While competition for radio broadcast rights to University of Maine sports is apparently on the rise, the same can’t be said on the television front.

Bob Eslin, UMaine assistant director of purchasing and chairman of the seven-member committee to evaluate TV and radio sports broadcast proposals, confirmed Thursday that his committee has received three proposals for radio rights while only one for a TV package.

Bangor radio stations WABI (910 AM), WSNV (103.9 FM), and WZON (620 AM) have each submitted bids for the UMaine sports package. The only TV bid came from Maine Broadcasting – Bangor’s WLBZ (Channel 2) and Portland’s WCSH (Channel 6).

“We’re hoping to come to a decision next week,” said Eslin. “We wanted to award the radio contract first, but the proposals are so complex it’s taking a while to evaluate each one.”

Technically, the current TV-radio contract is up once the UMaine baseball team’s season ends. Each contract period runs three years and begins when the academic school year starts in September.

After a protracted period of bids, rejections, and follow-up bids, WZON and WABI were awarded shared radio rights three years ago – WZON had football and basketball rights and WABI had baseball and hockey – and Maine Broadcasting won TV contract rights.

WZON beefed up its auto racing coverage recently with the addition of a five-minute edition of the “Northeast Motor Sports Report” Tuesdays at 6:35 a.m.

WZON already runs “Ricky Craven and Notes from NASCAR” Mondays at 8:35 a.m.

SportsChannel New England will air the Kentucky Derby post-race news conference Saturday at approximately 8 p.m. The actual Derby will be televised by ABC (WVII-TV, Bangor) and aired on WZON.

SportsChannel plans live coverage of 11 of the 12 home outdoor United States Interregional Soccer League matches played by the Boston Storm. The first televised game is Monday, May 16 at 8 p.m.

On the awards front:

The 17th annual New England Emmy Awards ceremony will take place at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel Saturday, and SportsChannel will be well represented at the event. The network received two New England Emmy Award sports play-by-play nominations and another for sports special program.

The nominations came for SportsChannel’s coverage of the Boston Celtics and Hartford Whalers, and a special entitled A Tribute to Larry Bird.

Mitchell Freund, SportsChannel’s group vice president and general manager, will be presented the Murray Kramer-Scarlet Quill Award at Boston University’s 36th annual Hall of Fame Banquet Saturday.

The award is presented annually to a sportswriter, columnist, cartoonist or organization for oustanding coverage of intercollegiate athletics.