Altitude Sports will enter the 2026-27 season without its longtime play-by-play voice Chris Marlowe or color analyst Scott Hastings. The duo that has called Nuggets games together since the network launched in 2004 is out, along with studio analyst and reporter Chris Dempsey. Katy Winge and Vic Lombardi were retained as part of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment's cost-conscious reset.

Marlowe's precise, detail-oriented calls paired well with Hastings' folksy insight and institutional memory from his own playing days in Denver through 1993. That continuity proved valuable during the Jokic-era ascent, when the Serbian center's off-ball gravity and passing brilliance demanded announcers who could track multiple actions at once. Yet the product had grown stale in recent years, with calls occasionally missing defensive rotations or underplaying how Denver's motion offense created seams against slower Western Conference frontcourts. Hastings brought personality, but the booth lacked the tactical sharpness that defines the best national broadcasts.

KSE must now fill the booth before training camp opens in late September. Expect a search that prioritizes younger analysts who can break down pick-and-roll coverage and Nikola Jokic's post touches with data. Hastings will shift to radio duties, preserving some continuity for fans who prefer that feed. The change reflects a broader willingness to refresh the on-air product as the Nuggets chase another title with a core that has already delivered one championship.