Expect a media pile-on: Denver TV stations have boots on the ground in Boston and plan a number of special reports this weekend, before and after the playoff game.
For the NFL divisional playoff game between the Broncos and the New England Patriots, which will air on KCNC-Channel 4 at 6 p.m. Saturday, even stations that don’t carry Broncos games and that don’t have the right to proclaim themselves the official Broncos broadcaster are in the competition for massive amounts of coverage.
The fan frenzy is a boon to local media, and no amount of coverage is considered too much.
9News, the official Broncos station, had two on-air and two support staffers on the Broncos plane to Boston, “one of the luxuries of being the Broncos station,” News Director Patti Dennis said. KUSA plans a half-hour special tonight at 6 p.m. and a half-hour Sunday at 9 p.m., with team and coach access.
Video of Tim Tebow on the plane has been a hit on the station’s website.
“The slideshow is on fire,” Dennis said. “There’s so much viewer content it’s unbelievable, pix, tweets, Facebook posts…” She said a Denver ultrasound technician sent a picture of a baby “Tebowing” in utero.
Fox31 is ramping up its sports coverage, having hired a news director recently.
Fox31 News Director Ed Kosowski sent three on-air reporters and three support staffers. “We’re going whole hog, being really aggressive,” he said.
Jeremy Hubbard, Melody Mendez and sports anchor Nick Griffith will take part in “specials” within normal news time periods, tonight and Sunday.
Jeff Harris, news director at KMGH-Channel 7, said his station is making “a huge push across all of our platforms – on line/social/broadcast.” A Broncos blog on the 7News website is “going like gangbusters,” Harris said.
The 7News crew of six, including two reporters and anchor Mike Landess, are in Boston with two satellite trucks (one theirs, the other from ABC Boston). KMGH will air a “7News Sports Xtra Special Playoff Edition” tonight at 6 p.m. (also livestreaming) and a special newscast Saturday at 5 p.m., plus an extended post-game newscast Saturday at 10 p.m.
“It’s a huge investment in resources to win the coverage of this big Denver story,” Harris said.
Tim Wieland of CBS4 said he has six people on the ground in Boston, news reporter Dominic Garcia, along with Vic Lombardi and Gary Miller, two sports photographers and a field producer.
“We’re also getting lots of support from our CBS station in Boston, WBZ-TV,” Wieland said.
Channel 4 will present a preview special tonight at 6:30 p.m.; pre-game coverage begins at 4 p.m. Saturday.
The NFL Today broadcast airs at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, the game begins at 6 p.m., and CBS4 plans post-game coverage until at least 11 p.m.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
