I am an avid U Maine Hockey fan living in Southern Maine and I have been
after WGME to pick up WABI telecasts for the last few months.

I did send an email to tvmail@wgme <mailto:tvmail@wgme>  thanking them for
picking up the Maine - BU game last Friday night.

I believe an Email campaign would be effective for more TV coverage in
Southern Maine.

I am by no means taking any credit for the game showing up on WGME but I can
say that making some noise helps.

Prior to the Maine - UNH games in February I called and spoke to Allen
Cartwright the General Manager of WGME.  I wanted to know why WGME was not
picking up the game at the Verizon Center when WABI was broadcasting it from
the NH station feed.  There were no good reasons and the bottom line was
that he barely knew it was happening!!!!!!!!!!

So I sent the email below to the Portland Press Herald ( as a letter to the
editor) and to WGME ( as a courtesy copy).
I don't think it ever was published in the newspaper but I figured I share
it with the list serve.
SO LETS THANK WGME FOR THE MAINE - BU GAME AND ASK THEM FOR MORE AS THE
PLAYOFFS ROLL ON.
LETS MAKE SOME NOISE SO THEY KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON IN MAINE HOCKEY!!!


Here is the email I sent to the PPH and WGME:
"Over the past several years I have been trying to understand why the
University of Maine Men's Ice Hockey does not get television coverage in
Southern Maine.  Channel 5 WABI the CBS affiliate out of Bangor broadcasts
numerous Black Bear Hockey games throughout the season.  U Maine hockey is
not just a Northern Maine sport.  When the Black Bears play their annual
game in Portland at the Cumberland County Civic Center, it is always packed.

U Maine Ice Hockey is an NCAA Division I team in the Hockey East Conference,
which is the premier conference in the country.  For the last decade U Maine
has demonstrated the highest caliber of college hockey.   They have captured
two NCAA National Championships (1993 and 1999).

This Saturday's game against UNH is broadcast in New Hampshire (WMUR) and
Northern Maine (WABI).  NOT in Southern Maine!

I am truly baffled why WGME channel 13, the Southern Maine CBS affiliate,
does not regularly pick up the games broadcast by WABI.  I talked with the
General Manager of WGME and it still does not make sense to me.  They did it
once last season so it can be done.  Please join me in contacting WGME via
email at  [log in to unmask] <MAILTO:[log in to unmask]>  or via us mail at
WGME13, 1335 Washington Avenue, Portland, Maine 04103.

If you are a U Maine Hockey fan in Southern Maine, let them know what
University of Maine Hockey television coverage means to YOU.

Go Black Bears!

Ron Fluet"


Subject:        Re: E-mail campaign
<http://lists.maine.edu/cgi/wa?A2=ind0303&L=me-hockey&D=1&F=P&O=D&P=4165>

Content-Type:           text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Of course, this e-mail address didn't work!!
:-)
I found this one: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
It hasn't bounced yet! :-)
-dt
----- Original Message ----- From: "Deron Treadwell"
<[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > Sent:
Sunday, March 02, 2003 11:28 PM Subject: E-mail campaign
> Maine fans, > > Please take a moment and e-mail WGME at [log in to unmask]
<mailto:[log in to unmask]>  and thank them for > picking up the Friday hockey
game vs. BU in southern Maine. > > Believe it or not, it was the only game a
local station picked up all year > and I want WGME to know that we
appreciate it very much (and maybe hope to > convince them to pick up more
games). > > I know that WABI in Bangor tries hard to get the games on in
southern Maine, > but they haven't found much success this year. Hopefully
this will start a > new trend! > > --- > Deron Treadwell -
[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>  >
http://www.blackbears.net <http://www.blackbears.net>  >