Determined Denver

Denver may be the No. 18 TV market in size, but it's ranked No. 14 in revenue. Stations took in $332.3 million in gross revenue in 2004, according to BIA Financial, up from $308.3 million in 2003. And the city is as sophisticated as it is scenic. High-tech, tourism, manufacturing and agriculture fuel the local economy. “The diversity has helped eliminate the boom-bust cycles we used to experience,” says Roger Ogden, president/GM of KUSA.

Among local stations, Gannett Broadcasting's NBC affiliate KUSA leads the way. About a year ago, the station started producing all of its local news in HD. The experiment was driven by Denver's upscale and educated audience. “You find more early adopters here,” Ogden says. The station estimates that about 100,000 HD-capable TVs are in the market, and that figure is rising. Comcast, the region's major cable operator, has been pushing HD hard, and KUSA saw an opportunity to capitalize on its efforts.

CBS-owned KCNC, the only network-owned station in the market, is dabbling in another high-tech venture with Comcast. KCNC recently made its newscasts available free on-demand to Comcast digital-cable subscribers. Four of the station's newscasts—6 a.m. noon, 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.—can be viewed on-demand a half-hour after the live broadcast and remain on the server for three hours. Says KCNC VP/GM Walt DeHaven, “We are offering flexibility.”

For this outdoors, weather-obsessed city, viewers can choose from two local 24/7 broadcast weather channels. KUSA carries a version of NBC's WeatherPlus on one of its digital channels. McGraw-Hill's ABC affiliate KMGH is trying a hyper- local play. Earlier this year, it debuted its 24/7 News and Weather Channel on one of its secondary digital channels. The service replays KMGH's newscasts and has an L-shaped ticker with constant news and weather information.

These digital plays are designed to woo more viewers to the stations' local news and entertainment. KUSA, the traditional news leader, has the advantage. It won early-morning, noon, 6 p.m. and late news in the latest February sweeps. KMGH dominated the 4 and 5 p.m. hours with The Oprah Winfrey Show and its lead-out newscast.

But KUSA's rivals are on the march. In June 2006, KCNC will add Oprah to its afternoon lineup, which should boost its early-evening news. KMGH is focusing on weather and recently poached KUSA's top meteorologist, Mike Nelson, for its evening team. Both Fox-owned KDVR and Tribune's WB station KWGN program morning and late news and pull in respectable numbers. “This is a competitive news market,” says KMGH VP/GM Darrell Brown. “Viewers are well-served by it.”