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Jerry Schemmel, the longtime radio voice of the Colorado Rockies on KOA, was laid off by iHeartRadio on Tuesday, marking the second time in six years the veteran announcer has lost his role with the team.
Schemmel, 65, told the Denver Post he was “not completely shocked” by the news, acknowledging widespread layoffs at iHeartMedia’s Denver operations. Still, he admitted being “a little surprised,” noting he was earning just a fraction of the salary he had when first let go.
“I was making only 25% of the salary I was making when they let me go the first time,” Schemmel said. “It seems incredibly unfair. I gave my heart and soul to those broadcasts and felt like I was completely prepared every night, and hopefully sounded OK.”
Dave Tepper, KOA’s program director has not returned comment to Barrett Media.
Schemmel and longtime broadcast partner Jack Corrigan have called Rockies games on KOA Radio, the team’s flagship station, for a combined 14 years. Schemmel first joined the Rockies broadcast team in 2010, calling games for 10 seasons before being laid off in January 2020 during a nationwide wave of iHeartMedia cuts.
In April 2022, he returned to the radio booth, replacing Mike Rice and reuniting with Corrigan.
Schemmel’s career spans nearly three decades in Colorado sports. In addition to his tenure with the Rockies, he spent 18 seasons as the radio play-by-play voice for the Denver Nuggets. He also called football and basketball for Colorado State and Northern Colorado, becoming a familiar voice across the state’s sports landscape.
Despite the setback, Schemmel said he intends to continue moving forward, drawing on the lessons he shares in his motivational speaking.
“Life is unfair,” he said to the Denver Post. “It’s unfair for the others who got laid off, both in Denver and across the country. Like I tell people in my motivational speaking, ‘When you get knocked down, you gotta get back up.’ Which I will do.”
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