WABI radio to maintain strong local sports programming

The new owner of Bangor radio stations WABI (910 AM) and WYOU (97.1 FM) doesn’t have any drastic changes in mind about the station’s traditionally strong sports-oriented programming.

“WABI will be kept exactly as it is. We’re pretty happy with its format,” said Peter K. Orne, president and owner of Bangor Radio Corporation.

“WYOU will stay country-contemporary country. We’ll be adding some people and going to live operation 24 hours.”

George Hale is executive vice president and station manager of WABI. Neil Orne, Peter’s son, is WYOU’s station manager.

Orne said he also plans to move the headquarters of both stations from their temporary housing on Hildreth Street to 27 State Street in Bangor after Jan. 1. WYOU will move first, followed by WABI.

“We believe in the downtown area and plan to identify ourselves as a Bangor station and work for Bangor,” Orne said.

His goal to closely identify the stations with Bangor also goes along neatly with Orne’s desire to maintain a strong local sports programming flavor – such as high school (Bangor, Brewer, Old Town, etc.) and local (Maine, Husson) collegiate sports.

The Camden resident was previously president of Seaway Communications Inc., of Chicago and general manager of WVII-TV Bangor (Channel 7). He had to resign both posts as a condition imposed by the FCC for buying the Bangor radio stations.

“I’ll miss the TV medium, but I can do more as owner of a radio station than as a paid professional manager in TV,” Orne explained.

Orne has owned Rockland radio stations WRKD (1450 AM) and WMCM (103.3 FM) for three years.

“I think we can develop the (Bangor) stations as family matters (partial ownership by employees). For instance, we’re starting profit sharing in Rockland.”

The Orne family has been around the Rockland-Vinalhaven area since the 1700s. Peter Orne studied economics and psychology at Bowdoin College.

After a stint in the Army, Orne met a lot of people in the TV-radio field in New York and got a job in radio promoting that medium.

From that time on, Orne was hooked on the broadcast medium. – – –

Caribou radio stations WCXU (97.7 FM) and WCXX (102.3 FM) are providing coverage of high school basketball action featuring Northern Aroostook County teams such as Presque Isle, Caribou, and Central Aroostook through the end of the regular season in February. – – –

ESPN and ESPN2 have reached a three-year agreement with the Canadian Football League for extensive coverage of regular-season and postseason CFL action.

The contract, which runs through the 1996 season, currently calls for at least 18 regular season games plus postseson coverage on ESPN2 with the league championship Grey Cup game on ESPN. – – –

SportsChannel New England will air the United States World Cup team’s soccer game against Germany live Saturday at 3 p.m.

SportsChannel will also air five taped games on Christmas Day featuring the U.S. team against Ukraine, El Salvador, Mexico, England, and Germany.