WLBZ finds interest exists in Women’s NBA broadcasts

While the inaugural game of the Women’s National Basketball Association was making broadcast history last Saturday, most viewers of Maine’s NBC affiliates were watching a movie or syndicated sitcoms.

The 4 p.m. game between New York and Los Angeles and the conjecture surrounding the viability of the WNBA were hot topics of discussion the week before and after the game, but most Maine viewers never got a chance to see it.

“We got some calls, we got some E-mail, and we got some letters,” said Judy Horan, general manager at Bangor’s WLBZ (Channel 2). “In an area like this with a lot of interest in the UMaine women’s team, there’s some interest in the league.”

Horan said the reason WLBZ didn’t air either Saturday’s or Sunday’s game could be summed up primarily in two words: local newscast.

“We’re not sure, with NBC’s tendency to let NBA types of events running over, we were comfortable with going with a new league and the uncertainty that came with it. So we didn’t go with it,” Horan explained.

But now she’s rethinking that decision.

“Hindsight being 20-20, I probably would have run it if I had it to do all over again…. Because this was history,” she said.

Horan also pointed out a secondary reason: the lack of a real “local” team in the WNBA. The closest team geographically is New York.

“There is no New England team in the league,” she said, adding the responses WLBZ received from people who wanted to see the game was probably less than what it receives if an NBA game is passed over.

That doesn’t mean WLBZ plans to blow off the WNBA.

“What we’re doing now is listening to people and calling some back. We did not have the first game, but we’ve picked two games later on this summer,” Horan said.

Those games (July 12 and Aug. 16) are on Saturdays with 2 p.m. starts.

A recent episode of Fly Fishing the World on ESPN featured Maine guide and Lyman resident Stu Bristol and a fishing trip to southern Maine.

The show focused on a three-day fishing trip to Sebago Lake, the Presumpscot River, and the Pleasant River in May. According to an ESPN listings publicist, this show received strong consideration to be included in FFTW’s Best of the Best episode Saturday morning, but did not make the final cut.

Although ESPN does not rerun episodes of FFTW, viewers who missed the June 7 broadcast of the Maine episode can order copies of it from the company which produced the show. Orders ($20 per tape) can be sent to Barrett Productions, 2116 Broadwater Ave., Billings, MT 59102 or made by calling 406-655-9898.

New England Sports Network picked up two Emmys at the 20th New England Emmy Awards last month. NESN was awarded one for outstanding sports play-by-play coverage for the third straight year and another for outstanding sports segment.

The sports segment honor went for a Front Row item titled Wrestling School, which profiled the Killer Kowalski Wrestling school in Malden, Mass.

The play-by-play honor was presented for NESN’s coverage of the Boston Red Sox.