Black Bear Sports Network is the radio and television name for University of Maine sports. The radio affiliates broadcast football, men's and women's basketball, men's ice hockey and select baseball and softball games. The current network formed in the summer of 2007 when Learfield Sports took over the marketing for the Maine Black Bears. Previous to this the radio network was known as The Sports Zone Black Bear Network and was heard on Bangor, Maine ESPN Radio affiliate WZON, at times including WLOB and WEGP.
WABI-TV, Bangor's CBS affiliate was the long-time television home for Black Bear sports, including most home football games and men's and women's basketball games (also carried on Portland CW affiliate WPXT); WABI's relationship with UMaine, which dated to the station's founding in 1953 (outside of a period from 1989 through 1997 in which rival WLBZ-TV held the rights) ended in 2013, after the station was unable to reach a renewal deal with Learfield Sports. [1] In July 2013, Learfield reached a deal to make WVII-TV and WFVX-LD, Bangor's ABC and Fox affiliates, the new flagship television stations for the Black Bear Sports Network. As part of the deal, Black Bear sports telecasts will also be seen on Fox College Sports, and production will be handled by Pack Network (WABI had produced its telecasts in-house). [2] Select basketball games are carried on ESPN Plus and America East TV and picked up by NESN or carried locally on other Bangor-based television stations.
In 2013 new 5-year deals were announced, Blueberry Broadcasting's WVOM-FM/WVOM/WVQM will be the flagship for men's ice hockey and football, Waterfront Communications' WGUY will be the flagship for basketball and baseball.
Station | Frequency | City | Format | Sports carried | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
WVOM-FM | 103.9 | Howland/Bangor | News/Talk | Ice Hockey (2007, 2013–) & Football (2007–08, 2013–) | |
WVQM | 101.3 | Augusta | News/Talk | Ice Hockey (2013-) & Football (2013-) | |
WLOB | 1310 | Portland | News/Talk | Football, Select Men's basketball | |
WTOS | 910 | Bangor | Fox Sports Radio | Basketball (2011-2013) & Baseball (2012-2013), Overflow football and hockey (2014-) | Co-flagship with WAEI-FM from 2008-2011) |
WGUY | 1230 | Veazie/Bangor | Oldies | Basketball, Baseball, Softball (2013-) | |
WBAN | 1340 | News/Talk | Overflow basketball and baseball games (2013-) | ||
WHZP | 1400 | News/Talk | Overflow basketball and baseball games (2013-) |
Station | Frequency | City | Format | Sports carried | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
WBCQ-FM | 94.7 | Monticello | Classic Country | Hockey | Affiliated ended after 2012-2013 season |
WGUY | 102.1 | Dexter | Oldies | Basketball (2007), Baseball/Softball (2008) | Later sold with sports moving to WAEI for 2008-2009 season |
Fox Sports Maine | 97.5/1450/1280 | Madison/Rockland, Gardiner | Fox Sports Radio | Basketball, Baseball, Select hockey & football games. Affiliation ended at the end of the 2012-2013 academic year. | |
WKSQ | 94.5 | Ellsworth | Hot AC | Football (2011-2012) & Hockey (2011-2013) | |
WAEI-FM | 97.1 | Bangor | Sports Talk | Football (2009-2010), Hockey (2008-2011), Basketball (2008-2011), Baseball (2009–11) | Co-flagship with WAEI 910 |
WVOM | 1450 | Rockland/Bangor | News/Talk | Basketball (until 2012-13 season), Baseball (until 2013 season), Ice Hockey (2013-2022) & Football (2013-2022) | Carried University of Maine sports when it was part of trimulcast of Fox Sports Maine |
WVII-TV is a television station in Bangor, Maine, United States, affiliated with ABC and Fox. The station is owned by Rockfleet Broadcasting, and has studios on Target Industrial Circle in West Bangor; its transmitter is located on Black Cap Mountain along the Penobscot–Hancock county line.
WLBZ is a television station in Bangor, Maine, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Mount Hope Avenue in Bangor, and its transmitter is located on Rider Bluff in Holden.
WAGM-TV is a television station in Presque Isle, Maine, United States, affiliated with CBS, Fox and The CW Plus. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Fort Kent–licensed low-power NBC affiliate WWPI-LD. The two stations share studios on Brewer Road in Presque Isle; WAGM-TV's transmitter is located on the northern section of Mars Hill Mountain among the wind turbines.
WABI-TV is a television station in Bangor, Maine, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. Owned by Gray Television, the station has studios on Hildreth Street in West Bangor, and its transmitter is atop Peaked Mountain in Dixmont.
WFVX-LD is a low-power television station in Bangor, Maine, United States, affiliated with Fox and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Rockfleet Broadcasting alongside ABC affiliate WVII-TV. Both stations share studios on Target Industrial Circle in West Bangor, while WFVX-LD's transmitter is located on Black Cap Mountain along the Penobscot and Hancock county line.
WPFO is a television station licensed to Waterville, Maine, United States, serving the Portland area as an affiliate of the Fox network. It is owned by Cunningham Broadcasting, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of CBS affiliate WGME-TV, for the provision of certain services. However, Sinclair effectively owns WPFO as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The stations share studios on Northport Drive in the North Deering section of Portland, while WPFO's transmitter is located on Brown Hill west of Raymond.
WLOB is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Portland, Maine. The station is owned by Atlantic Coast Radio and airs a Talk radio format. The studios and transmitter are on Warren Avenue in Portland. WLOB transmits with 5,000 watts using a directional antenna to protect other stations on its frequency.
WZON is an AM radio station broadcasting an oldies format, with one afternoon talk show. The station is licensed to Bangor and serves Central Maine.
Fox Sports Maine was a network of sports/talk stations owned by Blueberry Broadcasting carrying Fox Sports Radio. Located in Central Maine, it comprised WFAU in Gardiner, Maine, WVOM in Rockland, Maine, and WIGY in Madison, Maine. Its studios were located in Augusta, Maine. The network also carried some CBS Sports Radio programming.
WVOM-FM is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Howland, Maine and serving Central and Down East Maine, including Bangor. It airs a talk radio format and is owned by Maine-based Blueberry Broadcasting which is headed by Louis Vitale and Bruce Biette. WVOM-FM is known as "The Voice of Maine News/Talk Network."
WBFB is a commercial FM radio station in Bangor, Maine. The station is owned by Blueberry Broadcasting and airs a country music radio format, simulcast on sister stations WBFE in Bar Harbor and WMCM in Rockland.
The Maine Black Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of Maine. A member of the America East Conference, the University of Maine sponsors teams in eight men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports. The men's and women's ice hockey teams are members of Hockey East, and the football team is an associate member of the Colonial Athletic Association.
WVQM is a commercial radio station in Augusta, Maine. It simulcasts a talk radio format with 103.9 WVOM-FM in Bangor. The stations are owned by Blueberry Broadcasting. The radio studios and offices are on Target Industrial Circle in Bangor with additional studios at Community Drive in Augusta.
WBAK is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Belfast, Maine. It is owned by Blueberry Broadcasting, and broadcasts a classic hits radio format. Its programming is also simulcast on WBKA in Bar Harbor, as well as WABK-FM in Gardiner.
WTOS is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Bangor, Maine, United States. The station is owned by Blueberry Broadcasting. WTOS broadcasts a mainstream rock format, simulcast with WTOS-FM in Skowhegan and WTUX in Gouldsboro.
The Boston Celtics Radio Network is a radio network that broadcasts Boston Celtics basketball games with a flagship station of WBZ-FM (98.5). Carried in 5 of the 6 New England states, the network has 27 stations.
WKSQ is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Ellsworth, Maine, and serving the Bangor metropolitan area. The station broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for part of November and December. It is owned by Blueberry Broadcasting. Programming is simulcast in the Skowhegan area on WQSK in Madison, which was formerly part of Fox Sports Maine. And in the Mid Coast area, WKSQ is simulcast on WQSS in Camden, which formerly offered its own adult contemporary format.
WGUY is a radio station licensed to Veazie, Maine, United States. It is owned by Port Broadcasting, LLC. The station signed on in November 2011 as a simulcast of co-owned WNZS. In May 2012 WGUY broke away from the WNZS simulcast, and began simulcasting on 94.1 FM and broadcasting an oldies format.
Memorial Gym, nicknamed "The Pit", is a 3,100-seat multipurpose arena in Orono, Maine. It is home to the University of Maine Black Bears men's and women's basketball teams. Maine played 10 men's and women's basketball games during 2011–12 at Memorial Gym. The men’s team has held a total of eight games at Memorial Gym since 2003–04. The Gym was home to Black Bears Basketball from 1935 to 1989, before moving some games to Bangor Auditorium.
The 2021–22 Maine Black Bears men's basketball team represented the University of Maine in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They played their home games at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine and were led by fourth-year head coach Richard Barron until his resignation on February 17, 2022. Assistant coach Jai Steadman was named the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. They were members of the America East Conference. They finished the season 6–23, 3–15 in America East play to finish in last place. They failed to qualify for the America East Tournament.
Initial press release on movement of radio affiliates
UM Network adds WLOB [ permanent dead link ]
2010 Black Bear radio guide Black Bear Sports Properties SecuresNew 5 Year Relationship with Blueberry Broadcasting & Waterfront Communications