Auto racing fans who were listening to NASCAR action on Howland’s WVOM (103.9 FM) have had to tune in to a new station this spring. ClearChannel Radio has changed its station programming lineup a bit, switching the 2003 NASCAR 39-race schedule from WVOM to Belfast’s… Read More
Some area cable viewers are seeing red as they try to find the Red Sox on their television sets. After several years of Boston Red Sox TV rights alternating from longtime Boston flagship station WSBK (Channel 38) to Boston University-owned WABU to Fox Network’s WFXT,… Read More
For a fifth straight year, Bangor television station WABI (Channel 5) will air University of Maine hockey playoff action. The NCAA informed station officials that they had local TV rights once again and can broadcast Maine’s NCAA Midwest regional semifinal playoff against Michigan at Ann… Read More
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… Read More
The game wasn’t on – at least not the right one – for several hundred people who plopped themselves down in their favorite chair with the remote, munchies and beverages at arm’s length. Everything was set, until the remote clicked to the channel they were… Read More
Usually, this time of the year means a lot of things to the members of Maine Public Television’s basketball broadcasting crew. None of those things usually involve broadcasting basketball games. This year is different. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
With the Eastern Maine Class A tournament effectively blacked out on television until the regional finals round next week, University of Maine sports will take center stage this weekend. On Friday, Bangor TV station WABI (Channel 5) will televise Maine hockey’s home game against Boston… Read More
For those holding out hope that a white knight would ride in to deliver live television coverage of the Eastern Maine Class A basketball tournament semifinals, there is no Sir Lancelot to the rescue this year. Officials at Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation (MPBC) had hoped… Read More
The University of Maine women’s basketball team will get a chance to notch its 13th straight win on live regional television as Sunday’s game will be aired by both New England Sports Network and Bangor station WVII (Channel 7). The America East conference-leading Black Bears… Read More
Five revisions later, the folks at Bangor television station WABI (Channel 5) think they finally have their final University of Maine sports schedule … Hopefully. The high point of the schedule is this week as WABI carried a Maine hockey game and women’s basketball game… Read More
Hockey fanatics may spontaneously combust while trying to keep their eyes on the puck Monday. New England Sports Network is literally doubling up its hockey coverage that day. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
If there’s one thing that has allowed Bangor television station WABI (Channel 5) to distinguish itself from others in the state, it’s the willingness of station officials to not only encourage, but to actively pursue relationships with other stations. It’s that cooperative spirit which allowed… Read More
Current economic conditions suggest otherwise, but officials of the Maine Principals’ Association and Maine Public Broadcasting System (Maine PBS) are hopeful funding can still be found to broadcast the final three rounds of the Class A tournament. Three days after announcing the funding needed to… Read More
A concept which was widely dismissed as a risky proposition several years ago has become a much emulated one now. The latest example of how a relatively small population area like Eastern Maine has become a hotbed for sports radio programming is the upcoming conversion… Read More
When television rights to non-cable Boston Red Sox telecasts passed from Boston’s WSBK (Ch. 38) to WABU (Ch. 68) after a 20-year run at WSBK, many viewed it as the end of an era. So how ironic it is that WSBK’s entry back into the… Read More
If you were looking at your calendar sometime after rousing yourself from slumber, looking out the window at the blindingly white landscape, and then either deciding to go back to bed or wishing you could, you might have noticed Thursday was Boxing Day. Established long… Read More
The sound of Boston’s professional sports scene won’t be changing drastically in the near future. Two recent developments concerning longtime voices of the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots have seen to that. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
Now that the turkeys have all been carved up, the gravy has congealed, and the rolls have hardened (unless they were covered), it’s still a good time to stop and remember the many reasons to be thankful. Especially if you’re a sports fan and it’s… Read More
Much like the snow on driveways, lawns, and streets last weekend, winter broadcast schedules are piling up around the fax machines. College basketball and hockey are the featured sports as New England Sports Network and Fox Sports Net New England focus on regional and national… Read More
Remember the last time you were listening to a tight high school basketball game on the radio and found yourself wishing you could see the action yourself? Thanks to a unique partnership between a Bangor television station and two local radio stations, listeners may get… Read More
The contracts are written and on the way. All that’s left is to review and sign on the dotted lines. That’s the status of the two deals Maine Public Broadcasting has agreed to with the Maine Principals’ Assocation for exclusive television broadcast rights to Eastern… Read More
Bangor television station WABI, and the Maine broadcasting community in general lost a stalwart in the industry last weekend as longtime producer/director John Beaulieu died at the age of 54. Beaulieu, who worked at WABI (Channel 5) for 37 years, died unexpectedly of a heart… Read More
It’s not Wide World of Sports, but the folks at Bangor all-sports radio station WZON (620 AM) are feeling like they’re spanning the globe this weekend to provide live coverage of University of Maine sports. “I would say it would break some kind of record… Read More
Goodbye, WABI; hello, Maine Public Broadcasting. A week after the Maine Principals’ Association turned down two bids by Bangor television station WABI (Channel 5) to broadcast the Eastern Maine Class A basketball tournament, Maine Public Broadcasting Service is poised to step into the breach. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
Eric Baxter loves football. It’s a hereditary thing. The love for the game runs in the family. The president of PAGEmployment played football and was a captain for the Bucksport Golden Bucks, his father William was also a Bucks captain in the 1940s, and nephew… Read More
University of Maine-Fort Kent alumni and fans of the Bengals’ soccer program can listen to UMFK soccer games live this year. Thanks to UMFK’s Web services department, 13 Bengal men’s and women’s soccer games will be broadcast live on the Internet at www.umfk.maine.edu/vstream. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
Friday’s announcement of a new over-air television contract for the Boston Red Sox is a good news-bad news development for non-cable TV viewers. The good news locally? It’s likely that viewers will see the same number of games on Bangor TV station and CBS affiliate… Read More
Maine’s high school football teams will kick off game action for real this week and local radio stations are ready. As usual, teams like Bangor and Stearns of Millinocket will have hometown stations there to broadcast the action on every down. This year, another team… Read More
BOSTON – For most 9-year-old boys, it’s a fireman, police officer, ballplayer, or actor. That’s what they want to be when they grow up. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i… Read More
It may not be as unusual these days to find radio broadcasters travelling thousands of miles to cover sporting events, but a 4,400-mile round trip to Bangor from Curacao … For Senior League baseball games? Welcome to Curacao, one of five Caribbean Islands making up… Read More
With the start of the Senior League World Series only two days away and the start of game action three days off, local radio stations are gearing up to cover the action as Bangor hosts what’s believed to be the first Little League World Series at any level… Read More
While many stations have phased out radiothons as a way of providing local services and benefiting local charities, Bangor all-sports station WZON (620 AM) is maintaining a link with radio’s roots. Monday, Aug. 5 marks WZON’s ninth annual Jimmy Fund Radiothon, a 12-hour charity benefit. Read More
It may still be too early to predict how this year’s change in the ownership of the Boston Red Sox will affect local Red Sox television coverage. That’s the word from New England Sports Network officials as Red Sox ownership tests the broadcast waters to… Read More
If you didn’t catch its initial airing Sunday night on New England Sports Network, make it a point to scan the TV listings because NESN’s latest Front Row special, Diamonds in the Far East – Baseball in Japan, is a home run. The hour-long special… Read More
Bankruptcy has been very, very good to Rene Cloukey. Without it, the longtime sports director at Presque Isle television station WAGM might not have wound up where he is today. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
Given the lack of a marketable local team to draw fan interest and the fact the games were rained out Saturday, officials at Bangor television station WABI are feeling a lot better. Better about their choice not to air any state championship baseball games on… Read More
Last fall, Drew Bledsoe was New England’s starting quarterback and Bangor sports radio station WZON was the local Patriots football affiliate. This fall, Bledsoe will be taking snaps from center for the Buffalo Bills and fans of the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots will have… Read More
With high school’s spring sports schedule now in its postseason phase for all sports, local radio station officials are scrambling around daily to make, and sometimes remake, broadcast plans. Schedule conflicts, starting times, and weather are the main factors program directors are wrestling with while… Read More
Fans hoping to catch the University of Maine’s NCAA regional baseball game on television are out of luck. Black Bear baseball enthusiasts will be able to listen to live action on Bangor all-sports radio station WZON (620 AM) as UMaine takes on California State Northridge… Read More
John Chandler will soon be moving from the River City to the City of Bridges. It’s essentially a dream job for Chandler, who has been the assistant sports director at Bangor television station and ABC affiliate WVII (Channel 7) since arriving in Bangor 13 months… Read More
As its relationship with the University of Maine enters its fifth decade, Bangor television station WABI may be ready to shake things up a bit. The recent renewal of a contract for exclusive local television rights to Black Bear sports with UMaine may herald a… Read More
The Bangor television station having the longest association with University of Maine sports has injected some continuity back into the equation. The university and WABI (Channel 5) announced Thursday that WABI has secured exclusive TV rights to Black Bear sports for the next three years. Read More
You know you’ve done it. You’re sitting around watching or listening to a football/baseball/basketball game thinking “I could do a better job than these guys.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var… Read More
A little more than two months after the deadline for request for proposals came and went, the University of Maine’s bid selection committee is still trying to select the Black Bears sports’ flagship television station for the next year or more. WABI, one Bangor station… Read More
The promising start to spring that was heralded by unusually warm temperatures earlier this month and late last month hasn’t lived up to early billing. Cold temperatures, regular rain showers, and two snow storms have forced postponements that are leaving local stations scrambling to reschedule… Read More
The title of the show pretty much tells you all you need to know about the weekly television program hosted by longtime Kennebec and Knox County residents Mark Strong, Steve Hiller, and Dennis Wooster. It’s called “Sports Nuts” and the hour-long program covering local and… Read More
It seems organizers of the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe race Saturday aren’t the only ones with concerns over low water and lack of rain this spring. Officials at both Bangor television station WABI (Channel 5) and all-sports radio station WZON (620 AM) radio are busy making… Read More
After six months of cleverly worded ditties and covers of famous songs, Hannigan’s Hits are in hiatus. The series of promotional music spoofs designed to highlight upcoming University of Maine hockey games certainly took on a life of its own as more and more listeners… Read More
What has 54 members, blankets New England, and always has its Sox on? That would be the Boston Red Sox radio network, which began the 2002 season Monday afternoon. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner… Read More
The Portland Sea Dogs start their ninth season of minor league ball Friday, April 12, but Portland all-sports radio station WZAN (970 AM) won’t be with them. For the third time since 1994, the Sea Dogs radio network has a new flagship station. This year,… Read More
Although fans have reportedly been snapping them up at a record clip, it’s still hard not to notice all those New England Patriots digital video discs (DVDs) and videotapes cramming video and grocery store aisles the last couple weeks. Although they retail for $19.95 (DVD)… Read More
Sunday night was Bobby night for ESPN and ESPN2. Selection Sunday? Please. Only someone with a persona as volcanic and legendary as college basketball coach Bobby Knight could render almost secondary something as big as the announcements of the 64-team fields in both the men’s… Read More
Spring must officially be right around the corner as the Boston Red Sox television schedules are rolling in. The spring training preseason schedule includes eight TV broadcasts – five on Bangor station WBGR (Channel 33) and three on New England Sports Network. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation (Maine PBS) added a few new wrinkles to its tourney broadcast coverage last week. In addition to teaming up with Bangor television station WABI (Channel 5) for coverage of the upcoming Class B state championship games, Maine PBS also offered simultaneous… Read More
The 23rd season of Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation’s television coverage of the Eastern and Western Maine basketball tournaments will provide even more action for the state’s hoop fans. In addition to its usual 36 hours of tournament game coverage, Maine PBS (Public Broadcasting System) will… Read More
WRKD (1450 AM) latest to adopt all-sports format Rockland station airing mix of network, local shows
Less than nine years ago, the idea of an all-sports radio station in the Pine Tree State, let alone the Bangor area, was as foreign a concept to Mainers as the Patriots winning a Super Bowl. Now, New England is home to a Super Bowl… Read More
The numbers are in, and the “hits” indicate that Bangor all-sports radio station WZON’s Internet broadcasts are a big hit. WZON has been airing Internet game broadcasts, or streaming, since November, 2000. It began monitoring its Web site hits last September to determine the volume… Read More
Gentlemen, start your engines. The races are on. After more than a year of sustained interest, regular inquiries, and – more recently – intense negotiations, NASCAR Winston Cup racing will roar into northern, eastern, and central Maine listening areas this year. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
When it starts its fourth decade of start-to-finish, wall-to-wall coverage of the Eastern Maine basketball tournament next month, Bangor radio station WABI will have a little company this year. Although WABI (910 AM) is the only station to provide continuous and complete live tourney coverage… Read More
As it has for the past five years, Bangor all-sports radio station WZON will remain the home of University of Maine sports for the foreseeable future. Four months after the deadline passed for bids to Black Bear sports radio rights, the ink is finally dry… Read More
For the fourth time in the last six years, Bangor television station WVII (Channel 7) will broadcast University of Maine basketball in cooperation with the America East Conference. WVII will air a men’s/women’s doubleheader Sunday as part of the America East-produced TV package. The women’s… Read More
Whether your usual New Year’s Day regimen consists of an ice pack, aspirin and/or bloody mary; pizza delivery, munchies, your favorite easy chair and bowl games; or simply sleeping most of the day away, you can’t escape … It’s resolution time. For better or worse,… Read More
The one thing that’s been a constant for virtually all of Bill Casavant’s life has been basketball. He has been a player, coach and official at the high school level, a player and coach in college, and – for the last 17 years – a… Read More
While the result on the field wasn’t enough to earn a passing grade, the end product that went out over the airwaves was. In spite of a rushed effort and a production team which was thrown together just a few days before the actual telecast,… Read More
The words that officials at Bangor television station WABI (Channel 5) have been aching to say for the past 36 hours can now be uttered: The game is on. And not only in the Greater Bangor market, but statewide. “The game” is Saturday afternoon’s NCAA… Read More
If program director Steve Hiltz and vice-president/general manager Mike Young have their way, Bangor’s WABI (Channel 5) will be the Maine television station this coming weekend. Hiltz confirmed Monday afternoon that his station had submitted a conditional bid to the NCAA for the television broadcast… Read More
Less than 24 hours after the University of Maine football team got the news from the NCAA Division I-AA selection committee that they were officially in the playoffs, local television stations scrambled to put together plans to broadcast the first round game. Just a few… Read More
As the first team in the American Hockey League to utilize live game broadcasts on an Internet site, the Portland Pirates are among a handful of hockey trailblazers on the World Wide Web. Portland, now in its ninth AHL season, will broadcast a quarter of… Read More
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… Read More
Due to the current economic climate, the lack of a broadcast partner to help bear some of the cost, and the uncertain nature of the games’ participants, it’s all but a certainty that none of the three state championship football games will appear on television either locally or… Read More
When it comes to catching up with University of Maine football games on television, Black Bear pigskin fans must travel north. Due to a financially-motivated decision by station officials at Lewiston low-power station WPME (Channel 35), which services the Portland area, UPN-35 is not simulcasting… Read More
The University of Maine’s bid selection committee is still evaluating the formal bids submitted by area radio stations back on Sept. 5. A little more than six weeks after the deadline for requests for proposals for radio rights to UMaine sports broadcasts passed, committee chairman… Read More
Boston Celtics fans will have to train themselves to tune in a different station in Bangor to hear their beloved Kelly Green-and-White pros in action. In the first of several moves Bangor radio station WABI (910 AM) and fellow members of Clear Channel Radio’s 22-member… Read More
New week, same time, new station. That’s about the shortest way to explain the ongoing intricate situation regarding Bangor low-power station WCKD (Channel 30). In three weeks, WCKD has gone from a local United Paramount Network affiliate to a possible Fox Network affiliate to a… Read More
The picture is still fuzzy and discussions are ongoing concerning Bangor low-power station WCKD’s attempt to switch affiliation from United Paramount Network to the Fox Network in time to fill the void left by Maine’s only Fox affiliate. WCKD (Channel 30, Adelphia cable channel 10)… Read More
The Fox Network’s NFL football broadcasts are still safe, but Major League Baseball playoff action may be in real danger in the Greater Bangor television market. In a sudden and surprising reversal of fortune, Bangor station WCKD (Channel 30) – which had announced through Adelphia… Read More
Major college football fans rejoice. CBS’ Southeastern Conference football coverage is back after a four-year absence from the Maine local and cable television market. Thanks to an agreement between Bangor UHF station WBGR (Channel 33, Adelphia Cable channel 9), CBS, and CBS Bangor affiliate WABI… Read More
As this newspaper’s TV-radio sports columnist, I’ve already told one co-worker: You don’t have to move out of the state to continue watching NFL and World Series games on television. So move your hand away from the panic button. The news is not as bad… Read More
From the better-late-than-never department, Bangor television station WVII’s two-year pursuit of the rights to New England Patriots preseason games in the Bangor market finally culminated in the acquisition of the Pats’ fourth and final game last Thursday. The game was aired, albeit on a tape-delayed… Read More
It may still be chasing that elusive goal of bringing us all world peace, but the Miss America Pageant can now say it succeeded in bringing at least two people from competing backgrounds together. Almost three years after meeting at a friend’s home for a… Read More
The University of Maine football team has yet to play a single game, but already it has doubled its regional television exposure for this fall. Maine will appear on Fox Sports Net New England twice this fall, once (Oct. 27 at William & Mary) as… Read More
Maine native Dave Ahlers has signed on for another tour of duty with the Portland Pirates, and this time around, he’ll be taking on a lot more responsibility. After serving in almost every capacity other than deckhand and muzzle-loader for the Pirates the last eight… Read More
If you think scrambling around for footage and interviews all day, editing all the material you’ve collected, and then delivering all that information during daily 6 and 11 p.m. sportscasts sounds like a stressful way to make a living, try doing the same thing for three daily sportscasts. Read More
WZON to air local classic games Bangor all-sports radio station (620 AM) hopes to make debut in July
Call it the local sports radio version of ESPN Classic. Local sports fans who would like to relive some of the most memorable local college and high school sports moments from the past eight years are about to have their prayers answered. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
Just like Bangor television station WABI (Channel 5), Bangor all-sports radio station WZON has extended its contract with the University of Maine to be the flagship station for regular season Black Bear game broadcasts. Only The Sports Zone (620 AM) has gone WABI one better,… Read More
Almost without fail every three years since the late 1980s, the University of Maine sends out requests for bids from local television stations for the broadcast rights to Black Bear sporting events. Except for a couple of recent sessions, this process has become drawn out,… Read More
In terms of timing, things couldn’t have worked out much better for new WVII weekend sports anchor John Chandler. The lifelong baseball fan and diehard Cleveland Indians and Browns fan arrived at his new station just in time for the spring college and high school… Read More
The good news continues to roll in for local sports radio listeners, especially those who follow high school sports. Despite the recent purchase of another local radio station by an out-of-state conglomerate, local sports fans have nothing to fear. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
Sports fans in the Piscataquis County area can rest a little easier. The sale of Dover-Foxcroft radio station WDME – an institution in the local area – shouldn’t drastically alter its emphasis on local programming, especially local sports coverage. “We’re going to be committed to… Read More
‘Tis the season for local television and radio stations to get their Sox on. With the start of the Boston Red Sox regular season only 10 days away, local Red Sox network affiliates are ironing out last-minute details in their broadcast contracts. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
University of Maine hockey fans who aren’t able to make the trip to Worcester, Mass., for Friday’s NCAA East Regional game against Minnesota will nonetheless be able to watch the contest. WABI-TV (Channel 5) in Bangor has successfully bid with the NCAA to broadcast the… Read More
Just four months after arriving in the Bangor area, WVII sports director Mike Avery and WABI sports reporter Jennifer Blossom have already left or are on their way out of the market. Avery will be leaving his job at the Bangor ABC affiliate later this… Read More
It’s just a coincidence that Tournament Week happens to coincide with television’s February sweeps weeks for national and local Neilsen ratings, but tourney week holds the same kind of importance, ratings-wise and otherwise, for Maine public television. Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation, now in the second… Read More
For the third straight year, WABI’s loss is WBGR’s gain and everyone – both stations, local viewers and even CBS – couldn’t be much happier. Due to scheduling conflicts with live University of Maine sports and high school basketball tournament broadcasts, Bangor station and CBS… Read More
The years of non-cable or satellite viewers being shut out of the Super Bowl will end next year. And for fans of college football, NASCAR, and Major League Baseball, help is on the way for you, too. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
The rash of recent dot-com failures has had its effects on the sports front in the Bangor area. The financial woes of BroadcastAmerica.com impacted the broadcast plans of all-sports radio station WZON (620 AM), but fortunately for WZON, the timing was such that its ability… Read More
Hockey East and Fox Sports Net New England have renewed an exclusive, multiyear deal that will ensure Hockey East games will be seen on FSNNE for a fourth straight season. The deal, which extends the contract through the 2001-2002 season, includes nine regular season games,… Read More