Hj2012 and IRToni - these are excellent points and extremely helpful; thank you very much. I had a great degree of reticence toward this program for two of the reasons you've outlined (the respectability of a DL degree, and the respectability of KCL generally [when I say the name of KCL to other Americans they seem to have a hint of recognition in their eyes, as though it's something that they may have heard somewhere before, but you're right that British universities other than Oxford, Cambridge and LSE aren't all that well regarded]) and I think you've confirmed them for me and I'll be looking elsewhere. I had also looked at the Cambridge IR program that is organized around eight residential sessions, however, their intake is only every two years which may not work with my time schedule.
That said, I'm not looking for industry connections or anything like that, I don't need them. But the other reasons you've outlined are more than sufficient to convince me a DL program is a bad idea and the wrong direction. Thank you very, very much for your time and forthrightness.