloating about their ratings. Their new program director put it in an e-mail to his staff in reference to March ratings, "Maybe there isn't any season for talking Nuggets" after dominating the airwaves again talking about Joe Flacco instead of a Nuggets and Avalanche playoff run.  Even the calling in or texting experience is better on Altitude.  I was a caller multiple times on The Drive with Big Al & DMac, and it was usually a 30-45 minute wait.  I even called in at 3:45, was on hold for over 2 hours, and never got on the air!

What are we doing here?!

On hold for 2+ hours, loyal listener, and I can't even get 15 seconds?

Meanwhile, I have heard Vic Lombardi apologize to callers who had to wait over 15 minutes.  Also, Altitude consistently goes to the Text Line, they read both sides, praising texts and harsh texts, they just seem to have a better understanding of how to communicate with their listeners.

As Vic would say, "What is going on?!"

Are we that numb as a Denver Sports community?  Do we really have that many Broncos fans compared to Denver Sports fans?  Am I in the minority when it comes to wanting some Nuggets and Avalanche quality content during a playoff run?

I sure hope not.  Let's change this Denver Sports fans.  Turn the dial tomorrow morning to Moser, Lombardi, and Kane on Altitude 92.5, 7:00-10:00.  Have it on your phone, with the Altitude Radio app.  Listen to it in the shower.  Listen as you eat your breakfast or feed your dog.  Listen on your drive to work.  Listen at your desk.

Whatever you do, listen...check it out, see what you think.

I for one think the Moser, Lombardi, and Kane show is the single best Denver Sports Talk Show going right now.  It has risen to #1 in my book, appointment radio, and what I miss, I catch on the Podcast at a later time.  All the content I want, even a sprinkle of Game of Thrones the Monday after.  I find myself crying with laughter, mainly at Moser and Lombardi, and Brett Kane trying to keep some sense of organization.  Vic Lombardi demanding winners of Avalanche/Nuggets tickets to show fake enthusiasm when they win, Moser talking about eating Hot Pockets and petting his dogs ears at 3:00 in the morning as he is overly pumped up about The Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Brett Kane and Vic Lombardi telling Moser he has to do the Ashley Schaeffer from Eastbound and Down - 'Let the boy watch' quote on an Avalanche Broadcast.  The "Drunk Takes" that Marty sets up at the end of the week will have you rolling on the floor laughing, mainly because the stuff Marc Moser says, no sober individual would say in their right mind anyway.

"There is never an off-season for talking Broncos" is The Fan's motto.

Yes there is.

It's called May and June, when nothing is going on in Bronco-land and the Nuggets and Avalanche are making noise in the playoffs.

Ratings Source: https://ratings.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/rol.exe/arb035