Station to Assure Broncos Sellout

DENVER — A Denver television station today said it will buy all the unsold tickets to Sunday’s Denver-Pittsburgh NFL playoff game to avoid a blackout and preserve the Broncos’ string of 153 sellouts.

KCNC-TV, which will broadcast Sunday’s game, committed to buy any tickets not sold by 2 p.m. Thursday, KCNC President Roger Ogden said. About 3,800 seats in 76,000-seat-capacity Mile High Stadium remained unsold today.

The NFL requires a sellout 72 hours in advance of a game if it is to be televised within 90 miles of the stadium, and 2 p.m. Thursday would be the deadline.

Faced with a TV blackout of the game in metropolitan Denver and Colorado Springs, KCNC decided to buy the unsold tickets, which cost $21, $27 and $33, depending on the seat, Ogden said. “We have agreed that whatever tickets are still available, we will buy to ensure the telecast.