Sports radio listening in Denver has been down compared to last year. Which is odd when you consider a few factors. First, we were in a pandemic last spring operating without sports. Secondly, the Nuggets just turned in a strong season, advancing to the second round of the NBA Western Conference playoffs led by league MVP Nikola Jokic, the Colorado Avalanche played into the 2nd round of the Western Conference playoffs, the Colorado Rockies returned to the diamond (the MLB All-Star game was just held here too but that’s for the next book), and interest in the Broncos remains a year-long obsession. You’d think the Nielsen gods would be shining brighter on the city in 2021 vs. 2020, but such is life in a PPM world.
Despite shares being down from where they’ve been previously, the quarter still produced a number of positives. For 104.3 The Fan, the station finished 5th with Men 25-54 in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with a 4.9 share. KOA, which features a mix of sports and news was 19th in prime with a 2.1 share. Altitude Sports Radio was 24th with a 1.6.
In mornings, Mark Schlereth and Mike Evans ranked 1st with a 6.8 share for The Fan. They outperformed the radio station’s overall number. The station’s midday team of “Orlando and Sandy” were 9th with a 3.5, the second midday show featuring Brandon Stokley and Zach Bye performed better with a 4.6 share, good enough to secure 7th place. Afternoons saw “The Drive with Tyler Polumbus and DMac” finish 8th with a 4.4 share, and during the evening hours, “Nick and Cecil” were 23rd with a 1.2 while “The Fan Late Night with Shawn Drotar” was 16th with an 0.8.
For KOA, their weekday prime sports programs were in the same neighborhood as far as share and ranking positions are concerned. “Logan and Lewis” were 25th with a 1.2 during their midday slot, “Big Al and Jojo” finished 24th with a 1.3 share during the afternoon. The station’s best sports talk ratings performance for the quarter came in evenings. The combination of Colorado Rockies baseball and “Broncos Country Tonight with Ryan Edwards and Benjamin Allbright” ranked 20th with a 1.8 share.
Meanwhile, Altitude Sports Radio enjoyed two great stories this quarter. First, the station beat The Fan and KOA at night (M-F 7p-12a), finishing 9th with a 3.0 share. Altitude also got a nice boost from the afternoon team of Nate Kreckman and Andy Lindahl. The PM drive program produced a 2.3 share to finish the book in 16th place. Similar to ‘Schlereth and Evans’, ‘Nate and Andy’ outperformed their radio station’s overall prime number. “Mornings with Moser, Lombardi, and Kane came in 25th with a 1.1 share during 7a-10a, and middays (10a-2p) with “Harris, Hastings and Dover” finished 28th with a 1.0.
What’s been interesting to follow so far is how the brands have performed between the 2021 winter and spring books.
For 104.3 The Fan, their weekday prime, morning show, afternoon show, and one midday show were all lower quarter to quarter. Stokley and Zach bucked that trend picking up one tenth. The positive for The Fan, they were playing with higher numbers than the others so they could afford some slippage. With football season around the corner, and the station typically strong in the summer and winter books, they’ll be counting on ears returning to the dial to lift them back up.
For KOA, their daytime sports talk shows remain relatively unchanged from the winter book. Evenings though gained ground, which is expected when live baseball play by play returns to the dial. If the Broncos turn in a good season and the station can carry over some of that cume to its weekday shows, it could help add a few positives for the final two books of the year.
Wrapping up with Altitude, they’ve got a few stories to feel good about. Kreckman and Lindahl added 1.5 shares from winter to spring. Moser, Lombardi and Kane picked up three tenths, middays tacked on one tenth, and nights held steady with the same share and ranking leading the market. Prime grew too by seven tenths of a point. The challenge, the evening number will likely dip during the summer due to no Nuggets and Avalanche games. If the station’s shows can lure some ears during football season and add back Avs and Nuggets fans when each team’s season starts, they could continue growing.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
