WBGR loses Celtics NBA pulls plug on Bangor station

What was supposed to be a “no-brainer” has turned into a head-banger for people at Bangor television station WBGR.

Due to an obscure and confusing NBA broadcast regulation, WBGR (Channel 33) has had its broadcasts of Boston Celtics away games pulled off the air almost overnight.

WBGR general manager James McLeod signed a one-year contract last month with representatives of WSBK-TV (Channel 38) in Boston, which is the flagship station for Celtics away game broadcasts, to air at least 34 games live in the Bangor market.

“We had a signed contract in hand and did the first game [on Saturday, Nov. 18],” said McLeod. “The middle of the following week, WSBK called me and said due to an NBA rule that was overlooked or missed, they wouldn’t be able to honor the contract we had signed.”

According to McLeod, the rule basically states that stations outside a 150-mile radius extending from a current NBA team’s city cannot have broadcast rights to that team’s games.

“Supposedly, the intent of the rule is to protect potential markets for future NBA teams,” said a frustrated McLeod. “But I don’t think there’s any NBA team planning to come to Bangor. I’m still trying to figure this whole thing out!”

After signing the contract, McLeod said “for Channel 38, it was simply another avenue of cash-flow. It was kind of a no-brainer for them.”

And now?

WBGR is out thousands of advertising dollars, WSBK has lost some extra revenue, and Bangor-area Celtics fans without cable TV are out of luck.

“We’ve lost about $2,500 in current ad contracts and significantly more than that for pending contracts,” said McLeod. “The Celtics games would have sold out. They were going pretty well.”

McLeod said he was also forced to return some office furniture the station received in exchange for commercial spots on Celtics games as part of a trade arrangement with a local furniture store.

Oh well, at least Bangor has had its potentially-lucrative, untapped NBA market (yeah, right) preserved from the harmful effects of Boston Celtics broadcasts.

McLeod is holding out hope that the situation can still be rectified before the end of the season, but hasn’t yet had much success in making contact with any NBA representatives.

“We’re still pursuing the possibility that we’ll be able to get [the games] back,” said McLeod. “But I haven’t had anybody return my calls yet.”

“I don’t blame WSBK. I guess if there’s a bad boy on the block in all this, it would be the NBA,” McLeod said.

Attempts by the NEWS to reach officials or representatives of both the NBA and WSBK on Wednesday were unsuccessful.

The Portland Pirates will appear at least eight times on New England Sports Network’s new, 18-game Friday night AHL game-of-the-week package.

Ironically, play-by-play will be handled by Tom Caron, who was the radio voice of the Pirates for the last two seasons. Caron resigned to join NESN in September and is the host for NESN’s Front Row weeknight sports program.

The Pirates’ first NESN appearance will be Dec. 29 when they play at Providence.

The rule basically states you can’t have broadcast rights outside 150-mile radius of Boston. The NBA said the purpose of the rule doesn’t apply to our situation, but that still leaves the people of Bangor left out in the cold.