KSE Sets Launch Date For Altitude 950 Denver. It Will Be Friday, April 8th.

[Colorado Media Newsroom]

From All Access:



The debut of ALTITUDE SPORTS RADIO, the new Sports format on KROENKE SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT/KSE SPORTS VENTURES' recently-acquired KRWZ-A/DENVER, is set for FRIDAY (5/5), coinciding with the COLORADO ROCKIES' home opener, reports the DENVER POST.

The lineup will include JOSH DOVER hosting "THE MORNING SCOREBOARD" 6-7a (MT), former DENVER NUGGETS player and crosstown KKFN (104.3 THE FAN) host SCOTT HASTINGS with TOM HELMER and ALTITUDE SPORTS TV reporter LAUREN GARDNER in mornings, market veteran VIC LOMBARDI and ALTITUDE SPORTS anchor KYLE KEEFE 1-4p, former crosstown KJAC-KDSP (ESPN DENVER) host NATE KRECKMAN and former DENVER BRONCOS center TOM NALEN 4-7p, and play-by-play of NUGGETS, COLORADO AVALANCHE, COLORADO RAPIDS, and COLORADO MAMMOTH games.
Crosstown MILE HIGH SPORTS RADIO Sports KDCO-A owner JAMES MERILATT will also serve as Program Manager of KRWZ.

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[Colorado Media Newsroom]

From The Denver Post:

Altitude Radio will debut April 8 with programming from Vic Lombardi, Nate Kreckman, Tom Nalen and other familiar sports radio personalities


Radio hosts Vic Lombardi, right, and Kyle Keefe get prepared for their new sports radio talk show at Altitude Sports Radio, 950 AM. Their program will air for the first time on Friday from 1 to 4 pm. (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post)

The increasingly competitive Denver sports talk radio scene is shaking yet again with the addition of a long-expected power player: Altitude, the Stan Kroenke-owned regional media outlet.

Altitude Radio will debut on Friday — the day of the Rockies' home opener — on KRWZ 950 AM.

KSE Radio Ventures, a division of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, purchased the frequency from Entercom Communications in December. Mile High Sports Radio president James Merilatt will serve as program manager while maintaining his role as owner of the independent radio station on 1340 AM, though he will step back from day-to-day operations.

Kroenke and Mile High Sports have worked together since 2010, when Mile High Sports became the Nuggets' and Avalanche's radio partner on, incidentally, 950 AM.

Late last year, KSE lured away longtime KCNC-Channel 4 sports anchor Vic Lombardi to serve as host for Nuggets and Avalanche coverage, adding a level of gravitas to its programming. It drew him, in part, with a promise to give him a radio show on the new network.

"We're guys in our 40s, have families, play golf and love sports," said Lombardi, who was most recently on KKFN 104.3 The Fan's morning show, and will host a show from 1-4 p.m. with Altitude anchor Kyle Keefe. "Our show will be more lighthearted than everything else. We're going to pound the Broncos when the Broncos need pounding. It's still a Broncos town, but not every day, seven days a week."

The station's lineup includes a stable of other top Denver sports radio talent. Josh Dover, who has produced shows with Mile High Sports, The Fan and The Denver Post, will host "The Morning Scoreboard" from 6-7 a.m. The morning drive will feature Tom Helmer, Altitude TV reporter Lauren Gardner, and one of the biggest talents in the market, former Nuggets player Scott Hastings. Lombardi and Keefe carry on from 1-4 p.m., and former ESPN Denver host Nate Kreckman will reunite with former Broncos center Tom Nalen to handle the afternoon drive from 4-7 p.m.

The network will then broadcast play-by-play of its owner's teams — the Nuggets, Avalanche, Colorado Rapids and Colorado Mammoth. But how pointed will hosts be in their criticism, especially for the bigger three, all of which have repeatedly missed the playoffs in recent years?

"We're going to be taking the same approach with every single team," Merilatt said. "We're free to be critical, so long as it's fair. It's going to be the same for the Rockies and Broncos. We're not going to make the criticisms personal."

The upstart station will face challenges building audience on the AM dial, a format that resonates with older listeners and struggles to attract the younger demographic that advertisers covet.

In October, Kroenke purchased three FM radio stations from Wilks Broadcasting, which could open the door for Altitude to jump or simulcast.

Brandon Krisztal, executive producer for iHeartMedia-owned KDSP Denver Sports 760, another new sports station facing the same challenges, said Altitude's task is to "get more people back on the AM dial and conditioned in that habit. But sports fans are still going to go find the best conversation."

The emergence of a new station is just the latest shake-up in Denver's volatile sports talk radio scene. In January, Bonne ville International-owned The Fan became ESPN's regional affiliate, allowing it to beef up programming with access to national ESPN talent and shows.

That move came after Front Range Sports Network sold 105.5 FM to Greeley-based public radio broadcaster KUNC, putting Kreckman and NFL draft expert Cecil Lammey out of jobs.

The same day that ESPN and The Fan formally became affiliates, Denver Sports 760 launched — tagging itself the "Voice of Broncos Country" just as the team was making its run to winning a Super Bowl.

KKFN had a 4.2 rating for February, according to Nielsen, meaning 4.2 percent of radio listeners in the market were tuned in to the station for at least five minutes during a 15-minute block.

KDSP came in at 0.4, while KEPN 1600 The Zone — The Fan's sister station, which carries national ESPN programming around the clock — came in at 0.2. Mile High Sports did not appear in the data.


Radio hosts Kyle Keefe, left, and Vic Lombardi meet with executive director Will Petersen, not shown, to discuss their new sports talk radio show on Altitude. (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post)

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[Dr Jam]

Wow, it sounds like they are investing a lot on local talent. The question I have is will they be able to get the ratings and advertising sales to make this work? Time will tell.

[radiodude]

Good question, since they have to now compete with KKFN and now KDSP 760 and, the small market of Mile High SPorts.. (not a major concern)..
Since 950 is a very powerful signal, even at night it should work out? I just hope the sales guy has good marketing skills.

[Rob]

Kroenke has a lot of cash to invest and I think they are in this for the long run, no matter if the station loses money or not.

Another thought: I totally thought that KKSE 950 AM would be replacing KDCO 1340 AM on the 104.7 FM translator that KDCO is using. But even though KDCO hasn't promoted the 104.7 FM frequency, they are still on it. KKSE needs to find an FM translator to compete.