Sandy Clough’s Return (Sort of) to 104.3 The Fan

In September, Denver sports-talk-radio legend Sandy Clough announced his retirement amid big changes at his longtime station, 104.3 The Fan. Among them: the decision not to renew the contract of ex-Bronco-turned-afternoon-drive personality Tyler Polumbus (who resurfaced on Altitude Sports Radio after being replaced by Super Bowl champ Derek Wolfe) and a revamped weekday evening schedule that doomed Clough’s signature program, a 9 p.m.-to-midnight staple he co-hosted with Shawn Drotar.

But the split between Clough and The Fan didn’t last long. Clough accepted the station’s invitation to continue helming reaction shows after each Broncos game this season, including the matchup against the Tennessee Titans that gets underway at 11 a.m. Sunday, November 13. And he’s also appearing alongside University of Denver Pioneers hockey coach David Carle during a show that airs on a new platform, 104.3 The Fan HD3; when not broadcasting DU content, the channel simulcasts an affiliated signal, ESPN Denver 1600.

For Clough, returning to The Fan for Broncos post-game broadcasts/post-mortems didn’t take a lot of thought. “They asked me if I wanted to do it, and I’ve enjoyed doing it through the years, so I said, ‘Sure.'”

The logistics of this return were eased by the fact that Clough remains under contract with The Fan through the end of the year. “I would anticipate that I’ll do however many shows there would be in January — and I committed to all of them,” he says. “I didn’t want to do one show and then take a month off and then do another one.”

As for his hockey gig, “DU approached me about doing a coach’s show with David Carle,” he notes. “I’ve done that before, and I’ve enjoyed doing that. But that’s an arrangement between me and DU, as opposed to the station.”

Clough is still being heard on The Fan at various parts of the day because of what he describes as “some pre-existing deals that I had with advertisers — relationships I’ve had for a long time.” Most of these arrangements are set to conclude at the start of 2023.

While Clough has taken the opportunity to travel more since his late-night show ended (he attended the recent Alabama-Texas A&M game, for instance), he’s in the planning stages for new projects, too. “Some things are in the works,” he divulges. “I’m not at liberty to discuss them yet, because they’re not absolutely finalized.”

So is Clough actually retired? Not entirely, he acknowledges.

“I’m busy enough doing the few things that I’m doing — and they’re only things I want to do,” he says. “And I think I’ll continue to operate that way. If there’s something that sounds interesting, I can pursue it. If it doesn’t appeal to me, I can say, ‘No, thanks.'”

In the meantime, the Broncos should be aware that if their performance is subpar on Sunday, Clough is ready to dissect it — just like he’s been doing for years.