Kroenke Sports Enterprises Owner Stan Kroenke was featured in a Q&A with the ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS' Chris Walsh. Kroenke, on the launch of Altitude Sports Network: "I remain very confident that we will get carriage agreements. ... We have teams and sports that consumers in our area care about — the Avalanche, the Nuggets, the [NLL] Mammoth, and a number of others. We have done a good job getting deals with the teams that have appeal, but would not get the same exposure if it weren't for Altitude — the [Triple-A PCL Colorado Springs] Sky Sox and the [CHL Colorado] Eagles are two examples. As we approach launch in the fall — and fans want to see their teams — I am convinced we will have distribution in the region." Kroenke, on the difference between Altitude and failed RSNs: "We will be content rich ... in major league professional sports as well as in other professional, collegiate, and other amateur sports. ... We will directly serve our market better than any other cable network ever has. This factor is primarily what makes Altitude similar to those [RSNs] that have succeeded, and differentiates us clearly from those that have not." Kroenke, when asked if Denver is a saturated sports market, said, "We haven't found that to be the case. Attendance for all of our teams has been very strong. In any business there is a risk of saturation, but from our perspective the market has been very supportive" (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 6/5).
MOVING ON: Kroenke Sports Enterprises President Don Elliman, on why he is resigning as Kroenke Sports President as the net prepares to launch: "I finally got to a point where I had things in my life that are more important to me and that I really wanted to focus my time on. I couldn't do both." Elliman on Altitude's return-on-investment timeline: "It will take Altitude 10 years or more to return a higher investment than what the company could have gotten through renting those broadcast rights to [FSN]. Even though you are not equaling your cash flow for that first period of time, you are building equity. It takes perseverance, and you have to stay the course" (DENVER POST, 6/6).
