Inside Huge Shakeup to KOA Radio’s Morning Lineup

On Monday, November 10, KOA, an iconic Denver radio outlet that celebrated its 100th anniversary last December, will begin a new era. The station, which can be heard at 850 AM and 94.1 FM, is replacing the majority of Colorado Morning News, its signature program since the 1970s, with a talk format anchored by Ross Kaminsky, who previously jumped to KOA from its sibling signal, KHOW/630 AM. Michael Brown, the George W. Bush-era FEMA director turned gabber, will make a similar journey, leaving KHOW to take over Kaminsky’s old 9 a.m.-noon slot on KOA.

Colorado Morning News isn’t officially dead; the name will continue to be used for the 5-6 a.m. block that will be helmed by Jeana Gondek, who’ll also be heard on Kaminsky’s 6-9 a.m. show. But that’s essentially a cosmetic choice to avoid the outright cancellation of what was once the most popular offering on the Denver airwaves, as well as a platform for the likes of Gus Mircos, Evan Slack, Steve Kelly, Carol McKinley, Ed Greene, Stefan Tubbs, April Zesbaugh and Marty Lenz, who posted a Facebook video referencing Colorado Morning News on Halloween. Lenz didn’t directly comment on what’s about to happen with the staple he once hosted, but delivered a “scary” anecdote, saying, “Toward the end of our run, we didn’t have a working bathroom.”

The latest shifts absolutely gut KHOW, once a powerhouse talker in its own right, but more recently something of a KOA farm team. Asked in an e-mail interview what will air on KHOW once the new changes have been made, program director Dave Tepper acknowledged that Kaminsky, Brown and Mandy Connell, who’s heard on KOA from noon to 3 p.m., “are the last three hosts of KHOW mornings, and all have moved on to KOA. We will try out candidates and find the best fit to develop and build on the successes of the previous hosts in that time slot.”

Neither Brown nor Gondek responded to Westword‘s queries.

As for Kaminsky, he wrote on social media that “this will be the first time in decades (or maybe ever, I really don’t know) that KOA has a talk show in ‘morning drive.’ We’ll keep bringing you plenty of news but now we’re doing it in a show that also talks about the news (and lots of other things…the show won’t be very different from my current show.) Psyched to be embarking on this project with Jeana Gondek, who I always have so much fun bantering with. The show will be fun, informative, and entertaining…at least that’s the goal!”

Unfortunately, Kaminsky wasn’t given the go-ahead to expand on those remarks with Westword. Via email, he said that he needed to “confer with some folks here regarding this and similar [interview] requests” before revealing in a follow-up note that “it’s just going to be Dave.”

If you’re confused why KOA management would block someone who talks for a living from speaking with a reporter, that’s understandable. But there’s no doubt the decision to sort-of/kind-of/in-a-way ditch Colorado Morning News has placed tremendous pressure on Tepper, a onetime executive at Altitude Sports Radio who came to KOA, an iHeartMedia property, in July 2022. Since then, Tepper’s dealt with a slew of significant challenges, including the dumping of former CU Buffs and Denver Broncos hero Alfred Williams in November 2024 amid nationwide iHeartMedia layoffs.

Once upon a time, KOA was a perennial radio audience leader in the Mile High City and a powerhouse across the Great Plains, but that hasn’t been the case of late. In the Nielsen ratings report for October, KOA ranks 18th among listeners age six and older — a broad metric, but one that indicates the overall health of a station. The ranking would be even lower if not for broadcasts of Broncos games, KOA’s biggest draw these days; the station’s October ratings are nearly double those in May, when the NFL was snoozing.

Tepper didn’t come right out and admit that ratings were the reason for Colorado Morning News‘s shrinkage, but he came close. “We periodically review our programming to ensure that we are meeting our listeners’ needs,” he said via email. “Occasionally this means that we need to make some changes and offer other programming that we believe will further serve our audience. We feel it’s an opportunity to strengthen and evolve our KOA lineup.”

Before going ahead with the latest plan, “there was a lot of research and planning involved,” he noted, adding that some Colorado Morning News elements will be part of Kaminsky’s program: “Jeana Gondek will continue providing news every fifteen minutes between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. at the same times we have over the years. News, traffic, and weather remain an important part of our morning. But our listeners reflect what more listeners around the country have shown, an appetite for morning news with in-depth commentary and engaging conversations, so we are taking a news and talk approach with Ross Kaminsky on the News with Jean Gondek.”

Likewise, he rejected the notion that Colorado Morning News is being buried during the wee hours, explaining that “the 5 a.m. hour has been one of our most successfully listened to hours and we are excited to continue to offer to our listeners.” Nor was he ready to suggest that the news-digest approach associated with Colorado Morning News should go the way of the dodo in the current age of opinion-heavy jabber. “News absolutely remains useful, and we are committed to news and breaking news throughout our various talk shows day and night,” he said. “There are currently very successful all-news shows around the country,  but every market is different.”

Kaminsky is the right person to make the transition from news to punditry, Tepper continued: “Ross has passion, knowledge, and informed opinions on local, national, and international stories along with his impressive understanding and experience in stock markets and business economics. He’s a sports fan that will mix in relevant sports talk. He’s funny and his personality and quirky style are very entertaining. And he’s well-connected, leading to strong interviews.”

And Brown? Tepper explained that “his weekday KHOW and nationally syndicated weekend show are very successful. His government and attorney background make for peel-back-the-curtain discussions you can’t find anywhere else. His years under George W. Bush as the head of FEMA lead to incredible storytelling and perspectives. He’s also an entertaining, funny host with a likable self-deprecating style. KOA boasts some great personalities; his will be a great addition.”

He added that “we don’t want him to change” once Brown gets to KOA, because “the spirit and success of his KHOW show is why we are moving him over.”

The cheapest way to fill time on KHOW would be via nationally syndicated content, but Tepper insisted that’s not on the agenda. “Local is very important to KOA and KHOW, especially in the primetime listening dayparts,” he wrote. “We don’t have plans to add syndication to these time slots.”

Then again, things can change — which is why Tepper avoided making any pronouncements about how patient the bosses at KOA will be with the new schedule. “Like any successful business does, we are constantly reviewing our programming,” Tepper maintained. “We make changes we believe are long-term, but it always comes down to what the listeners want.”