Maine Public Broadcasting Network
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Maine Public Broadcasting Network | |
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| Statewide Maine | |
| Branding | MPBN |
| Slogan | More to Explore |
| Channels | (various, see article) analog, (various, see article) digital |
| Affiliations | PBS |
| Owner | Maine Public Broadcasting Network |
| Founded | 1961 (WCBB) 1963 (original MPBN) 1992 (current incarnation) |
| Former callsigns | (various, see article) |
| Former affiliations | NET (1961-1970) |
| Website | www.mpbc.org |
The Maine Public Broadcasting Network (abbreviated MPBN) is a television and radio broadcasting network located in the state of Maine in the United States. It was previously known as Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation.
MPBN shows a block of PBS Kids, PBS, and PBS Kids GO! shows as well as many documentaries including nature programs and other science programs.
MPBN's television and radio signals reach virtually all of the populated portions of Maine, and adjoining parts of New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New Brunswick. MPBN's television network is also carried on cable in most of New Brunswick.
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[edit] History
Maine had two public broadcasting organizations for several years: WCBB-TV in Augusta and Portland, a combined venture of Colby College, Bates College, and Bowdoin College; and the original MPBN television and radio network broadcasting from the University of Maine in Orono (near Bangor).
In 1992 they merged their operations to form the Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation, using the on-air names Maine Public Television (later Maine PBS) and Maine Public Radio. In 2005 the stations returned to using the MPBN name. WMEA Channel 26 was the flagship station for the now-defunct Maine Public Television Plus, a secondary PBS service launched in the mid-1990's.
[edit] Controversy
In 2000 and 2001, in an effort to increase listenership and make the station more attractive to underwriters, Maine Public Radio, under the leadership of Vice-President for Radio Services, Charles Beck, made a number of changes in staff and programming. In the course of 24 months, longtime classical music hosts Victor Hathaway, Virgil Bissett, Helen York and Dave Bunker left the station. The live broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera on saturday afternoons which had been a mainstay of classical music broadcasting for more than twenty years was discontinued. Despite Maine Public Broadcasting's claims that the opera was being dropped due to lack of popularity among listeners, a citizens' protest forced the network to reinstate the Saturday afternoon opera after a few months.
In January 2005, Maine Public Broadcasting joined a few other PBS stations in showing the controversial Sugartime episode of Postcards From Buster.
In 2006 and 2007 Maine humorist and veteran jazz host Robert Skoglund, a.k.a. The humble Farmer, aired controversial humorous comments pointed at current government leaders and at the Republican administration under President George W. Bush. Charles Beck formally reprimanded the ever loquacious Skoglund in a letter threatening to remove him from the airwaves if he did not curb his remarks. In response to this censorship, Skoglund went silent - limiting his vocal utterances during the program to one or two word identifications of songs or musicians. Listeners accustomed to The humble Farmer's rambling anecdotes have been protesting in letters to the station and to newspapers across the state. According to news sources the MPBN Board of Trustees will take up the matter in a special meeting in April 2007. Sources: Bangor Daily News article by Tom Groening, March 16, 2007 http://www.bangordailynews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=147541&zoneid=164
A copy of Beck's letter to Skoglund can be found at NCAC: http://ncac.org/entertainment/20070312~ME-Belfast~Defend_Free_
[edit] Television stations
MPBN operates 5 television transmitters:
| Station | Analog Channel | Digital Channel | City | Founded |
| WCBB-TV | 10 | 17 | Augusta/Lewiston/Portland | November 13, 1961 |
| WMEM-TV | 10 | 20 | Presque Isle | February 17, 1964 |
| WMEB-TV | 12 | 9 | Orono/Bangor | September 23, 1963 |
| WMEA-TV | 26 | 45 | Biddeford/Portland | June 6, 1984 |
| WMED-TV | 13 | 10 | Calais | September 15, 1965 |
MPBN also operates 4 translator stations:
| Station | Analog Channel | City |
| W04BH | 4 | Allagash |
| W04BS | 4 | Bethel |
| W03AM | 3 | Harrison |
| W04AY | 4 | St. Francais |
Note -- The "ME" in most of the callsigns is the postal code for Maine. WCBB stands for "Colby, Bates and Bowdoin Colleges".
[edit] Radio stations
MPBN operates 7 radio transmitters:
| Station | Frequency | City |
| WMEA-FM | 90.1 | Portland |
| WMEP-FM | 90.5 | Camden |
| WMEW-FM | 91.3 | Waterville |
| WMEH-FM | 90.9 | Bangor |
| WMED-FM | 89.7 | Calais |
| WMEM-FM | 106.1 | Presque Isle |
| WMEF-FM | 106.5 | Fort Kent |
[edit] External links
- Maine Public Broadcasting's main site
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WCBB
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WMEM
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WMEB
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WMEA
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WMED
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WMEA
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WMEP
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WMEW
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WMEH
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WMED
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WMEM
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WMEF
By frequency: 88.3 | 89.3 | 90.1 | 90.9/104.1 | 91.9 | 92.1 | 92.7 | 93.1 | 94.3 | 94.9 | 95.5 | 95.9 | 96.3 | 97.9 | 98.9 | 99.9/96.9 | 100.9 | 101.9 | 102.9 | 103.7 | 104.7 | 105.1 | 105.9 | 106.3 | 106.7 | 107.5
By callsign: W224BQ | WBCI | WBLM | WBQW | WCLZ | WCYY | WFNK | WHOM | WHXQ/WHXR | WJBQ | WJJB-FM | WJZP | WLOB | WMEA | WMGX | WMPG/W281AC | WMSJ | WPOR | WPHX-FM | WPKQ | WRED | WTHT/W245AA | WYAR | WYFP | WYNZ
- See also: List of United States radio markets
(FM) WMDR-FM - 88.9 | WMHB - 89.7 | WMEW - 91.3/WMEP - 90.5 | WMME - 92.3 | WCTB - 93.5 | WCYI - 93.9 | WWWA - 95.3 | WLOB - 96.3 | WCME - 96.7 | WIGY - 97.5 | WEBB - 98.5 | WKTJ - 99.3 | WUMF - 100.1 | W263AS - 100.5 | WKCG - 101.3 | WQSS - 102.5 | WBLM - 102.9 | WMCM - 103.3 | WABK - 104.3 | WTOS - 105.1 | WBCI - 105.9 | WBQX - 106.9 | WFNK - 107.5 | WFMX - 107.9
(AM) WSKW - 1160 | WFAU - 1280 | WMDR - 1340 | WJZN - 1400 | WRKD - 1450 | WTVL - 1490
(FM) WHCF - 88.5 | WHSN - 89.3 | WERU - 89.9 | WMEH - 90.9 | WMEB - 91.9 | WEZQ - 92.9 | WKSQ - 94.5 | WWMJ - 95.7 | WWBX - 97.1 | WJCX - 99.5 | WKIT - 100.3 | WFZX - 101.7 | WGUY - 102.1 | WVOM - 103.9 | WBFB - 104.7 | WQCB - 106.5 | WBZN - 107.3 | WBQI 107.7
(AM) WZON - 620 | WABI - 910 | WNZS - 1340 | WWNZ - 1400
By frequency: (FM) | 89.7 | 90.5/90.7 | 91.7 | 92.1 | 92.7 | 93.7 | 95.3 | 96.1 | 96.9 | 97.7 | 97.7 | 98.1 | 100.1 | 101.9 | 101.9 | 102.3 | 102.9 | 103.1 | 106.1 | 106.5
(AM) 600 | 710 | 1390
By callsign: | W270BD | WALZ | WBPW | WCRQ | WCXX/WCXU/WCXV/W276AY | WEGP | WFST | WHOU | WMED/WMEF/WMEM | WNSX | WOZI | WQDY | WQHR | WREM | WRMO | WUMM | WUPI |
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WLBZ 2 (NBC) (WX+ on DT2) - WABI 5 (CBS) (The CW via "WBAN" on DT2) - WVII 7 (ABC) (FOX / MNTV via WFVX-LP on DT2) - WMEB 12 / WMED 13 (PBS / MPBN) - |
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| Cable television channels | |||
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NECN - NESN - FSN New England - CBMT (CBC, Montreal) - WSBK (Ind, Boston) - "WBAN" (The CW) See also Broadcast television in the Presque Isle, ME market
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| American stations (Presque Isle / Caribou) | |||
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WAGM 8 (CBS) (FOX on DT1) - WMEM 10 (PBS / MPBN) - W51AG 51 (TBN) |
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| Canadian stations (Woodstock / Edmundston / Grand Falls) | |||
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CKLT-1 3 (CTV) - CIMT-TV-1 4 (TVA) - CBAT-1 6 (CBC) - CBAFT-2 13 (SRC) - CIHF-11 38 (Global) - CFTF-TV-1 42 (TQS) |
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| Local and regional cable television channels | |||
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NECN - NESN - FSN New England - "WBPQ" 13 (The CW) - Atlantic Satellite Network |
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| Bangor Broadcast television available on cable only: | |||
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Bangor market: WMEB 12 (Orono) - WMED 13 (Calais) |
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| See also: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, UPN, WB and Other stations in Maine | |
