WZON will feature extensive Olympic coverage

Ever since WZON (620 AM) unveiled its new all-sports format last summer, the Bangor station’s personnel have shown their willingness to introduce new kinds of sports radio programming to central and eastern Maine.

Starting Feb. 12, the winter Olympics will debut on the Sports Zone’s airwaves as the station plugs into all of CBS Radio’s coverage of the games of the 17th Winter Olympiad.

“We’ll have 250 reports over 16 days of the Olympics,” said Dale Duff, WZON’s programming and sports director. “We’ll also have the entire United States hockey game schedule.”

CBS Radio will offer hourly, two-minute reports on all Olympic events and all five of the U.S. team’s medal-qualifying (first) round games.

The U.S. hockey team’s first game is against France on Sunday, Feb. 13 at 1:45 p.m.

CBS Radio will also cover the U.S. medal-round games if the team qualifies. Whether the U.S. makes it to the gold-medal game or not, it will be broadcast on Sunday, Feb. 27 at 9 a.m.

Of special interest to Maine hockey fans will be the Thursday, Feb. 17 game between the U.S. and Canada (1:45 p.m.).

The game will showcase current and former University of Maine players like Chris Ferraro, Peter Ferraro, Chris Imes, Matt Martin, Garth Snow, and Mike Dunham – all on the U.S. team; and Paul Kariya on the Canadian team. – – –

WABI-TV (Channel 5) of Bangor will televise the girls basketball game between Cony of Augusta and Lawrence of Fairfield in Fairfield Wednesday, Jan. 26. Coverage will start at 7 p.m.

The game will pit two of the top Class A girls teams in the state in a regular-season rematch. Cony won the first meeting 66-55. – – –

Baseball fans take heart. A sign of spring, although distant, is on the horizon.

ESPN has announced its 1994 Major League Baseball broadcast schedules. ESPN’s first game – St. Louis at Cincinnati – will be Sunday, April 3 at 8 p.m.

ESPN’s season schedule will feature about 77 games. The network will use a new, scaled-down format including Sunday night games and Wednesday night doubleheaders.

The network will also show special doubleheaders on the following days: opening day (Monday, April 4), Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day.

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SportsChannel New England announced last week that the NBA has approved the provision of satellite service to all areas in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire for the remainder of this NBA season.

Previously blacked out satellite pay subscribers of SportsChannel can now receive the signal. For more information, private satellite owners should call Satellite Sports Network at 1-800-766-7766. Bar owners with satellites should call 1-800-766-6746. – – –

Lost in the mad media shuffle about the NFC’s switch from CBS to the Fox Network was the NFL’s renewal of TV pacts with TNT and ESPN.

TNT’s four-year contract calls for nine regular-season Sunday night games per season through the 1997 NFL season.

ESPN’s contract, also for four years, is for three preseason games and nine regular-season games during the second half of the NFL season.

Because of the NFL’s return to a 17-week schedule next season, ESPN will carry one Thursday night game in alternating years.