For those holding out hope that a white knight would ride in to deliver live television coverage of the Eastern Maine Class A basketball tournament semifinals, there is no Sir Lancelot to the rescue this year.

Officials at Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation (MPBC) had hoped to somehow secure enough funding through private donations to overcome the limitations of a budget shortfall and air the Class A Eastern and Western Maine semis Friday, Feb. 28 and Saturday, March 1.

Unfortunately for viewers, not enough money was pledged or raised to cover the $36,606 cost of airing the eight games (four in each region) by an MPBC-imposed deadline of the first week in February and MPBC had to cut semifinal coverage.

“No, we did not, unfortunately receive the funding necessary,” said MPBC media coordinator Bob Way. “But we’re doing the six games involving the regional finals in the east and west [March 8] and the state finals [March 15].”

Maine PBS did not have the option to air selected semifinal games, such as all the boys games, all the girls, or either the west or east matchups.

“It was not a situation where we could air a few of those games,” Way explained. “It was a stipulation from the MPA [Maine Principals’ Association] that it was all or nothing.”

With the state of Maine facing budget woes, MPBC was not immune to budget cuts.

According to a late January press release by the state’s public TV service, MPBC’s entire budget shortfall is $385,000 and has led to six layoffs while also affecting 11 other employees in terms of a reduction in hours, voluntary retirements, or job relocation within the company.

It is the first year that MPBC will be telecasting Class A games as it offered a bid to the MPA after the principals rejected a bid from longtime broadcast partner WABI-TV of Bangor.

MPBC’s agreement with the MPA also does not include the quarterfinal round for Class A.

Time to pay up

Mike Young, vice president/general manager at Bangor TV station WABI (Channel 5), has a losing bet to pay off.

No, he isn’t on the run from a couple of leg-breakers. His bet wasn’t that costly.

He and Jeff Bartlett, general manager of Manchester, N.H., station WMUR (Ch. 9), bet a station baseball cap on the outcome of the Maine/New Hampshire college hockey game jointly televised by both stations on Feb. 1.

The UNH Wildcats won the game 5-2, netting Bartlett an official WABI cap from Young.

Bartlett has Maine ties as he spent a year in Bangor, where he attended Bangor High School and was a member of coach Phil Emery’s state championship swim team in 1971.

He wasn’t around long enough to catch Maine hockey fever, however.

“Yeah, I’m probably more a UNH fan than a Maine fan, primarily because I live here,” said the Colorado native.

WBGR gives it the old college try

Bangor TV station WBGR (Channel 33, Ch. 9 on Bangor Adelphia cable network) will air the debut broadcast of the fledgling College Sports Television (CSTV) network.

Although its official, full-blown launch isn’t until April 7, CSTV is debuting this weekend with a sign-on featuring a soft launch, which means any cable or satellite company in the country can pick up CSTV’s broadcast of the Notre Dame-Connecticut women’s basketball game for free.

The game is Sunday at 2 p.m., but will be aired on a delay basis by WBGR Monday at 7 p.m. Only one market in the Northeast (Connecticut) will see the game live on Sunday. Satellite subscribers cannot pick up the channel on their own.

CSTV will televise regular and postseason events in more than 25 men’s and women’s intercollegiate sports plus news and studio shows, coaches shows, profiles, and documentaries.

For more information on CSTV, log onto www.cstv.com.

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