Re: Bruins

[PUBLICREF3 <norwood@mln.lib.ma.us>]

Some reasons why WBZ might be desperate for Bruins' radio network
 affiliates in Maine:

(1) University of Maine Men's Hockey. Although recently rocked by NCAA
 sanctions, the "Black Bears" have sold-out their 6,500(?)-seat arena
 for every home games since the mid-to-late 1980's. A number of their
 home games (8 to 10 a year?) are also televised on WLBZ-2 in Bangor
 and it's sister station, WCSH-6 in Portland. I suspect their radio
 coverage isn't just in Bangot/Orono, but statewide.

Given the team's popularity (and the fact that five years ago, they won
 the NCAA Division 1 title), if you were a radio PD in Maine and had
 the choice of U/Maine hockey or the Boston Bruins, which team would
 YOU carry?

(2) TV Coverage. NESN is available to most cable systems in Maine. I
 believe WSBK-38 also still is (although I've heard that because of
 an expanded UPN program schedule that WSBK this coming season may
 only air about 25 Bruins' games, mainly weekends or late-night west-
 coast games out of conflict with the 8-10 P.M. M-F UPN schedule).
 With every game available on TV between NESN, WSBK, and Fox (ch. 51?)
 in Portland, radio coverage might go begging.

(3) Other Boston pro sports teams. Perhaps WEEI demands full schedule
 coverage of Celtics and Red Sox games.

If I were a PD at a Maine radio station carrying both the Bruins and
 Celtics, I'd broadcast all home games of both teams, and whatever
 road games fit in, without conflicting with the other team at home.

(4) Board operators. In some small Maine stations, it's satellite 
 24/7, and breaks and commercial insertions are all automated--no
 human hands necessary. To carry 10 pre-season games, 82 regular-
 season games, and up to 25 (assuming the Bruins continue to improve
 and make it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals) playoff games--
 a total of up to 117 games--you'd need to have a board op working
 168 hours on a part-time basis (assuming a three-hour game, a 30-
 minute pregame show and a 30-minute postgame show for every game).
 In the smallest radio markets, this could be a considerable expense.

(5) Local high-school sports. There are probably still a lot of high-
 school sports in the fall and winter broadcast in smaller Maine
 markets. While the number of such games on local radio up there has
 probably decliend considerably from what it once was, there's still
 some local school sports on the air.

(6) WBZ. The Bruins are on a flagship station whose 50,000-watt 
 signal will cover southern Maine (the most populous part of the
 state) during the day and all of Maine at night. Stations may be
 reluctant to take the Bruins because fans in these areas can
 already get WBZ without any problems.

(7) "The Bruins Are Losers". A year ago, this would have been a
 legitimate excuse. But next season, the Bruins should continue to
 improve and perhaps emerge as a contendor for the Stanley Cup. An
 improving Bruins team will be the best chance for WBZ to expand it's
 Bruins radio network for 1998/99 and subsequent seasons.

Incidentally, in the three years since they've been the Bruins' radio
 flagship, WBZ hasn't covered all of the team's preseason games (opting
 to do 3 to 5 a year). However, giving the team's increased popularity
 and improvements, I suspect that 'BZ will, starting this September,
 carry all 10 or so exhibition games in addition to all regular-season
 and playoff games. 


Joseph Gallant
<notquite@hotmail.com>

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