When it comes to catching up with University of Maine football games on television, Black Bear pigskin fans must travel north.

Due to a financially-motivated decision by station officials at Lewiston low-power station WPME (Channel 35), which services the Portland area, UPN-35 is not simulcasting games aired on Bangor station WABI (Ch. 5) for the first time in four years.

“We kind of had a hint this would happen last year when they didn’t get involved with the high school broadcasts [state basketball championship games] as much as they had before,” said WABI program director Steve Hiltz. “I believe it had to do with their network obligations and the cost of doing these things, but I’m not sure on the specific reasons.”

WABI – which primarily services the Greater Bangor area and also provides signal coverage from Waterville north into Millinocket in addition to being on Houlton area cable systems – televised two Black Bear football games this fall and is scheduled to air five UMaine hockey games this winter, starting with the Nov. 9 home game against Boston University.

Although UPN-35 is out, fellow CBS affiliate WGME (Ch. 13) in Portland is back in after a 13-year hiatus from UMaine sportscasts.

Hiltz confirmed that WGME will simulcast WABI’s broadcast of the Boston College-Maine game from Orono on Friday, Dec. 7 (7 p.m.).

“I can’t remember the last time they picked up a sportscast from us, but it’s been a long time,” Hiltz said. “They changed their focus somewhat back along and I’m not sure why, but they’re trying to get back into it a little bit now.”

The last time WGME aired a Maine sports telecast was 1988, the final year of a three-year rights contract between UMaine, WABI, and WGME. WGME has opted not to submit bids for UMaine TV rights since that time, as station officials cited ratings which “were not good.”

Hiltz said he was told that WGME officials have indicated they’d like to give it a try again and see how the ratings and advertising support are. If things look good, WGME might air another game.

WABI has the option to cut down or add to its five-game schedule if it desires. The other telecasts are on Dec. 8 (Boston College), Jan. 4 (Providence), and Feb. 1 (New Hampshire).

This is the final year of WABI’s five-year UMaine TV rights contract, which officially expires in July. Requests for bids on another contract will likely be sent out by UMaine this spring.

NESN hooping it up with A10

New England Sports Network has added a 29-game package featuring the Atlantic 10 Conference to its 92-game college basketball telecast schedule, which tips off Monday, Nov. 12 with Manhattan at Syracuse (7 p.m.). The rest of the package includes 37 games from the Big East Conference with a heavy concentration of Boston College (seven games) and Providence College (five), 15 from the Big 10, eight involving Conference USA teams, two Big 12 games, two Mountain West, and one from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Hockey East hops on Fox

Hockey East is back on Fox Sports Net New England for the fifth straight season. This year, FSNNE is airing 15 games, including three HE quarterfinal playoff games, both semifinals, and the March 16 championship game.

The University of Maine is scheduled to appear once – 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2 – in a home game against New Hampshire, but could be on again as FSNNE also has three regular season wild card games scheduled. The wild cards mean FSNNE can pick which games it will air depending on the attractiveness of the match-ups and which games impact the league standings the most.

Andrew Neff’s On the Air column is published each Tuesday. He can be reached at 990-8205, 1-800-310-8600, or at aneff@bangordailynews.net.