Jun

20

Sports Radio Review- The Sports Guys, KKFN, Denver

June 20, 2007 | by Keith | Categories Sports Radio |

One thing I’ve learned listening to sports radio across the country is that the intensity of the programming seems to coincide with the passion of the local fan base.  Fans in cities like New York, Boston, and Chicago are often recognized as some of the most loyal in the country.  Fans of teams in the south and out west generally are characterized as being more laid back observers of sports.

There are some smaller cities, however, where the passion is as strong as the east coast cities.  I think Denver is one of them.  They have professional teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL, and Major League Baseball.  They have strong collegiate programs as well.  And for their sports talk, they have KKFN, The Fan. 

I spent about a month listening to KKFN’s morning show, The Sports Guys, featuring Marc Moser and Sandy Clough.  And overall, I liked what I heard. 

I was first introduced to KKFN’s morning show back in January of 2006 when the New England Patriots prepared to take on the Denver Broncos in an AFC Divisional Playoff game.  Listening to Boston’s WEEI, a number of Denver fans called the station touting how the Broncos would be successful in ending the Patriots’ two year Super Bowl run.  It was learned that the fans were alerted to call WEEI by Moser.  I tuned in to hear what Moser was saying.  He seemed pretty sure of himself that the Broncos would handle the Patriots.  As we now know he was correct.

After listening to The Sports Guys for an extended period of time I was pleased to hear that they spend their show talking sports.  They didn’t fall into the habit of needing to run a conventional morning show.  No gimmicks.  No funny bits.  Just sports. 

The period for which I listened was dominated early with the playoff run of the Denver Nuggets and the poor start by the Colorado Rockies.   Moser and Clough lamented about the exploits of both teams and used their talents to ask questions that were probably on the minds of Denver fans.

The pair seemed to read the writing on the wall when it came to the Nuggets’ chances against the San Antonio Spurs, even though Denver won game one on the road.  Although hoping for an upset, Moser and Clough knew beating the Spurs would be an uphill battle.  Again, they were right.

When it came to the Rockies, The Sports Guys were merciless in their criticism.  No one was immune.  There was a point when the pair called out the club’s principal owners, Charles and Richard Monfort, seeking answers as to why the Rockies were struggling.  It’s this persistence that I’m sure fans of the show appreciate from Moser and Clough.

Unlike other morning shows looking to jam hours of information into a 20 minute segment, The Sports Guys take things slow.  They delve into subjects in depth.  During this period they talked daily with Drew Goodman, the TV voice of the Rockies on FSN Rocky Mountain.  They do sprinkle their talk with other interviews which normally add to the discussion.  They also mix in callers, albeit in measured doses.

The Sports Guys do provide listeners with some conventional morning show fare with regular local traffic updates.  They also provide sports news updates from Karen Kay.  I was impressed with her sound and professionalism until I noticed through this blog entry that she does not work for KKFN but records the morning updates after her late shift with Fox Sports Radio.   That is not a smart move on the part of the radio station.  Isn’t there someone locally they can use to do the updates?  Does it cost THAT much?  Although the updates are only twice an hour, not having a local personalilty does take away a little from the flow of the show.

Overall I liked what I got from The Sports Guys.  They have an understanding as to what the sports fan in Denver expects from their teams and it shows in the topics they discuss.  With Denver being a football town I am sure the Broncos dominate the KKFN airwaves each fall.  It’s worth your while to check in with Moser and Clough to hear what’s up with the sports scene in the Mile High City.

(Photo courtesy of KKFN)


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