Radio Row: Brandon Krisztal makes four in the Press Box
“For Burns it became a no-brainer. “Brandon is just so well known in this market, it’s incredible.” He told me, adding “the guy is connected.””
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Brandon Krisztal loves Denver; otherwise he would still be back in New York working to make a name for his self in the National media. The “Broncos insider” snuck away to the Big Apple last year to go to work for a powerhouse but decided that the life there wasn’t for him. He missed his friends, he missed his girl and he missed his old gig at 104.3 the Fan. Too bad for Brandon that the Fan moved on without him.
When Krisztal moved back to Denver he found that his old job was no longer his job. Margins aren’t what they used to be in the radio business. Every outlet has cut back on staff. And, while the Fan was able to find fill-in work for Krisztal (particularly during the July wave of vacations) and continued to utilize him as an insider at Dove Valley, they weren’t in a position to offer him a full time gig. Krisztal’s time in New York left him without a full time spot in Denver radio – and Radio is what Brandon does.
Peter Burns, the creator of the “Press Box” on Mile High Sports Radio (which has expanded to become a component of the Denver Post’s digital offerings as well as an evening television show), saw Brandon’s availability as a potential boon to his programming. Despite the fact that the Press Box show was already stacked to the rafters with talent (columnists Mark Kiszla and radio veteran Oren Lomena shared the studio with Burns), Peter reached out to Brandon and brought him in as a guest several times. This week Burns offered to include Krisztal as the fourth man in the Press Box booth on a full time basis.
For Burns it became a no-brainer. “Brandon is just so well known in this market, it’s incredible.” He told me, adding “the guy is connected.”
And Krisztal is connected. He has earned the nickname “little Adam Schefter” among lingerers at Dove Valley. He can scroll through his cell phone and pull out contact information for people like Ray Lewis, Terrell Davis and Shannon Sharpe. His address book reads like an NFL “who’s who”. It goes without saying that, for a show like the Press Box, Krysztal’s reach has value.
Where the doubt lies in the new configuration of the Press Box is in how to make a four-person “booth” work. It’s clumsy enough to police three hosts. The Fan Morning show with Nate Lundy, Mike Evans and Vic Lombardi and the Locker Room with Nate Kreckman, Gary Miller and Tom Nalen make it work, but it’s not easy. Somebody has to play traffic cop. For Krisztal being the fourth man is a challenge. “I have to pick my spots.” he told me.
Brandon finds the atmosphere surrounding the Press Box to be exciting. “It’s the most buzz worthy thing happening in the Denver market … hell, in any market, really.” Krisztal claims, “It has the potential to really explode.” When I asked what about it he finds most intriguing he replied, “All of it. It’s too good an opportunity to pass up”.
The Press Box show airs from 7-9 am on Mile High Sports FM93.7 and AM1510. It is also offered as steaming video on the Denver Post web site. Once the hosts finish the live show they settle in to record the Press Box TV show which airs at night. Denver’s pretty lucky. The program is a multi-media model for markets across the USA. Peter Burns explains, “I get at least two calls a week from people in other markets asking how we grew so fast.”
