WABI-TV extends deal to show UMaine sports WBGR could pick up some college football

Almost without fail every three years since the late 1980s, the University of Maine sends out requests for bids from local television stations for the broadcast rights to Black Bear sporting events.

Except for a couple of recent sessions, this process has become drawn out, complicated, and sometimes even frustrating for both UMaine and local station officials.

This year was supposed to be one of those years, but UMaine and Bangor CBS affiliate WABI (Channel 5) decided to save themselves some aggravation instead. For the fifth straight year, WABI will be the TV home of Black Bear regular season sports.

“It was in the original deal that there was an extension built in, so we just kind of did it and now we have another year with them,” said WABI program director Steve Hiltz.

“Nothing changed as far as our original contract,” he added. “Basically all we had to do was agree to extend it. As long as we had done our job up to that point, the University wasn’t going to be unreasonable and we both agreed to do it.”

The extension calls for WABI to do a minimum of 10 game broadcasts, each selected by the station, from a pool of sports including men’s and women’s basketball, hockey, and football. There is no cap on the maximum number of games WABI can do.

“We’re not sure yet what we’re going to do because we’re still looking for schedules,” Hiltz said.

Are you ready for some football?

There may be some good news in the offing for college football fans in eastern Maine this fall.

Remember those Saturday NCAA Division I football doubleheaders which local CBS affiliates trimmed down to singleheaders so the games wouldn’t interfere with the 6 p.m. newscasts? Well, you may be able to dispense with the weekly chore of working the phones for an hour to find out which local bar will have those games on their satellite sets.

That’s because officials at CBS, Bangor CBS affiliate WABI and Bangor PAX Network affiliate WBGR may be able to work out an arrangement whereby WBGR airs the games WABI opts not to.

“Our relationship with WBGR has been very strong and my tendency is to believe we might be able to work something out because I have a feeling it might come up this year,” said WABI program director Steve Hiltz. “I can’t speak officially to this right now because it hasn’t even come up, but it may be brought up by the network.”

That means those 3:30 p.m. Southeastern Conference and Big Ten games could be back on local airwaves, saving local big-time college fans the hassles of finding a someone with the appropriate satellite connection.

“My conjecture would be yes, CBS would be interested in offering these games to another station. Would we protest that? Absolutely not,” Hiltz said. “I’m pretty sure of that because we’re trying to be as cooperative as we can be.”

Hiltz said CBS, which initially balked at the idea of having its network sports coverage air on a third-party station when WABI and WBGR began their cooperative arrangement four years ago, is now not only willing to send sports to WBGR, it actively seeks out WBGR for coverage WABI doesn’t clear.

“With us having such a beneficial relationship with WBGR, now it’s become common practice for anything we reject,” Hiltz explained.

WBGR co-owner/operator James McLeod was also very receptive to the idea.

“We actually had somebody else mention that to us three months ago and put in a call to CBS to ask them about the possibility,” McLeod said. “We’re very open to that possibility because sports has been very good for us and it’s a win-win-win situation for us, the network, WABI, and the viewers.”