Last night, on KEPN/1600 AM, ESPN Radio's Denver affiliate, syndicated host Jon Stashower discussed one of the big college-football matchups of the weekend: Saturday's faceoff between the Utah Utes and the Brigham Young University Cougars. But in addition to focusing on the X's and O's, he lamented the fact that many gridiron addicts across the country won't be able to see the game, because it's being broadcast by The Mtn., a regional cable service. While Stashower was certain the Mtn. was staffed by nice people, that didn't compensate for what he saw as a virtual Utes-Cougars blackout in the majority of the country.
This commentary likely would have brought a smile to the face of Kim Carver, the vice president and general manager of The Mtn., which is based in Centennial. In "Mountain West Conference Lineup," a May 2007 Message column that profiled the then-fledgling service, Carver outlined future plans while noting that the service was in dire need of something pretty basic: viewers.
No worries about that on Saturday. The Mtn. may score it's biggest ratings to date, even as it irritates sports lovers in states that don't receive its programming. -- Michael Roberts
