'Tis the season ... for recollection, review, and resolutions.
The year 2005 was a significant one in the local, regional andnational telecommunications arena.
There were many milestones, developments, benchmarks, and advancesmade in the radio, television, telephone and Internet fields as theypertain to sports.
On the local front, Bangor TV station WABI (Channel 5) scoredanother statewide first when it aired all three state championshiphigh school football games live on the same day in November. Theambitious venture was met with plenty of support, appreciation andfanfare, and seems like a good bet for a repeat.
Bangor all-sports radio station WZON (620 AM) aired its 3,000thlive, locally produced sportscast this month. It's quite anaccomplishment considering many doubted the viability of an all-sports radio station in a media market ranked 155th nationally byACNielsen ratings back in 1994 when owners Stephen and Tabitha Kingswitched the format to all-sports. Bangor has since moved up to No.151 and The Sports Zone also has been growing in an upward direction.
Bangor TV station WVII (Ch. 7) once again tried to broadcast NewEngland Patriots preseason games live and once again was thwarted byarchaic NFL broadcast exclusivity rules limiting broadcasts to homemarkets no more than 50 miles beyond the host team's home city. So,once again, WVII aired the games on a tape-delayed basis. One ofthese years, the station's pass attempt might be completed.
Regionally speaking, Fox Sports Net New England startedcelebrating its 25th year of broadcasting the Boston Celtics. It'squite a milestone, in this modern era of monopolistic mega-mediacorporations, massive mergers and specialized cable and satellite TV-radio stations and networks, for one entity to have a partnershipwith a professional franchise in one of the 'big four' sports leaguesthat has been such a long, continuous relationship.
New England Sports Network debuted two new regional sportsconference shows focusing on Hockey East and America East, both ofwhich have received positive responses from viewers and advertisersalike.
NESN also made news on the local and regional fronts when Addisonnative Barry Alley won a New England Emmy Award for photography workdone on a network special about Celtics founder, executive, andformer coach Red Auerbach.
Cable sports network giant ESPN made local, regional and nationalnews when it aired a live segment of its trademark SportsCenter showfrom the annual Machias Blueberry Festival as part of itsSportsCenter Across America promotion.
Longtime Aroostook county resident, Madawaska High School graduateand Thomas College alumna Tiffany Nelson made multiple appearances onESPN and ESPN2 as her professional 9-ball pool (billiards) career hasvaulted her into the Women's Professional Billiards Association's top25 rankings.
Bangor native Marcus Davis appeared on the second installment ofSpike Network's Ultimate Fighter UFC reality show series and lasteduntil the midpoint of the season before being eliminated.
Both Major League Baseball and minor league baseball fully doveinto the Internet with the majors adding radio and TV Web casts andWeb streaming capability to its site. Its minor-league counterpart'sWeb site underwent a complete overhaul with the same capabilities andfeatures to make it more fan-friendly.
Here's hoping 2006 holds more technical advances, groundbreakingmoments and pleasant surprises for every couch potato and network-station official in Maine, New England, and the U.S.
Have a safe, happy, and successful New Year!
Andrew Neff can be reached at 990-8205, 1-800-310-8600 or ataneff@bangordailynews.net
