CSU football, basketball looking for a new radio home

Beginning Jan. 4, radio broadcasts of CSU football and men’s basketball games and coaches shows will no longer be carried on ESPN 105.5 (KJAC-FM).

The signal, currently operated by Front Range Sports Network and featuring local and nationally-syndicated sports talk, has been purchased by Northern Colorado’s KUNC, a public radio station which plans to broadcast music on a 24-hour cycle from KJAC.

Robert Leja from KUNC told the Coloradoan on Monday that he didn’t know what would happen to broadcasts of Colorado State University athletics events, but they would need to find a new home.

What station will carry CSU games in the future is unknown. Ben Lorenzen, CSU's senior associate athletic director of sales, marketing and communications, said discussions with a new radio partnership are already underway, but did not set a timetable for when when a new agreement would be reached.

Calls to ESPN Denver general manager Tom Manoogian were not returned.

ESPN Denver became CSU’s broadcast partner in July 2013 when the parties signed a five-year contract. At the time, the station operated two signals, 102.3 FM, which reached the Greater Denver area and south, and a weaker signal from KJAC’s tower that’s based in Fort Collins. In January, Front Range Sports Network sold its 102.3 signal to Colorado Public Radio for a reported $5.75 million.

For insight and analysis on athletics around Northern Colorado and the Mountain West, follow sports columnist Matt L. Stephens at twitter.com/mattstephens and facebook.com/stephensreporting.