Denver Sports Brand: Next Step in the Evolution of Denver Radio?

Radio has been declared dead over and over again in recent years, but listeners refuse to let it go quietly. A 2021 Nielsen Media Research study found that 88 percent of Americans, or around 293 million people, listen weekly to terrestrial radio, the term applied to stations that reach ears by way of old-fashioned broadcasting towers — a total that's said to exceed those who use Facebook per week.

A big reason for radio's continuing relevance is its embrace of online platforms — and the newly launched Denver Sports project epitomizes the medium's evolution. Its highest-profile affiliate is 104.3 The Fan, a popular local sports-talk station that's gotten a big boost from the late 2022 addition of former Bronco Derek Wolfe to The Drive, its weekday afternoon staple. But components also include ESPN Denver 1600 and two sibling HD stations, plus the Denversports.com website and a mobile app, which offer access to an expanded lineup of video programs, podcasts and more.

Does this amalgam mean Bonneville International, the Utah-based media company that owns Denver Sports, is trying to build a new entity capable of surviving even if its radio properties begin to fade? Not according to Raj Sharan, program director at The Fan and local supervisor of Denver Sports.

"We've been focusing on growing our digital properties through more videos and columns, and it made sense for The Fan and our other station to be a big part of it," Sharan says.

Denver Sports is hardly the first enterprise of its type. It shares some commonalities with the digital sports network DNVR, whose Brandon Spano says a cease-and-desist demand has already been submitted, with an injunction expected to follow this week, and even more with brands previously launched by Bonneville, a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' for-profit arm, including Seattle Sports, Arizona Sports in Phoenix, and KSL Sports in Salt Lake City.

"It's a big initiative across our entire company," Sharan stresses. "We're trying to create strong radio brands, but digital brands as well — and Denver Sports is more of an umbrella brand we've created for different audiences. People can go to Denversports.com and read columns and watch videos. But we still have The Fan in addition to ESPN 1600, our nationally branded station. The way I describe it is like Meta is for Facebook and Instagram."

Sharan stresses that "every piece of digital content doesn't necessarily have to branch off The Fan — so it's not about platforming from radio to something more forward-looking." But there's no question the products associated with Denver Sports and The Fan are tightly interwoven. The Mile High Hoops and Mile High Hockey podcasts star two of the station's on-air personalities, Zach Bye and Mike Evans, respectively. Likewise, James Merilatt, the editor of Denver Sports, is a frequent radio contributor, as is lead columnist Andrew Mason. And Denver Sports Tonight, an hour-long program that airs on The Fan weeknights at 6 p.m., is a showcase for the likes of Rachel Vigil, host of the video program Coffee Break, and Cecil Lammey, who teams with Mason on the Broncos-themed video program Orange and Blue Today. Watch a recent episode below:
The Fan's audio output remains "a big part of Denver Sports's portfolio," Sharan allows. But, he concedes, "You'd be naive not to think audience habits have changed, especially in a post-COVID world. Significantly less people commute to work every day, so they may not be on the same routine. But a lot of people still listen in their cars, and people can listen in other ways, too, like streaming it at home on their smart speakers or listening to it whenever they want on podcast."

The listenership bump The Fan has received from the team of Wolfe and Darren "D-Mac" McKee on The Drive is an example of how the behind-the-scenes team, including assistant program director and executive producer Richie Carni, is keeping the outlet's offerings fresh, Sharan believes. "We think they've developed a chemistry very quickly, and I think the audience feels that, as well. There's been major growth in that day part, and it's already our highest-rated show. We're just a few months into it, but we're very pleased with the early returns."

For that reason, Sharan continues, "I don't know that Denver Sports is as much about the radio audience leaving, but that everyone likes different types of content. And this is an opportunity to get a different audience — the kind of people who like watching clips on Instagram."

He adds, "Hopefully, this is going to be a really interesting year, with the Avs and the Nuggets making another good run, a new coach for the Broncos and Deion at CU, and we're going to follow all of it on Denver Sports. We're excited about the future, and looking to keep creating a lot of good content for people to watch."

And also listen to.