WABI-TV sports reporter and WABI radio news reporter Melissa Pearch is moving on down the Maine Turnpike to take a sportscasting job with Auburn ABC affiliate WMTW-TV.

“I’ll be the weekday sports anchor and weekday reporter,” said the 24-year-old Pearch.

It’s only 110 miles down the road, but Pearch will be going from the 154th-largest TV market nationally to the 79th with the move.

“It’s funny the way this came about,” Pearch said. “I called a station in Albany for some video footage and the woman there, who had this [WMTW] job before me, told me she was wondering why I hadn’t sent in a tape yet. I didn’t even know about the job.”

A graduate of Bowling Green University, Pearch was hired by Bangor’s WABI-TV (Channel 5) last June, and took another, part-time radio reporting job with WABI (910 AM) and WWBX (97.1 FM) two months later.

The Bluffton, Ohio, native’s last day on her radio job is Friday, May 28. She will finish up at WABI-TV on that Friday or Saturday and start at WMTW the following week.

“I think it’s an excellent move for her,” said George Hale, WABI radio’s station manager. “She’s had several opportunities to go somewhere else, but I think this is the best one so far.”

According to its motto, which was slightly revised after the league lockout, the NBA is “Still FANtastic.” But judging from recent television ratings, viewers aren’t convinced.

Despite going head-to-head with first round NBA playoff action and May sweeps major network competition on Monday, May 10, USA Network’s broadcast of WWF Raw and WWF War Zone drew nearly triple the number of men ages 18-14 (3,162,000 to 1,182,000) who watched NBA broadcasts on Atlanta’s TNT and WTBS – combined.

WTBS drew a 2.3 rating (1,770,000 households) for its telecast of the New York Knicks-Miami Heat game while TNT’s broadcast of the Detroit Pistons-Atlanta Hawks game drew a 1.2 (937,000 households), according to the USA Network and NMR Galaxy Explorer.

Overall, USA achieved an 8.1 rating (6,156,000 households) for the World Wrestling Federation broadcast to set a new high mark for the largest audience for a regularly scheduled entertainment program in basic cable TV history.

The two-hour broadcast (9-11 p.m.) also ranks as the largest audience for any type of program in USA Network’s history.

Local soccer enthusiasts may find their E-mailboxes a bit more crowded in the coming weeks.

The United States Soccer Federation is launching its “Turn US On” campaign this week to try to increase TV viewership – and ratings – for soccer.

The idea of the free service is to provide detailed information and reminders on when and where U.S. National teams are playing televised games.

The USSF will correspond with each of its members directly, amass a database of E-mail addresses, and regularly notify people via E-mail about upcoming soccer broadcasts.

E-mail updates will be sent out 10-14 days before broadcasts with followups coming two or three days prior to the matches.