Sports programming is making a big comeback on the radio as many local stations have already made plans to broadcast plenty of high school and collegiate winter sports during the 1993-94 season.

The Sports Zone (WZON Bangor (620 AM) heads the list of these stations.

WZON will broadcast college basketball games featuring the University of Maine and Husson College, high school girls and boys basketball, and high school ice hockey.

WZON got out of the gate fast, having already broadcast two UMaine games and two Husson games this week.

“We have maybe one or two nights in December where we don’t have something going on,” said Dale Duff, station sports and programming director. “This is what it’s all about, though. I love it.”

Area basketball fans should love it, too. WZON will carry all the UMaine men’s games, seven UMaine women’s games, and several Husson men’s and women’s games this season.

The station will start out a season-long high school sports schedule with at least seven boys basketball games, five girls, and one hockey game in December.

In fact, it will be hard to turn on a radio and not dial across a high school or college game on some station this winter.

WDEA Ellsworth (1370 AM) will air nine games each involving the Mount Desert Island boys, MDI girls, Ellsworth boys, and Ellsworth girls.

The season-opening game is Sumner of East Sullivan at the MDI boys Friday (7:30 p.m.).

WDME Dover-Foxcroft (103 FM) is providing basketball coverage of Foxcroft Academy, Dexter, Penquis of Milo, Central-East Corinth, Piscataquis of Guilford, and Greenville.

More than 60 games will be broadcast by WDME, including coverage of Foxcroft Academy ice hockey games.

WDME’s first game is Friday – the traditional opening game b WDME’s first game is Friday – the traditional opening game broadcast of Piscataquis at Dexter, at 7:30 p.m.

WHCF Bangor (88.5 FM) will offer one or two games per week, starting Friday with the East Grand boys and girls at Bangor Christian.

WHCF will try to hit all the teams in the Greater Bangor area during the season without duplicating coverage of other games being broadcast.

WHOU Houlton (100.1 FM, 1340 AM) will broadcast more than 40 games involving Houlton, Hodgdon, Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook, and Central Aroostook of Mars Hill.

The station’s first game is Friday night – Fort Fairfield at Central Aroostook (7 p.m.).

WMCM Rockland (103.3 FM) has a 32-game schedule involving Georges Valley, Rockland, Camden-Rockport, Medomak Valley and other schools. The station’s first game is Georges Valley at Boothbay Friday (7:30 p.m.).

WABI Bangor (910 AM) and WSYY Millinocket (1240 AM) also both plan to air high school games this season, but have not yet finalized their broadcast schedules.

WZON will debut three new weekly shows this winter as part of its regular broadcast schedule.

“Maine Basketball with Rudy Keeling” will air each Monday at 7:05 p.m. and “Maine Basketball with Joanne Palombo” will air Tuesdays at 7:05 p.m. Both half-hour shows will follow a listener call-in format.

“All Outdoors with Don Carrigan,” a show focusing on outdoor issues and activities, will air Thursdays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. – – –

Some recent Eastern Maine basketball stars will be making the transition from the court to the broadcast booth this winter.

Former high school stars Stephanie Carter from Schenck of East Millinocket and Bobby Campbell of Calais, plus former UMaine women’s player Heather Briggs and Rockland High School coach Chris Elkington will be heard on WZON during broadcasts of high school and college hoop games.

Campbell will do color commentary during Husson College games and Briggs will do the same during UMaine women broadcasts.

Elkington, who is teaching at the John Graham School in Veazie and studying for his master’s degree, is the color commentator for schoolboy basketball games and Carter, a nurse in the cardiac care unit at Eastern Maine Medical Center, will do color for girls games.