The folks at Helen’s Restaurant in Machias will have to bake a few more blueberry pies. Hot on the heels of the news that Life magazine has named the eatery the maker of the best blueberry pies in the nation comes word that ESPN has… Read More
When Bangor television station WABI (Channel 5) first aired University of Maine sportscasts more than 50 years ago, it was seen as a public service. Advertisers weren’t exactly lining up to sponsor the broadcasts and viewer interest, although evident, wasn’t necessarily strong. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Chris Myers is returning to Fox Sports Net to host Chris Myers Interview, the network’s newest program. The weekly, half-hour interview show debuts Sunday at 4 p.m. on Fox Sports Net New England and features an interview with former Major League Baseball… Read More
He doesn’t have a fancy den to showcase it or a trophy case to put it in, but with a soon-to-be 2-year-old son running around the house, it’s probably just as well. So at least for the foreseeable present, Addison native Barry Alley will keep… Read More
New England Sports Network has won six New England Emmy Awards for the second straight year and at least one for the 11th straight year. The total of six is the most the regional TV sports network has won in a year. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
When it comes to sports, Matthew Paul knows enough to contribute to any discussion, be it in a bar over beers, from the comfort of his favorite easy chair with a game on, or sitting in the stands. It’s quite another thing to do it… Read More
In some ways, things couldn’t be better for Portland Sea Dogs radio voice Todd Jamison. In other ways, there is room for some improvement. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i… Read More
While local network television affiliates like Bangor’s WLBZ (Channel 2) are more than ready for some football, others like Bangor’s WVII (Ch. 7) are ready to see it go. The move of Monday Night Football, a staple of the ABC network’s programming schedule for the… Read More
Mac Smith has big plans for his 5,000-watt AM radio station in Presque Isle. The owner of WEGP (1390 AM) successfully instituted the first of those plans last month when he secured exclusive local rights to broadcast Boston Red Sox games. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
Whether you’re a fantasy baseball devotee, a baseball fanatic, or a big league fan, Major League Baseball has a new Web site for you. The official Web site of minor league baseball is getting a makeover this spring. Major League Baseball bought the minorleaguebaseball.com site… Read More
FORT MYERS, Fla. – As a player, Jim Rice struck almost as much fear in the hearts of some beat writers and reporters as he did in those of opposing pitchers. The Boston Red Sox star was not known for his affable ways and genial… Read More
The demand was there and then some, but alas, there was no supply. The Women’s National Invitational Tournament first- round basketball game between the University of Maine and West Virginia will not be televised, but not due to any lack of effort or interest by… Read More
How much does Bangor television station WABI (Channel 5) like University of Maine sports? Enough to air what’s believed to be a record number of UMaine games and extend its TV contract another two years with the state’s highest profile university. WABI has picked up… Read More
While still revamping their broadcast radio network – one of the largest in minor league baseball the last few years – the Portland Sea Dogs have expanded their broadcast team. Todd Jamison will be back for his fifth season of Sea Dogs play-by-play, but for… Read More
Sure, it’s tournament week – one of the early signs heralding the end of winter and the approach of spring – but you need something else to make up for the cold weather and the daily sights of snowbanks, still-slushy streets, and icicles hanging from every roof. Read More
If it’s mid-February in Maine, it must be tournament time – the equivalent of the Filene’s wedding gown basement sale or an Irish pub on St. Patrick’s Day – at radio and television stations all over Eastern Maine. Actually, a more apt comparison would be… Read More
Eight years ago, Tom Ackerman was in his 18th year at L.L. Bean and working as a product manager, a dream job for an outdoorsman like him. This outdoorsman, however, had yet another dream. Ackerman’s duties while developing, testing and marketing outdoor gear took him… Read More
It’s going to be a busy sports weekend for Bangor television sister stations WVII (Channel 7) and WFVX (Ch. 22). Black Bears basketball and the Super Bowl take center stage, but that’s in addition to professional golf and the National Basketball Association. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
For 17 weeks, New England Patriots fans who couldn’t get to a television set have listened to Gil Santos and former Patriots star Gino Cappelletti call the action as the Pats marched toward their third Super Bowl appearance in four years. But just as that… Read More
The Portland Sea Dogs have transferred their flag to another ship as they sail into the 2005 season. For the fourth time since 1994, The Sea Dogs radio network has a new flagship station: Portland’s WBAE (1490 AM), a.k.a. “The Bay.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
Slogging along as a struggling actor for the better part of the last 18 years is not an easy thing, especially when your odyssey takes you from Brunswick to Bangor to Boston … everywhere but the “Big “B” – Broadway. Ironically, it’s another “B” that… Read More
It’s a first for Hockey East, New England Sports Network and a fledgling production company started by two former Bangor sportscasters. Inside Hockey East, a half-hour television show making its debut Jan. 14 on NESN, is the first feature-oriented show developed exclusively for the Hockey… Read More
Instead of calling them New Year’s resolutions, maybe we should just be a little more honest and pragmatic and call them New Year’s wishful intentions or improbable goals. With that in mind, here are a few that may or may not fall within the realm… Read More
It was the day before Christmas, and all through the newsroom, those who still had Yuletide tasks yet to perform were feeling a sense of doom. But that’s a story for another time, when nerves aren’t as frayed and frazzled and people can laugh about… Read More
I’ll admit it. I’m a softy when it comes to certain heartstring-plucking sights and moments. My tear ducts even squeezed out a few droplets when Laura Ingalls’ dog Jack died on one “Little House on the Prairie” episode, and when it looked like E.T. had… Read More
Just in time for the shoppers who will rise early and gather at the starting lines at the local mall’s parking lots for the annual post-Thanksgiving Day Race for the Bargain Sales Blitz, Major League Baseball is making like Santa Claus. The video that has… Read More
Five Clear Channel Worldwide radio stations in Maine will air all three of Saturday’s state championship football games live for the second straight year. The Maine Sports Network – Bangor’s WABI (910 AM), Rockland’s WRKD (1450 AM), Gardiner’s WFAU (1280 AM), Madison’s WIGY (97.5 FM),… Read More
Some football fans received a surprise – pleasant for some and unpleasant for others – Sunday afternoon when they turned their television sets to Bangor Fox Network affiliate WFVX (Channel 22). If they were looking forward to watching Fox’s “headliner” game between unbeaten Philadelphia and… Read More
BOSTON – Like other longtime Boston Red Sox fans, Eric Frede was living a dream Saturday as he broadcast live from the intersection of Dartmouth and Boylston Streets during Boston’s victory parade for the World Series champion Sox. Unlike most other Sox fans, Frede had… Read More
Mike Violette broke into the sports broadcasting biz in an improbable way. Sure, it worked for him, but he doesn’t recommend it for other aspiring broadcasters looking to get their start. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
The calendar has moved into late October, the New England Patriots are riding a 20-game winning streak, and the main topic is still the Boston Red Sox. Then again, when it’s a storied, much-maligned team winning its first league pennant in 18 years combined with… Read More
Hockey East’s 21st season will be one of growth, especially on the television airwaves and satellite dishes as the presence of one of the country’s premier collegiate hockey leagues increases by 40 percent. The Hockey East TV schedule has ballooned from 50 games to 70… Read More
Alfond Arena’s radio broadcast booth will be more crowded than usual Friday and Saturday nights as Bangor all-sports radio station WZON (620 AM) tries something different. The Sports Zone’s regular broadcast crew will grow from two to three announcers as former University of Maine goaltender… Read More
It has been five years since Otter Creek native Jeff Solari left his job at Bangor television station WLBZ and Maine. Two states, two jobs, a marriage and 1,926 miles later, Solari is back in Bangor, this time for his second stint at all-sports radio… Read More
Boston Red Sox fans in the Ellsworth area have had to “get their Sox on” from another radio source for the last month with Ellsworth station WDEA (1370 AM) off the air. “We lost our main transmitter [at noon on Aug. 19] and at the… Read More
His smooth, baritone voice and matter-of-fact delivery make Dan Davis instantly recognizable to most sports radio listeners, but few know the ESPN Radio man is a Mainer. Also known as “The Duke,” Davis was born in Portland, but his family moved to Lexington, Mass., shortly… Read More
After putting in 121/2 years behind the scenes at New England Sports Network as an intern, master control operator and producer, longtime Mainer Bob Sylvester is striking out on his own. The 38-year-old Sylvester, producer of NESN’s “Charlie Moore Outdoors” and ESPN2’s “Beat Charlie Moore,”… Read More
A little over three weeks after Bangor all-sports radio station set another all-time high for money raised in its annual Jimmy Fund Radiothon, the big boys are following suit. Boston Red Sox flagship station and talk radio giant WEEI (850 AM) will hold its third… Read More
The University of Maine has seen a rise in both fortunes and prominence for its football program in recent seasons and fans are taking notice. So are local broadcasters. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner… Read More
Say goodbye to “I Love Lucy” and old Western movie marathons on Bangor television station WBGR (Channel 33). In an effort to further diversify their everyday programming lineup and provide niche TV programming to viewers who aren’t currently served by local stations in Greater Bangor,… Read More
Long before ESPN began advertising its ongoing 100 Most Memorable Moments of the past 25 years promotion, personnel at Bangor radio station WZON (620 AM) devised a way to mark the 10th anniversary of their all-sports station. The Sports Zone began its top 10 most… Read More
Interviewing fishing enthusiast Charlie Moore is like shooting off fireworks. You just light the fuse (ask a question) and get away (let him talk). The energetic host of New England Sports Network’s Charlie Moore Outdoors show can talk about anything, from fishing and hunting to… Read More
Portland Sea Dogs relief pitcher Juan Perez will be one of the players showcased Sunday at the All-Star Futures Game in Houston. The game, which pits the a team of U.S.-born players against another made up of players from all over the world, will be televised live by… Read More
The Boston Red Sox may not be making their fans very happy these days, but they’re putting big smiles on the faces of New England Sports Network officials. NESN recorded its highest household rating for any event in the regional television sports network’s 20-year history… Read More
Gary Tanguay hesitates just a bit when asked what the greatest aspect of his job is. As co-host of Fox Sports Net’s New England Sports Tonight, he meets lots of celebrities, covers a lot of premier sporting events, and travels to all kinds of interesting… Read More
Bangor television stations WVII (Channel 7) and WFVX (Ch. 22) will put the sport of auto racing in the driver’s seat this weekend. As part of WFVX’s Fox Network coverage of NASCAR’s Nextel Cup and its Sunday’s DHL 400 race at 1 p.m., WFVX and… Read More
Bangor all-sports radio station WZON has again received a handful of awards from the Maine Associated Press. Representatives of The Sports Zone came away from the AP’s spring banquet last month with five awards, including a sweep of all three places in the play-by-play category,… Read More
The Lighthouse Sports Network, comprised of four radio stations airing the Bangor Lumberjacks’ home games live this season, has expanded its broadcast schedule. Thanks to the abrupt folding of the Allentown (Pa.) Ambassadors franchise last month and the Northeast League’s formation of an independent travel… Read More
This week marks the end of a broadcasting era for the Portland Pirates with the departure of longtime play-by-play man Dave Ahlers and the hiring of his replacement, Greg Glynn. After nine years as the radio voice of the Pirates, Ahlers has resigned to pursue… Read More
“Still, We Believe – The Boston Red Sox Movie” opens in Maine theaters today, so consider this fair warning. After previewing Bombo Sports and Entertainment’s movie, which chronicles Boston’s memorable 2003 season primarily from the viewpoint of Red Sox fans, it didn’t take long to… Read More
The Red Sox are hitting the silver screen. If Boston Red Sox fans didn’t get enough highlights, hi-jinks, happiness and heartache during the 2003 baseball season, there’s more to glean from a new movie chronicling the unique relationship between the Sox and their fans. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
New season, new city, new park, new players… Even a new radio network. The 2004 season will usher in many changes for the Bangor Lumberjacks, and the same can be said for their radio coverage. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
Just when you think it’s reached its zenith, the Portland Sea Dogs radio network just keeps on growing. Already one of the largest networks of its kind in all of minor league baseball, the Sea Dogs have added new affiliates, one of which is out of state, to… Read More
There’s no question the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race is the most popular and most attention-grabbing race of its kind in the state. That distinction certainly won’t be diminished at all this year. For the eighth consecutive season, the annual race will receive live coverage by… Read More
The grass may not be greening up, but it’s already time to play ball and New England Sports Network is ready to provide another sure sign of spring. NESN will air all but nine of the 162 games on the Boston Red Sox regular-season schedule… Read More
It seemed pretty simple and straightforward. Saturday night’s broadcast schedule on Bangor all-sports radio station WZON (620 AM) called for coverage of the University of Maine hockey game at 7 p.m. and a quick switch to the UMaine women’s NCAA Tournament basketball game after the… Read More
Although the University of Maine men’s basketball team came up short in its quest to log some prime time on a major network in the NCAA tournament, UMaine winter sports teams again dominate the television limelight this weekend. The action starts early, as Maine’s hockey… Read More
Black Bear basketball dominates the radio and television airwaves this weekend as the men and women play for conference titles. The women will tip things off as they take on the winner of Thursday’s Albany-Hartford quarterfinal in a 6 p.m. Friday semifinal at Chase Arena… Read More
This weekend was supposed to mark University of Maine hockey’s regular season swan song on Bangor television station WABI (Channel 5). Instead, provided the UMaine men’s basketball team cooperates by winning on Saturday, WABI will double the fun for Black Bear fans with a hockey-hoops… Read More
Before last weekend, Mike Boyer’s interaction with radio consisted of listening, talking back to it, and occasionally calling in to talk to the hosts. Saturday afternoon, the Boston native-turned-Brewer resident went from listener to announcer as he got a turn behind the microphone, compliments of… Read More
When it came to all-sports programming, Winter Harbor radio station WNSX just couldn’t get in the zone. After 12 months of deteriorating ratings, the Clear Channel Network station has junked its all-sports format and switched back to classic rock. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
The local sportscaster landscape is changing noticeably with the addition of two new faces and the relocation of two familiar ones. John Smist of Hermon and Tim Baier of Atlanta have joined the staff at Bangor stations WLBZ (Channel 2) and WVII (Ch. 7), respectively,… Read More
When he was attending Narraguagus High School in Harrington more than a decade ago, Barry Alley hit upon an idea for an ideal career. “I think it was my sophomore year. I thought about getting into broadcasting because I loved sports,” Alley said. “It was… Read More
Things can’t be much better if you’re a sportscaster from Portland who’s getting paid to cover Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston. Lee Goldberg can certainly think of worse assignments. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner… Read More
BANGOR – It might shock you to know, especially 22 years after the New Haven, Conn., native first sat down in the broadcast booth to call his first Boston Red Sox game, but Joe Castiglione has a confession to make. “I was a Yankees fan. Read More
A little more than a month after another Bangor television station dismissed its sports anchor, ABC affiliate WVII has opted to do the same thing. Nate Long was let go last week after almost 31/2 years as sports reporter and anchor at WVII in what… Read More
Hope all you readers had a very merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah too. Although Christmas is now in the rear view mirror while Kwanzaa and Boxing Day are upon us – In this country, Boxing Day means jumping in the car, flooring it to the… Read More
Three weeks into Bangor television station WLBZ’s ongoing renovation of its sportscast, the blueprint is still being edited and redrawn. “We’re experimenting a little bit with it, and because we don’t want to cast in stone what it’s going to look like in three months,… Read More
Loyal New York Giants fans haven’t been able to see as much of their favorite team the last couple weeks, but given the Giants’ 4-9 record and last-place standing in the NFC’s East division, they may not mind. That could explain why the folks at… Read More
Interscholastic Sports Network is set to tip off its second athletic season and its first of high school basketball coverage with 21 regular-season game broadcasts, but before those telecasts start up, ISN will start in with its expanded local hoop coverage. The Bangor-area television and… Read More
It’s not easy to come up with a list of thanks to give and turkeys to name while fighting through a tryptophan-induced haze, especially with every Dunkin’ Donuts in sight closed, but list I shall as we officially kick off the holiday season. Thank you’s:… Read More
For three of the last four weeks, the mornings haven’t seemed the same to the WABI (910 AM) radio audience, and Friday nights sounded different to Bangor High School football broadcast listeners. There was something missing. It was the unmistakable voice of Bangor radio legend… Read More
Four “Webcasts” into a one-year experiment, Bangor television station WABI (Channel 5) is starting to find a niche for sportscasts on the Internet. What is believed to be a first nationally and certainly a first in Maine is starting to catch on as more and… Read More
When it comes to a television presence in central and eastern Maine, the University of Maine’s flag-bearer is the hockey team, but viewers shouldn’t feel the need to shed any tears for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. With the start of their regular seasons… Read More
The opening tipoff has come and gone, but there’s plenty of Boston Celtics regular season action yet to come and, collectively, local ClearChannel radio stations will air every turnover, free throw, 3-pointer and steal as a revamped Team Green hits the court. ClearChannel stations WABI… Read More
Almost four years after taking the job as the sports director for Bangor television station WLBZ (Channel 2), Wayne Harvey has become a free agent. Station general manager Judy Horan and Harvey both confirmed that Harvey’s contract would not be renewed. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
What would have been grounds for a modern re-enactment of the Boston Tea Party, with angry cable viewers throwing their TV sets into the nearest lake or river, left thousands of viewers unable to watch their beloved Red Sox Wednesday night. As the first pitch… Read More
One network’s finished broadcast schedule is another’s cause for revision. The recently signed broadcast agreement between New England Sports Network and Hockey East means Bangor television station WABI (Channel 5) will have to get out the liquid paper and go back to the drawing board. Read More
Visions of college football danced in the heads of Tennessee Volunteers and Florida Gators fans as they plunked themselves down into the comfy confines of their easy chairs Saturday afternoon. They were ready for some football, but what they got instead was sitcom reruns and… Read More
Saturday marks the first home football game for Husson College in more than six decades, and those who can’t make it to the game will have a chance to see it on TV. St. Croix Video Productions, a media production company previously located in Calais… Read More
While New England Patriots fans fret over the loss of Lawyer Milloy to the rival Buffalo Bills, local radio station executives are eagerly anticipating Sunday’s kickoff. The increased interest in New England’s season-opening road game at Buffalo (1 p.m.) is making the decision of Clear… Read More
Maine’s first television station will notch another historical first this fall. Fifty years and seven months ago after signing on as the first TV station in this state, Bangor’s WABI (Channel 5) will become the first Maine TV station to stream its sports broadcasts on… Read More
The numbers are in and officials at Bangor all-sports radio station WZON (620 AM) are smiling broadly. Broadcasting all 23 games from the Senior League World Series in Bangor last week either on radio, the Internet (zoneradio.com), or both, was anything but easy, but the… Read More
New England Patriots coverage is as strong as ever in central and northern Maine, at least on the radio dial, but the same can’t be said on the television set this preseason. Radio-wise, even though the roster of stations has changed, the number has remained… Read More
In terms of popularity and success, last year’s Senior Little League World Series in Bangor was a grand slam. That fact didn’t go unnoticed by local radio station officials, who have responded by loading their bases for increased coverage of the seven-day event involving 10… Read More
In addition to the three-game broadcast package the Black Bears have with a Bangor television station, the University of Maine’s football program will receive some regional TV exposure as well for a second straight season. The Football Network will produce an eight-game slate of live… Read More
Bangor television station WABI will be passing, tackling, skating, and dribbling with the University of Maine for a seventh straight season. As the Bangor CBS affiliate heads into the second year of a three-year pact with UMaine, the early sports broadcast schedule is out and,… Read More
Cumberland native Dave Ahlers was honored by the American Hockey League as the winner of the annual James H. Ellery Award in the radio category. Ahlers completed his eighth season as the play-by-play voice of the Portland Pirates and is also the team’s director of… Read More
Viewers of Maine Public Broadcasting’s Made in Maine television series or then-Lewiston (now Portland) ABC affiliate WMTW will likely know the name of “Altitude” Lou McNally. Well, Lou’s altitude is a bit lower these days – sea level, to be exact – as the former… Read More
Broadcasting and baseball were nowhere near the forefront of Owen Newkirk’s thoughts about his future just two short years ago. He was almost finished his junior year at Haverford (Pa.) College and looking forward to a final year as an astronomy major and member of… Read More
ORONO – The 12th annual Maine High School Senior All-Star Baseball Game will be played at 7 tonight at Mahaney Diamond on the campus of the University of Maine. The nine-inning contest features 50 of the top senior players in the state, representing all four… Read More
Hang Time is still hanging in there at Bangor all-sports radio station WZON (620 AM), but changes will be forthcoming. That’s the word from program director Dale Duff, who is sticking with the current show format even after the departure of longtime host Dan Hannigan,… Read More
PORTLAND – When you’re a native of Newburyport, Mass., who was practically born in the heart of Boston Red Sox Country, it’s hard not to become a fan of the Olde Town Team. Todd Jamison grew up on the Sox, and he pretty much knew… Read More
Former University of Maine linebacker Stephen Cooper is one of several athletes referenced in an upcoming Outside the Lines special on ESPN. The latest installment of the award-winning series, titled “Winning at Any Cost”, is hosted by longtime ESPN sportscaster and announcer Bob Ley. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
Seven years ago, Dan Hannigan took a risk. After 21/2 years as a local television sports anchor, Hannigan decided to quit and venture into radio as a college hockey broadcaster. Less than a year later, that job expanded as he became an afternoon talk show… Read More
Bob Sherman must cringe every time he sees one of the many ads New England Sports Network runs on television or places in local newspapers. “The Sox and Bruins are hot, but if you can’t be there, tune in NESN,” the ad says. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
Winning the Associated Press Station of the Year award is prestigious enough, but when you’re the first radio station north of Augusta to win it in eight years and you repeat the feat the very next year … Well, now you’re talking about something special. Read More
My eyes are still a little bleary, I tend to see everything – from grocery lists to the day’s to-do schedule – as a giant board with the ever-changing priorities rearranged and moved to the top, and I can’t seem to stop using terms like “major reach, sleeper,… Read More
Nineteen months after a failed attempt to switch Bangor sister station WCKD’s affiliation to the Fox Network, officials at WVII (Channel 7) and parent company Rockfleet Broadcasting, Inc., have found another way to make their Fox hunt successful. They created a new station. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
Another high school basketball postseason of fantastic finishes and memorable performances also had its upsets, but this year, it wasn’t just the tournament teams and players who were upset. Some viewers weren’t too happy either. “We got relatively few negative comments about the coverage, but… Read More