Zone plans more local talk

The sports talk will take on a more local flavor at WZON (620 AM) radio in Bangor as officials at the “Sports Zone” plan to do their own sports call-in and talk show during the 4-6 p.m. drive time.

“The whole point is to be even more local,” said program director Dale Duff. “And we can still go national as far as the topics discussed, or even break away for live press conferences or breaking events.”

WZON began advertising for a full-time broadcaster Saturday. The job will involve hosting the afternoon show, occasional play-by-play duties, and filling in as host of the morning show when Duff is on vacation.

Duff plans to expand the show, which he said will be different.

“We’re starting out 4 to 6 p.m., but it will eventually be three hours long,” he explained. “Whether that means we’ll go 3 to 6 p.m. or 4 to 7, I’m not really sure what we’ll do.”

But won’t the numerous live high school games and occasional Red Sox day games cut into the show’s hours fairly often?

“Yes, but I wouldn’t call it a conflict,” Duff said. “We don’t mind bumping local stuff for other local stuff.”

Duff said he has received many resumes already and has no immediate date in mind to select a host or start the show.

You can take the “assistant” out of Dan Hannigan’s job title at WVII (Channel 7) in Bangor. Hannigan has replaced departed sports director Eric Frede, who moved on to WMUR in Manchester, N.H.

Hannigan joined WVII in 1993, shortly before longtime sports director Ron Lisnet left the station. That same year, he served as the interim sports director before Frede was hired.

There is no word on who will be hired as Hannigan’s assistant, although WVII news director Miles Resnick said one will be hired “as soon as possible.”

“We’re doing a nationwide search,” said program director Jim Reed. “We’ve already put an ad in the trade publications.”

WABI-TV (Channel 5) has filled its assistant sports director’s position. Keith Erickson of Rutland, Mass., starts Thursday. Erickson (no relation to Dennis) recently graduated with a degree in broadcasting from Syracuse University.

Maine Public Television isn’t the only outfit doing a special about the Muhammad Ali-Sonny Liston fight in Lewiston 30 years ago.

HBO will air “Sonny Liston: The Mysterious Life and Death of a Champion” on the anniversary of the fight at 8 p.m. Thursday.

Although the special focuses primarily on Liston’s life, the Lewiston fight figures prominently in the one-hour documentary.

MPTV’s special aired Wednesday night.