WABI won’t air hoops tourney MPA, station at odds over TV timeouts

One of the longest associations in terms of televised sports in the state of Maine has come to an end.

For the first time in its 50-year history, Bangor television station WABI (Channel 5) will not be providing any live coverage of the Eastern Maine high school basketball tournament.

“First and foremost, the decision to terminate our association with high school basketball was not made by us, it was made by the MPA [Maine Principals’ Association],” said WABI general manager Mike Young. “Naturally, we are extremely disappointed at this turn of events. However, the matter is closed. At least for the foreseeable future, we are out of the tournament business.”

WABI officials found out they wouldn’t be airing live tournament action (primarily Class A) for a 51st straight year after being notified by phone Wednesday by MPA executive director Dick Durost that both proposals submitted by WABI had been rejected.

Both bids were joint proposals submitted by WABI and Presque Isle’s WAGM (Ch. 8), which has aired tournament games jointly with WABI during WAGM’s 45-year history. It is unknown whether any other Bangor or eastern Maine TV station submitted an RFP, and Young said he could only speculate that none did.

“I’m very, very disappointed, but I’m not surprised. I’m certainly not shocked because the MPA is operating in a vacuum,” said George Hale, longtime basketball announcer for WABI-TV and sports director at WABI radio (910 AM). “I recognize the changing times. I also recognize the changing attitude through the years, going from the older MPA officials to the younger more TV-age principals and officials. I think maybe they don’t recognize that this isn’t an area where you get the big TV contracts like you hear about in other states.”

Young said Durost told WABI program director Steve Hiltz that the MPA’s decision to reject both bids – one a two-year deal with a $20,000 total value in terms of airtime and cash, and the other a five-year, $100,000 deal – were made because the monetary value of the two-year deal wasn’t enough and the inclusion of TV timeouts in the five-year deal made it undesirable.

“I have no comment on that,” Durost said late Wednesday afternoon. “At some point in the future, I might, but I’m reluctant to say anything at this time.”

The inclusion of TV timeouts has been a subject of discussion between officials at the station and MPA for several years. Young said the MPA even went so far as to investigate how other states handle live TV postseason coverage and found that many states allow live coverage with TV timeouts. In fact, he said, more do than don’t.

WABI officials initially suggested the inclusion of TV timeouts due to four main concerns which were impacting WABI’s ability to air tourney games live. Those concerns were: reduced revenue from increased production and network pre-emption (program substitution), viewer complaints about network and syndication pre-emptions, decreased interest from out-of-market station partners who help support the broadcasts, and a lack of sufficient natural game breaks to insert valuable sponsor commercials.

Still, when the MPA sent out its initial RFP forms earlier this summer, none of WABI’s concerns were addressed, so WABI requested an opportunity to address its concerns again.

After several meetings and conversations, the MPA invited WABI to submit two bids: one with TV timeouts and one without. WABI’s bid with the TV timeout proposal called for three 30-second timeouts and one four-second station identification per quarter. The total extra time allotted per game for TV timeouts would amount to six minutes, 16 seconds.

“It’s sad. My reaction is that the MPA has not come into the 21st century,” said George Gonyar, who started working at WABI-TV in 1943 and was the general manager from 1975 to 1991. “TV timeouts are universal now and there is no other way for a station to expand its income opportunities and producing these games is much more costly now and I don’t think the MPA understands.

“I really have a hard time understanding their position. What amazes me is why they object to timeouts so much.”

Young said WABI requested timeouts to better manage commercial inventory and offset increased production costs.

“If I have a frustration with the MPA, it’s because of my interpretation that they seem to be stuck in the past and not recognizing today’s realities and how things are headed in the future,” Young said. “Those realities are the current cost of producing these games and how we either need to add the timeouts or reduce the amount of money we pay to them.”

Young said he felt the number of TV timeouts was fair, given the standard NCAA deal provides for 42 30-second timeouts per game.

“We’re reasonable people, all we’re asking for is 12 per game,” said Young, who said he still doesn’t know why the MPA objects to the timeouts. “We’re just asking for these so we can continue to pay the bills.”

WABI officials submitted both bids and requested a response from the MPA by the end of August, due to the time, effort, and planning involved to schedule game telecasts, line up advertising support and personnel, and clear the schedule with the network (CBS).

Because the bids couldn’t be examined by a certain committee until September, Young said MPA officials asked for an extension of the deadline. Young agreed to extend it to Sept. 30, provided WABI had the right to withdraw either or both bids without notice. WABI not only did not withdraw either bid, they gave MPA officials another extension (to Oct. 3) when Durost asked Young for a couple more days.

Unless another station steps up, or an entity such as Maine Public Television opts to add Eastern Maine Class A tourney coverage to its B-C-D semifinal and final telecasts, Class A fans in central, eastern and northern Maine are will be blacked out.

Attempts to reach MPTV officials Wednesday were unsuccessful.

Gonyar said another factor working against the MPA is the inclusion of southern Maine teams like Brunswick and Oxford Hills in the Eastern Maine tourney. The potential now exists for semifinals or finals involving teams which aren’t very appealing to local advertisers. The uncertain status of the Bangor Auditorium and whether it will be rebuilt, remodeled, or something else is another concern.

Young said another stumbling block is the notion held by some MPA officials that live game coverage decreases attendance at games because people will stay home and watch the game on TV rather than travel.

“We tend to think it actually has a positive impact on the games,” Young said.

“I don’t even remotely buy into that,” said Hale. “I think radio and TV coverage of the Eastern Maine tournament is what made it what it is today. When you broadcast something, you raise public awareness of it. The only exception is bad weather, when people might want to stay home. That’s an old argument that doesn’t even hold any water.”