Sea Dogs sail to new flagship radio station

The Portland Sea Dogs start their ninth season of minor league ball Friday, April 12, but Portland all-sports radio station WZAN (970 AM) won’t be with them.

For the third time since 1994, the Sea Dogs radio network has a new flagship station. This year, Portland’s WMTW (106.7 FM, 870 AM) will take over primary broadcast duties for all 142 games in the regular season plus any playoff games.

The move resulted after WZAN voiced plans to switch Sea Dogs broadcasts to another station in its ownership group with a weaker signal, according to Sea Dogs media representative Chris Cameron. Not wanting to dilute their radio coverage area, Portland officials scouted around for a new flagship and WMTW stepped up.

Cameron said WZAN will still be involved with the Sea Dogs through promotions and other business-related endeavors and will maintain “the productive relationship we’ve had with them over the years.”

Since the Sea Dogs already have a long, productive relationship with WMTW’s TV station (Channel 8), WMTW radio was a good fit for both parties.

Other changes on the radio side include the addition of Sanford’s WPHX (1120 AM) to the radio network, which now includes seven stations. The Sea Dogs’ Eastern Maine radio connection for the third year is Rockland all-sports station WRKD (1450 AM).

Other stations in the network include Lewiston’s WLAM (1470 AM), WKTQ (1450 AM) of South Paris, Norway’s WOXO (92.7 FM), and Mexico’s WTBM (100.7 FM).

Along with a new flagship station comes a new voice of the Sea Dogs, Todd Jamison, who replaces six-year play-by-play man Andy Young. Young has also been the Portland Pirates broadcaster the last two years.

Television brings no major changes other than the increase in the schedule from five to six games. WMTW, which has televised Sea Dogs games the last nine years, will air the Sea Dogs’ season and home opener on April 12. The other TV games are May 31, June 18 and 21, plus Aug. 13 and 23.

Smooth as newly made ice

Only the Zamboni could have made NCAA Productions’ broadcast of Sunday’s NCAA hockey tournament quarterfinal telecast between Maine and Boston University any smoother.

The broadcast team of Sean Grande (play-by-play) and Bob Norton (color) were excellent as they described the on-ice action and offered in-depth analysis along with trivia and behind-the-scenes information on the players and coaches connected with the game.

Although some may have construed a hint of pro-Boston favoritism coming from Norton, a longtime New England Sports Network analyst, none was audible to me. In fact, he made several prescient points like the fact BU coach Jack Parker and former UM coach Shawn Walsh had a bitter history before resolving their issues the last year of Walsh’s life. He also complimented Maine’s defenders for clearing lanes in front of their goalie so he could better see any shots that came in.

Grande noted Martin Kariya’s creativity, saying he was more dangerous passing than shooting.

Both announcers also said: 1) Maine went from trying to set up perfect scoring plays in the first period to an attack utilizing shots at net from various points on the ice afterward, 2) the icing call on Maine with 25 seconds to play was a bad one, and 3) BU “played a great game, but the better team is going to St. Paul.”

The camera angles and replays were informative and well done

NESN going Extra Innings

New England Sports Network will debut “Extra Innings,” a newly expanded Boston Red Sox postgame show after Saturday’s Boston-Houston spring training broadcast. The show; which features studio guests like journalists and former players, on-field and clubhouse interviews, and a viewer call-in segment; will air after most of NESN’s 86 Red Sox game telecasts. Show hosts are Red Sox Digest host Bob Rodgers and former Sox pitcher Jim Corsi, a Massachusetts native. Former Portland Pirates announcer Tom Caron will serve as field reporter.

Andrew Neff’s On the air column is published each Tuesday. He can be reached at 990-8205 or at aneff@bangordailynews.net.