Vic Lombardi out, Mark Schlereth in on The Fan Morning Show

Well, we can’t say we didn’t see this coming.

With the winds of change swirling around Denver sports radio and with Scott Hastings having recently been fired by the new bosses at 104.3 the Fan, we here at the South Stands wondered which big name might be next to go. It turns out that it’s Vic Lombardi – but not because the station didn’t want to keep him on board.

Bonneville International, the new operator of the Fan, was, according to our sources, excited to commit to Lombardi for the long haul but with the caveat that he do the three-hour morning show daily in studio. Lombardi had previously done the Fan Morning show from home while Mike Evans piloted the program from the Fan studio. Bonneville wasn’t down with that setup. The bosses there reportedly want their talent in the shop and Lombardi apparently couldn’t or wouldn’t fit the commute into his schedule. As a result, today was Lombardi’s last day on-air with the Fan Morning Show.

Bonneville’s alternative was to turn to former Broncos’ lineman Mark Schlereth who currently works for ESPN. Bonneville owns sports talk radio stations in several markets and most of the stations have an affiliation with the four-letter network. With 105.5 ESPN closing it’s mics here in Denver, the Fan and it’s sister station AM 1600 have secured the rights to ESPN syndicated programming in the Denver market so for the Fan to associate with Schlereth comes as no surprise.

The Fan Morning Show will soon be hosted from the Fan studio with Mike Evans and Mark Schlereth from 6-9 A.M. weekdays. Listeners can expect a somewhat drier show than the one they have gotten accustomed to. Schlereth’s style is more X’s-and-O’s than Lombardi’s and it will take time for him and Evans to establish a rapport. Lombardi had been on the show for three years and it felt like he and Evans were just beginning to really hit their stride.

Lombardi fans can take solace in knowing that Kroenke Sports purchased AM 950 with the intention (presumably) of starting a radio version of Altitude Sports. It’s not hard to envision a program featuring Lombardi that airs on Altitude TV and is simulcast on AM 950.

The changes to the sports radio scene in Denver continues to come at us quickly and you can rest assured that they have only just begun. Count on the South Stands at BSN Denver to keep you on top of them.