In case local cable television viewers hadn’t noticed, Bangor low-power station WCKD (Channel 30) is back on local cable sets. Adelphia Communications cable company has brought the United Paramount Network affiliate back, after a month-long absence, to its familiar position on channel 10.

WCKD was suddenly yanked from Adelphia’s lineup Oct. 7 so Adelphia could replace it with Fox Net and continue to offer Fox programming, which includes such prime sportscasts as Major League Baseball regular and postseason games plus the NFL, to its cable viewers.

WCKD officials had planned to switch affiliation from UPN to Fox, effective on Oct. 7, after Portland’s WPXT opted to switch from Fox to Warner Brothers in an effort to attract younger viewers. WPXT’s switch left Adelphia with no Fox programming on its cable systems, but WCKD was attempting to fill that void. All the switches were to happen on that same date, but WCKD was unable to make the jump due to a valid, five-year contract with UPN which the network was unwilling to let WCKD out of.

Since Adelphia dumped WCKD, both network and station officials have been negotiating with Adelphia to return the local station to the cable lineup. Those efforts bore fruit last week when WCKD came back and Fox Net was moved to channel 27, in effect giving cable viewers an extra channel.

WCKD was still able to fill the Fox sports void, at least in the local (non-cable) broadcast market, through a separate agreement negotiated with Fox earlier this year which gave WCKD exclusive rights to Fox’s sports telecasts in the Greater Bangor market.

The latest Adelphia makeover means local cable viewers now have two UPN channels (WCKD and UPN 38, Boston station WSBK). Despite offering almost identical programming, both stations will likely be retained for at least the immediate future as WSBK is the TV flagship station for the Boston Bruins and the exclusive carrier of Bruins telecasts in New England.

So in addition to two UPN stations and two Fox sports carriers, cable viewers can continue to watch Fox prime time favorites such as “X-Files,” “Boston Public,” and “Ally McBeal.”

Attempts to reach Adelphia and WCKD officials for comment were unsuccessful Sunday and Monday.

Happy birthday for FSNNE

Fox Sports Net New England hit the big 2-0 last week. Launched as Prism New England with 500 subscribers on Nov. 6, 1981, the network eventually became SportsChannel New England in 1983 and finally FSNNE in 1998.

The network, owned and managed by Cablevision Systems Inc., has since grown to attract 3.7 million subscribers to become the largest regional cable network in New England.

To commemorate its anniversary, FSNNE has been airing special segments on its New England Sports Tonight (6:30 p.m.) and New England Sports Report (10 p.m.) programs since last Monday. The final two installments will air Tuesday and Wednesday and feature Celtics highlights from the last two decades.

Outdoors coming back into studio

Fear not, enthusiasts of the great outdoors, the long-running “Maine Outdoors” radio program will be returning before the year is out.

The weekly show, which has aired on Howland radio station WVOM since the early- to mid-1990s, will be back Dec. 2 in its usual time slot (6-7 p.m.) with regular host V. Paul Reynolds. The show has only been off a week or two, according to station officials, but several regular listeners have noticed as they’ve sent letters to both the station and the NEWS.

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.