The Broncos are going country

Broncos football games are switching bands on your radio dial next season, leaving KVOR (740 AM) for country station KCCY (96.9 FM).

Bob Richards, the market manager for KCCY’s parent company Clear Channel, said he thinks the country station will be able to promote and market the Broncos affiliation better than news-talk station KVOR could. KVOR, Richards said, was always competing with KOA (850 AM), the Broncos flagship station in Denver, which is also available in most of Colorado Springs. KCCY, on the other hand, benefits from the better sound quality on FM.

“We’re going to take the same game you can get on KOA and broadcast it in crystal clear FM HD,” Richards said. “The difference in quality is tremendous.”

Officials with Citadel Broadcasting, which owns KVOR, did not return calls for comment.

KCCY will broadcast the pre- and post-game shows, but not Broncos coach Mike Shanahan’s Thursday night show or the Gridiron Grill fan show. Richards hopes to bring Broncos players and cheerleaders to the Springs for events and promotions in the future.

Broadcasting sporting events on FM music stations has become a trend nationwide. Locally, classic rock station KYZX (103.9 FM) “The Eagle” picked up the rights to Colorado College hocky games this season.