MPBN pulls plug on airing high school basketball games

By Ryan McLaughlin
BDN staff writer

AUGUSTA — The Maine Principals Association announced its 36-year relationship with the Maine Public Broadcasting Network appears to be over and it is seeking bidders to broadcast high school tournament basketball games.

Cory Morrissey, director of marketing and underwriting for MPBN, explained that since the MPA has added a fifth class this season, Class AA, that means that there will be games going simultaneously at three different sites instead of two and they ”simply don’t have the resources to do it.

“We don’t have enough staff to go to three different places and we would also need to have equipment at all three sites and we can’t move stuff around like that,” said Morrissey.

Beginning this winter, the five classes of basketball championships will be held at venues in Bangor, Augusta and Portland starting on Feb. 16.

In the past, MPBN has televised the regional semifinals and finals along with the state championship games.

However, Morrissey said that they will put in a bid to televise the 10 state championship games because they will be held at two sites each night instead of three, which makes it feasible for them to carry the games on their two signals.

The two Class A and two Class B state championship games will be held in Portland and Bangor, respectively, on Feb. 26 and the AA, C and D games will be held the next day in Portland (AA) and Augusta (C, D).

He said they will also offer to rebroadcast the games the following day.

Morrissey said even though MPBN loses between $20,000 to $30,000 per year on the basketball coverage, “we love doing them and feel it is part of our mission.

“We really feel it is important to be out there in the Maine communities in as many ways as possible,” said Morrissey, who estimated that they televised between 42-44 games a year ago.

They also televise the state cheerleading competitions.

Bid proposals would include live television coverage statewide of all classes at all sites for regional semifinals, finals and state championship games; live television coverage at each site for regional semifinals, finals and state championships; live web streaming for all classes at all sites, or live web streaming at each specific site, according to the MPA.