While busy with the process of assembling a team roster, lining up sponsors, and selling tickets, the Bangor Lumberjacks are trying to line up some kind of radio network as well.

Officials with Maine’s newest minor league baseball team are hoping to line up a local station to air all or some of the games on the Northeast League team’s four-month schedule this summer.

“My goal has always been to have all 92 games broadcast on the radio,” said Lumberjacks general manager Curt Jacey. “Whether I’m going to be able to do that this year due to our late start is a big question mark right now. Right now, I would just say it’s a 50-50 proposition.”

Jacey says he has talked to “quite a few different” stations in the Penobscot County marketplace and has discussed such options as broadcasting the team’s full complement of games to a game-of-the-week format to the possibility of broadcasting on the Internet.

“I’m a purist so I want my games on the radio, but it also has to make economic sense to do it. So far, I haven’t found that perfect mix,” Jacey said. “Radio’s a struggle and always has been in minor league sports on the economic side.”

Jacey said he figures he has about two weeks at the most to get something set up. Should he find a suitable station, Jacey expects that the team would hire a play-by-play announcer to travel with the team.

“I’d like to have something lined up and the decision made by April 1st,” he said. “Either it’s going to come together by the beginning of April or we’re just going to have to move along.”

The Lumberjacks are also interested in getting some games televised, although those plans are in their initial stages.

“On the TV side, we’re just starting some discussions and we haven’t really gotten into specifics. We’ll probably start getting into that in the next week or two,” Jacey said.

Getting games televised, even if it’s only a handful or less, would benefit Bangor in other ways besides visibility.

Having signed two Japanese infielders this week and getting close to signing a Japanese pitcher, Bangor will be getting regular coverage by the Japanese media.

“Right off the bat, we’re going to have a Japaneses journalist with us all year long, shooting back taped half hour shows every week to Japan,” Jacey said. “I’m going to try to do everything I can to make that work on the TV side and get a game or two done and shoot those over to Japan.”

Getting their Sox on

Maine’s contingent of Boston Red Sox radio network affiliates is at 17 stations for the 2003 season.

Heading up the list is the senior statesman of the group, Ellsworth’s WDEA (1370 AM), the station believed to be the longest-running current Red Sox radio affiliate in Maine.

“I’m going to say we at least go back to the 1960s,” said WDEA program director Fred Miller. “I don’t know exactly what year it might have been.”

That’s OK, because station founder Don Knowles has a pretty good idea.

“I’m pretty sure we started with the Red Sox in 1968,” Knowles said after thinking about it a few seconds.

And in case you ever wondered, Miller and Knowles were also able to shed light on another bit of interesting trivia.

Ever wonder if and/or what WDEA stands for?

“Wonderful Down East Area,” Miller offered without even being asked.

“The other one I always liked was Way Down East Already,” Knowles said with a chuckle.

The entire Red Sox radio network includes 58 stations in six states. Maine has the highest number, two more than New Hampshire’s 15.

TNN gets into Tournament

The National Network has developed a case of March Madness and will televise NCAA men’s tournament highlights shows Thursday, March 27, through Sunday, March 30, plus Saturday, April 5, and Monday, April 7.

CBS Sports’ Dwayne Ballen will host the show, which features highlights, press conferences, previews, and updates from the tournament. The show is being produced by CBS Sports.

This is the first year TNN, a sister network of Viacom-owned CBS, has carried NCAA tournament highlights show. TNN did air an NCAA men’s play-in preliminary game in 2001.

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