For the fall ratings book, 104.3 The Fan continued to be a constant amongst Denver radio stations, finishing first in weekday prime (M-SU 6a – 7p) with a 7.9 share in the target demo of men 25-54.
The Denver sports station again received a massive performance from Mark Schlereth and Mike Evans in morning drive, finishing first with an 11.7 share. From 6 – 9a, Schlereth and Evans are a consistently dominant duo as the market’s highest rated sports show by a wide margin, outperforming The Fan’s first place finish by nearly 4 points.
In late mornings, Orlando Franklin and Sandy Clough earned a 4.3 share, which saw them finish fourth in the market. It was a solid jump for The Fan’s 9a – noon show, which finished 10th in the summer book. From noon – 3p, Brandon Stokley and Zach Bye were third during the fall book, with a strong 6.5 share, up more than two points from the summer quarter.
In afternoons, The Drive with Tyler Polumbus and DMac enjoyed a first-place finish in the fall ratings period with a 7.9 share. Polumbus and DMac were up by more than a full point from their summer book. Nick Ferguson and Cecil Lammey finished sixth in evenings with a 5 share, and The Fan Late Night with Shawn Drotar edged out a Top-10 performance with a 2.1.
The strong fall quarter for The Fan highlights their commitment to delivering strong Broncos coverage during the football season, despite not owning the team’s broadcast rights.
The Broncos flagship, KOA NewsRadio dropped outside the Top-20 in weekday prime for the fall book, earning a 1.7 share. KOA’s three local sports shows had a down quarter, each finishing outside the Top-20. Logan and Lewis delivered a 1.2 from 9a – noon, Big Al and Jojo were just under a 1 share in afternoon drive, and Broncos Country Tonight with Ryan Edwards & Benjamin Allbright produced a 1.1.
As for the market’s other sports station, the fall book saw Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM deliver a 1.5 share in weekday prime, led by the afternoon team of Nate Kreckman & Andy Lindahl who outperformed the radio station with a 2.2 share, helping them finish 19th for the quarter. The Nielsen gods weren’t as kind to the morning and midday teams. Both were down year over year and finished outside of the top 20. Moser, Lombardi and Kane finished just under a 1 share in mornings, and Harris, Hastings and Dover generated a 1.3 in middays.
Though the ratings won’t satisfy program director Dave Tepper, the station was elated with a different set of numbers. Despite the pandemic taking its toll on the sports world and The Fan and KOA having advantages in time served on the air, Altitude continues to make great strides in revenue. The station has consistently appeared in the Top 10 most of the past six months, led by 3rd and 4th place rankings in August and September. Colorado’s decision to allow legalized sports betting has certainly helped that cause, and with the Nuggets and Avalanche back in action, the station is hoping to rebound with a stronger winter performance.