We told you to expect format changes, and now we've got a clue as to what the approach might be: sports.
The evidence? The reported involvement with Moreland of ESPN's Adam Schefter and Tom Manoogian, aka Lou From Littleton.
AllAccess.com reports that the deal for the two Jacks -- KJAC/105.5 FM and KCUV/102.3 FM -- is done. The site adds that Moreland Properties has assigned the signals to Front Range Sports Network, LLC, which teams Moreland with Manoogian and a slew of notable partners: Schefter, sports business manager Marty Garofalo and former Chicago Bears linebacker Lee Kunz, among others.
The deal's consummation is also confirmed by Radio Business Report and longtime Denver radio personality J.J. McKay, writing at DenverRadio.net.
In addition to his intermittent on-air work for KOA, Manoogian has been working behind the radio scenes quite a lot these days. Last summer, for instance, he was instrumental in putting together a package that brought Channel 4 personalities Vic Lombardi and Gary Miller to ESPN 1600.
At this point, the Denver radio sports landscape is already crowded, with ESPN 1600 competing against Mile High Sports Radio, at 1510 AM, 104.3 The Fan and the plentiful sports programming available on KOA. If one or both Jack FMs go sports, too, it's tough to imagine a scenario in which all of these players survive, let alone thrive.
But at least Moreland, Manoogian, Schefter and their cohorts didn't break the bank to land the stations. They're said to have paid around $5 million for both the properties, just seven or eight years after previous owner Tim Brown ponied up $15 million for just one of them. Such is the state of the radio biz today.
