By Olivia Prentzal, The Colorado Sun | The longtime music host hopes to remain in Colorado after leaving the station amid layoffs at parent company, iHeartMedia. Bret Saunders is leaving KBCO 97.3 FM after nearly three decades on Denver’s airwaves, the radio DJ announced Wednesday, amid widespread layoffs by the station’s parent company.
“Thank you for 28+ years. I’ve loved every day with you, and being a small part of your lives has been my greatest honor and pleasure,” Saunders wrote in a post to his Facebook page. “I will miss the laughs, the countless people I’ve met, and being a part of the community.”
Saunders declined to comment on the reason for his departure, but in reflecting over the past three decades, said he hoped to find a way to continue working in the state.
“I don’t have anything lined up, but I love Colorado,” Saunders told The Colorado Sun. “I hope that I can figure out a way to stay in the place that I really love that truly is my home.”
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There’s a lot more to this story here:
https://coloradosun.com/2026/06/24/bret-saunders-leaving-kbco-denver-radio/
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Chuck Morris: Sad day. In a cost cutting move, my great friend Bret Saunders has been let go
after 27 years at KBCO. Of course, Bret has been co-writing my autobiography. We’ve been writing it together for over 2 years and should be done by the end of the year. Tentatively called “From Brooklyn to Boulder, The Journey of a Rock Promoter,” Bret is doing an amazing job helping me write my autobiography. So happy. I asked him to write it with me. He’s made such a difference…
Matthew Moon: Sorry to hear this. Bret is a true Colorado radio legend that will be greatly missed at KBCO. So glad you are working together & I look forward to the book
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Gary Shapiro: End of an era. An awesome era. Bret Saunders on KBCO was everything good about media, community, humanity, the music industry and the having fun part of life. I’ll miss you on the radio my friend- you have entertained and inspired me and I’m sure so many others!
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Chris Kresge: UGH … “The future of iHeartMedia FM programming is pivoting toward centralized, multi-market content and increased reliance on technology rather than local on-air talent . Facing industry-wide advertising revenue challenges and corporate cost-reduction initiatives, the broadcasting giant is streamlining operations to prioritize broader syndication and automated efficiency over hyper-local shows.”
WANT LOCAL INFO & NEWS? Listen to PUBLIC radio .. supported by our listeners, not commercials and not the gov’t (any longer). 100% independent and local…. HYPER-LOCAL! Support Colorado music on Colorado community supported public radio
Robert Leja: Not just Bret—Denise Plante, star of their country station The Bull who was there from the start (after bouncing around other big stations in the market for years—and got her Colorado start at KUAD). They just can’t support the salaries anymore—and these moves are likely to impact ad revenue, since both had plenty of testimonial accounts on-air. Would hate to be the rep calling on those clients.
Justin Clapp: I’m shocked by Bret being laid off from BCO today. I thought to myself, after seeing so many years of it and being through it myself, that nothing should surprise me. But the news today is another example of the corporate decision makers don’t understand their markets.
Just another reason why public radio will thrive even without the federal governments support. Because we know our communities, and understand what our listeners want.
Chris K: I was surprised, but not shocked … I have been wondering when this kind of action might happen, cuz tech … Prediction markets show that FM broadcasting will survive for at least another decade, with complete phase-outs generally projected for major markets between 2030 and 2035. Bettors on event platforms view a total end to the analog format as an inevitable, long-term global transition, but not an immediate threat.
Photo: Bret Saunders & Gary Shapiro | From Gary’s Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=27347487738225812&set=a.251618611572758
