Radio Row: Survey says solo Sandy, lop off Lundy at the Fan
“The newest changes in Denver Sports talk radio are coming to 104.3 the Fan and would seem to have been precipitated by the results of a survey the station sent out to listeners last month.”
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The local sports talk radio beat is sort of our specialty around here and, as we so often say, it’s kind of like the Colorado weather. If you don’t like it just wait; it’s going to change.
The newest changes in Denver Sports talk radio are coming to 104.3 the Fan and would seem to have been precipitated by the results of a survey the station sent out to listeners last month. I responded to it on October 14. The station sent the questionnaire presumably as a response to flagging ratings. With three sports talk stations in town the market is always hotly competitive so the Fan was smart to tap its customers for a take on how the station may improve and therefore become even more competitive.
While I do not have access to the results of the Fan’s survey it’s not difficult to reach certain conclusions based on the shifts the station is making in its lineup.
The first and most important change the Fan is making is to place Sandy Clough back into his natural role as a solo artist. The “sports essayist”, as Dusty Saunders refers to him, will remain in the noon-3pm slot he currently holds but he will do so without Drew Goodman and Scott Hastings. This comes as fantastic news to Clough fans who had been pining for his thoughtful style to return at the Fan. He simply works best alone.
Goodman, who does double duty as a broadcaster for Root Sports, will be leaving the station as soon as Wednesday of this week according to my source. Scott Hastings, who remains very popular among Fan listeners, will be moving to the Fan Morning Show along with Mike Evans and Vic Lombardi (who calls in to the show from home). Hastings will be replacing Nate Lundy who apparently did not fare well in the survey results. Lundy, who is the program director at the Fan, has the unenviable task of essentially firing himself as an on-air personality (for the third time) and fading back behind the scenes to focus on keeping the lineup in tune.
These moves all seem super solid from my perspective. I love the idea of having Sandy Clough back in his role at the station. Regardless of the time slot he occupies I will find time to listen to him – especially after Broncos games. The Fan Morning Show should really brighten up with the addition of Scott Hastings, although one has to wonder how fresh he’ll be that early in the morning – especially after a late Nuggets game the previous night.
We’re truly fortunate to live in a city with so much great sports talk radio to choose from. But, the landscape is always competitive and always on the move. This latest shake up at the fan is just one more example of how fluid situations are at these outlets. Hats off to Nate Lundy and the “front office” at the Fan for tuning into their listeners and making tough decisions in order to improve their offerings.
