WPXT telecast to use fiber optics, stereo sound

The normally low volume of local televised sports will see a giant increase this weekend as two Maine television stations plan to pull out all the stops while broadcasting high school football action.

WABI-TV of Bangor (Channel 5) will broadcast a schoolboy football state championship game for the sixth straight year Saturday in Augusta at the Class B state final between Wells and Winslow.

Further south, WPXT-TV of Portland (Channel 51) may usher in a landmark phase of local sports coverage with its Saturday broadcast of the Class A championship game between Waterville and Biddeford from Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.

According to WPXT Vice-President and General Manager Doug Finck, the Class A game’s broadcast will mark the first time a local sports event has been televised utilizing fiber optic technology and stereo sound.

“We’ve watched some programs broadcast with a fiber optic link and really noticed a difference in the picture,” said Finck.”And there will be a sense of spaciousness with the stereo broadcast on stereo TVs. You’ll definitely notice the difference.”

Could this herald the start of more stereo broadcasts in Maine?

“We’re going to wait and see. If it’s a successful broadcast and everything goes well, we’ll probably use it on other sports broadcasts,” said Finck. “If not, we probably won’t.”

It is also a first for WPXT, also known as FOX 51. This is the station’s first high school football broadcast.

WPXT is in the first year of a two-year contract with the Maine Principals’ Association to broadcast the Class A state football game, as well as the Class A schoolboy and schoolgirl state championships – which WPXT broadcast the last two years with a feed from WABI.

“Advertisers have told us ahead of time they’d like to do football games, so we thought this might be the year to do one,” said Finck.

The response has been overwhelming. FOX 51 has sold out all advertising spots for the game. The response has been so great, Finck will look at augmenting the broadcast schedule next year with four regular-season games, plus the title game.

The station’s foray into schoolboy football is part of an effort to beef up its schedule of local sports on the weekend.

“We’re in an advantageous position being a Fox affiliate because Fox has no weekend (daytime) programming that might conflict with local broadcasts we might want to do,” Finck explained. “We’re excited about this.”

Both WABI and WPXT will be producing their own games.

WPXT has rented a video production truck from Action Video in Boston equipped with fiber optic and stereo circuitry. Five cameras, one video-replay machine, and 26 people will be used for the broadcast.

WABI will use 18 people, five cameras, and two video-replay machines for its game – the 10th or 11th state final televised by the station according to WABI producer John Beaulieu.

Both games will start at 1 p.m. – – –

The video production truck WPXT has rented will be seeing double duty. Besides the football game, the station will also broadcast the first of two Portland Pirates AHL hockey games from Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland Sunday.

The Pirates will take on the Albany River Rats at 4 p.m. The other TV game will be Sunday, March 6.

“This basically came about because our station and the Pirates have the same business approach and similar goals,” said Finck.

“We wanted to do a FOX 51 Kids’ Club promotion at a Pirates game and they wanted to have a game or two on TV.”

WPXT negotiated a contract with the Pirates involving a mix of team promotion spots, financial compensation, contest tie-ins to the team, and weekly, behind-the-scenes team segments on the station’s newscast.

This arrangement could work into something more long-term if interest by viewers is good.

“We’ve also initiated conversations with the (Portland) Seadogs about doing a couple of games this summer,” Finck said.