Re: News Story

[rjoc@webtv.net (Rod O'Connor)]

WDEA 1370 stopped local sports 2 winters ago. I was told recently by one
of the Cumuus staffers it was because they couldn't find anybody to work
the control board and coordinate the remotes. Then when Cumulus took
over and moved just about everything to their Brewer complex and joined
with  WQCB/WWMJ/WEZQ and WBZN they just kept the local Ellsworth studio
for early morning broadcasts (And the bare minimal requirement for WDEA
to hang onto its' Ellsworth ID.) Sports were totally eliminated, along
with  syndicated shows such as "The Swinging Years" Sat. mornings and
"Sounds of Sinatra" on Sat. nights. The only local programming now on
WDEA is 6-9AM Mon-Fri. with Rick Foster doing local live adult
standards. The rest of the day and weekends it is  ABC's "Stardust"
Satellite feed  with "Unforgettable" standards. 

Local sports were a common feature on the old "Bridge" WMDI 107.7 Bar
Harbor before it was sold to  Mariner Broadcasting last spring and
became part of Maine's  "WBACH Classical Network".  You can rest assured
they will never preempt their programming for local play-by-play of the
Mount Desert Island Trojans (Football team).

Aside from WABI 910 and their dedication to local sports, the only other
area sports broadcasts are occasional games on  WQDY/WALZ Calais/Machias
and I recently heard a HS basketball game on "The Tide"  CHTD 98.1FM
Saint Stephen NB.

Personally, I think WDEA/Cumulus could realize sustantial ad sales as
well as dedicated listeners if they did feature more local sports....but
I am sure that powers to be at Cumulus must have a good reason to think
otherwise.  Even Community radio WERU 89.9 Blue Hill has been debating
about carrying local HS Sports.

Rod O'Connor
Southwest Harbor, Maine