PREFACE: Some wonder why I spend so much time discussing Denver Radio and Mile High Sports Radio in particular I am sure. Well, I grew up watching the Denver Broncos and Denver Nuggets before there were any reference to the state in team names like the Colorado Rockies and Colorado Avalanche and only the Colorado Buffaloes had won a national title in the state. Sports has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, which dates back to the age of 4 or 5 in 1985. At that time, I used to catch passes with a small NERF ball in my trailer in Federal Heights (yes, I was raised lower lower middle class or upper lower class) from my dad as we watched the Broncos play. I remember screaming out 'Nute as Manute Bol noodle legged down the McNichols floor. There wasn't a Coors Field until I was a freshman in High School or a Pepsi Center until after I graduated High School. I drove 45 minutes to Golden and back home to East Thornton/SW Brighton daily to attend the Colorado School of Mines and listened to none other than 950 AM The Fan to and from school. It lead me to write a column called Sports News That Counts for two years since I felt like Division II athletics is crap compared to Division I and needed something to let my sports opinion breathe. It was much like articles that the very talented and black balled Jim Armstrong wrote. My love (and at times hatred) of sports on the radio started with me listening to Jerry Schimmel doing Nuggets games on the radio as I went to bed... in junior high. So I may only be 34, or may be old to you under 22 group, but my heart has always had a love for local sports and local sports talk. Thus, I listened to The Fan in it's infancy and did the same with Mile High Sports Radio when it was just born in July 2007. So, while I may poke fun at them I ultimately have enjoyed Mile High Sports Radio and wanted to see them succeed.
To provide a brief recap of what was previously highlighted, Mile High Sports Radio went off-air on May 21, 2015. Since that date, they have had only one message on their company website with no updates or status of what is going on. Social media outlets of Mile High Sports Radio are similar. The only way to know what is going on is to dig. The date was set to be June 1st, that got changed to June 29th after the initial 10 day hiatus had no chance at getting met and since the June 29th target re-launch date, there have been no additional news other than any day, any day, FCC approval, this and that but nothing concrete. We do know based off their website (and before that Hedwig supplying me official MHSR e-mails) that they are supposed to re-launch on 1340 AM.
I understand it is complicated. I understand that station President, James Merilatt is awaiting paperwork and final approval and can't give any concrete news but as I have stated repeatedly, a simple message update weekly would suffice for many listeners. Something in the lines of this:
July 7, 2015: Mile High Sports Radio was hoping to be back on-air by June 29th. We unfortunately were unable to meet that date, since we are waiting on everything to be approved and finalized. We understand and feel the same frustration our listeners and sponsors have with this long delay. As soon as we know or can share more, we will make sure you are the first to know. Thanks for your support and loyalty to Mile High Sports in this transition.
Simple, no misinformation provided to the public and above else it lets listeners and sponsors know you are still there and chewing at the bit to get back on-air. Instead, the silence has led my interactions to be the sort where I find fellow listeners giving up on the station going forward, believing there is more to it than awaiting paperwork and FCC approval, for example they have no money or just not coming back at all. The on-air talent is scrambling to keep sponsors that keep them on-air and keep money in their pocket. They are also dealing with trying to keep listeners in tune and interested rather than going elsewhere. I feel greatly for these guys, since they use radio to expand their brand and to generate income and they have been kept silent for nearly 50 days! I wouldn't be surprised to see some of the better talent end up at 104.3 The Fan or 105.5 FM ESPN Denver or in a different market with football season starting and the need to make their station more appealing. I know if guys like Danny Williams and Cello Romano, Benjamin Allbright, Benny Bash, Joe Morgan, Brandon Spano and Eric Goodman went elsewhere I would be listening to them elsewhere. All have shown the chops to prove they are better than some of the less talented guys in Denver (aka anything the fan puts on-air live 6-9 am and 3-6 pm other than Vic Lombardi.
It is frustrating since I decided to make Mile High Sports Radio my main station when Tim Neverett helped start the station in 2007. And I ultimately saw that some talented guys get their chops and skills honed there. Denver's best sports radio guy, Nate Kreckman, was absolutely amazing radio from the second he went from producing for Neverett and Armstrong on the old 560/1600 AM to being able to have a show of his own. We have seen Joel Klatt become a big force in Fox Sports nationally and have seen Peter Burns change Denver radio by adding internet radio (though the guys they have do it are old and winded and don't belong) and moving to the mighty national ESPN and SEC Network. So I blog because I see what Mile High Sports has done to Denver radio making it the most local and live shows with great talent and want to see Mile High Sports succeed because I chose to stick with it and make it the main station I listened to over the overrated 104.3 The Fan and sell-out 105.5 ESPN Denver. By the way, I love ESPN Denver's local guys but tape delayed national shows that can be listened to on a radio app is worthless on my local sports radio and I am still disappointed the way it is set up.
I blog to give other listeners information and something to think about and discuss because other than the Broncos centered fan, I like having a college football show to listen to. I like having guys that have an eclectic background of sports knowledge and some are more entertaining and some are more expert centered but it is local, it is live and it gives me something to think about and talk about in regards to the local sport scene. Newspaper is near death and that's why sports radio has a voice in Denver. Mile High Sports Radio doesn't share space with the classified section. MHSR hasn't laid off half of its staff and kept morons that rest on their name and being controversial rather than informative (finger pointed at you Woody Paige and Mark Kiszla though Irv) and only employing one outstanding writer (Benjamin Hochman) and a pretty damn good journalist (Chris Dempsey). So it is frustrating as a listener that has been around for nearly eight years, and since the inception, of MHSR that has a lifelong love for the local sports to be completely left in the dark by that station he gives his attention and their sponsors business to when he could choose to join the zombie masses that go to the old familiar The Fan without realizing it doesn't have much pop to it. So all we want to know is what the heck is going on Mile High Sports Radio? Can you at least answer that?
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