County children motivate Cloukey WAGM sportscaster recalls career stops

Bankruptcy has been very, very good to Rene Cloukey.

Without it, the longtime sports director at Presque Isle television station WAGM might not have wound up where he is today.

“I’ve been at WAGM now for 19 years,” said Cloukey as he took a few minutes away from preparing for his 6 p.m. Monday sports segment. “The station I was working for went bankrupt and the day they locked the doors was the day there was a part-time opening here. They called because they knew I was a big sports person and offered me the job. Since then it’s become full time and I’ve been here ever since.”

The 45-year-old Cloukey, who is the information director for the collegiate Maine Athletic Conference, has become a fixture on the Aroostook County sports scene as he’s logged countless miles – in terms of both travel and tapes – while covering the Northern Maine sports scene.

“I started my career in radio actually, around Thanksgiving in 1976 for WSJR and WLVC in Madawaska and Fort Kent,” Cloukey recalled.

From there, it was on to Presque Isle’s WDHP and then Caribou country music station WFST.

“It’s funny. I always thought of myself more as a DJ and maybe doing games on a part-time basis,” said Cloukey, who attended a broadcasting school in Boston after graduation. “I probably would have stayed in radio forever if not for the station closing up.”

Not that Cloukey was without options, and attractive ones at that.

“I had some people call me because I’d been named runnerup [radio] program director of the year by Cash Box Magazine, so I had chances to leave and people thought I should go, but I just never wanted to leave,” said Cloukey. “And I still don’t. It’s my home and it’s where I feel comfortable.”

So the Ashland native and Ashland Community High School alumnus put new roots down in Presque Isle, where his three children – A.J. (24), Angela (19) and Amber (18) – have grown up.

“I think it’s a great place to bring a family up. I have three kids who all went to Presque Isle High School and I love bringing them up in this atmosphere,” said Cloukey, who has also tried to make an impact in his local community through charity events and volunteer work.

Just last weekend, Cloukey and fellow organizers finished up the 14th annual Cloukey’s Charity challenge golf tournament, which donates all proceeds to Aroostook County Special Olympics. He is the director of the tourney, which features four, nine-hole scrambles at Limestone Country Club and Birch Point Country Club in St. David. The two-day event attracted about 220 golfers.

Cloukey, who is also vice-president of the local Kiwanis Club and a member of the Special Olympics area management team, also worked as a volunteer fireman and ambulance EMT for a few years.

“I had to give that up because it just became too much of a drain with my job and all,” said Cloukey, who was named Maine sportscaster of the year in 1997 by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

A lifelong Boston Red Sox fan and self-described sports junky, Cloukey says his philosophy toward his job is fairly simple.

“I think basically it’s just the kids first. We try to get out there and cover as many games as we can and show as many kids as we can,” Cloukey explained. “I think it’s just that you have to remember you’re doing it for the community and the area. You’re trying to give them local instead of national.”

It’s the reason he logs as many as 80 hours per week, travels all over Northern Maine and Atlantic Canada, and aired highlights from 154 games last basketball season.

“Deadlines, sometimes … can suck,” he said. “Especially with events taking place an hour away and starting late,” he said. “We cover a lot of miles up here, but there’s a lot of pride in getting to as many games as we can.”

Best Damn show turns 1

Fox Sports Net New England’s Best Damn Sports Show Period is counting down its first birthday.

The daily show, a mixture of sports talk, highlights, and comedy at 8 and 10 p.m.; will observe it’s one-year anniversary with some special quests, “irreverent programming stunts”, road trips, viewer contests and interviews during its All-Star Summer celebration, which starts Monday and runs through July 19.

Some guests scheduled to appear are Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez, Matt Damon, Randy Johnson, Barry Bonds, Michael Jordan Kobe Bryant, Brett Favre and other sports and film stars.

Other features include Tom Arnold’s bachelor party roast and shows aired on the road from Milwaukee, New York and Chicago.

Andrew Neff can be reached at 990-8205, 1-800-310-8600, or ANeff@bangordailynews.net