A big change is taking place in the mile high city. Kroenke Sports and Entertainment‘s top executive Matt Hutchings is moving on. KSE, which owns the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, Colorado Mammoth, Altitude TV and Altitude Sports Radio will now turn to a new voice to move the company forward.
Hutchings has been a key figure for the company since 2013. He was also involved in management from 2004-2012, taking a one-year detour in between to Houston to serve as president of Comcast Sportsnet Houston.
During his tenure, KSE has been involved in an ongoing battle with Colorado’s largest cable provider, Comcast. The two sides remain in a dispute over carriage fees to air Nuggets and Avalanche games. As a result, local Comcast customers have been unable to watch both teams since 2019. Both the Nuggets and Avalanche have won championships during that period.
In a press release, Hutchings said, “I am grateful for the professional opportunities and thrilling experiences that have come with my time at KSE. We have realized tremendous growth as a company and seen unprecedented success among our teams. I will be watching and cheering KSE on as they continue to lead the way in sports, broadcasting, and entertainment in Colorado and beyond.”
Hutchings was an advocate for moving the company into the local sports radio space. Altitude 950 launched in April 2016, moving to the FM dial at 92.5FM in September 2018. After a slow start, Altitude Sports Radio took the sports radio ratings lead locally in 2023. The company has since utilized 950AM to feature sports betting content from VSiN.
Losing Huchings is a big loss for KSE. How it affects the future in local radio and television remains to be seen. The top priority for the next executive is to make sure the Comcast battle gets handled so Colorado sports fans can regain the ability to watch their favorite teams.
