Last Wednesday’s storm caused a lot of damage around southern Maine and left many of you in the dark.  It was pretty scary, even for those of us who didn’t experience tornadoes in their neighborhood. 

A few days after the storm, I made the mistake of visiting a discussion board concerning radio in the region.  I say “mistake” because I have invariably learned that most of the people who post regularly to these sites fall into several categories: 

1)  Genuine “radio buffs” who are for the most part a nice group of people and love to share stories about the old days;
2)  Those who have been peripherally involved in radio through a related field (or have dreamed of being in radio but for whatever reason didn’t make it happen) and believe they are expert on the subject;
3)  Disgruntled former radio employees who were either pushed out due to economic conditions, changes in technology, or simply because they just weren’t getting the job done (or were not worth putting up with).

I like to visit these boards to see what group 1 is up to-sometimes I learn something from them. Unfortunately, I get far too much of group 2 and 3.   In the case of my most recent visit, I came across a thread lamenting what they believed to be a lack of radio coverage of the storm.  Several even claimed that WGAN dropped the ball in not having any coverage.

This just isn’t true, and is why I need to remind myself not to visit these places, since nobody seems to be terribly concerned with the truth, just a narrative that makes them feel like they’re far smarter than those of us who still actually work at radio stations.   WGAN DID have storm coverage.  I ought to know; I was the one delivering the updates on the air.

As soon as the tornado warning went into effect in Cumberland County shortly after 7pm, we began airing updates on WGAN every 10-15 minutes, including during our newscasts.  These were about a minute in length, reminding listeners of the tornado warning, identifying several areas reporting damage already, and urging listeners to use caution.  A more extended report ran at 8pm, followed by additional updates at 8:30pm and 9pm.  The 9pm updated included the latest totals on power outages, which had not yet peaked.  By 9pm, the storm had passed through the area, but our news updates from 9:30pm on had information regarding the aftermath of the storm.  

We pay attention when big news events like this happen.  We do not concede as others sometimes do that certain stories are “TV events”.    We take our position as Maine’s breaking news leader pretty seriously, and try to deliver on that promise every time. 

Don’t take our word for it.  Take the Associated Press’ word.  We just were awarded 1st place in their annual Radio/TV News Awards for Spot News Coverage in Maine.  It’s the 4th year in a row we won the award.

We stand by our record.  I’m proud of it.  I’ll be paying a visit to our wall of plaques and reminding myself of our record the next time I see a post from one of my friends in groups 2 or 3.

Just an FYI-today’s the last day for you to sign up for the WGAN Insider Club so you can get information about how to win a trip to Washington DC for the “Restoring Honor” rally on August 28th.  The winner gets 2 seats on a bus headed to the rally Friday 8/27 from Saco to Washington DC, plus a 1-night hotel stay (the bus heads back after the rally and arrives home early Sunday morning).  Insiders will get information through the E-News Update about how to enter to win.  Click here to sign up!

I recently got back from my honeymoon in Antigua.  It’s a beautiful country, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes sunshine, beaches, and tropical scenery. 

On our next-to-last day in the country, we went on a tour of the island.  It became obvious after a short time that our driver was some kind of local celebrity.  No matter where we drove he was greeted with waves from locals.  As we drove he explained to us that he was active in the island’s politics.  During election season, he mounts speakers on the top of his vehicle and drives around campaigning for candidates. 

Late in the tour, we drove past a mountain range.  The highest point in Antigua stands about 1600 feet above sea level.  Our driver explained that this peak is now officially called Mount Obama.  The mountain was changed several months after the 2008 election by order of the country’s prime minister.  The driver was clearly not happy with this decision (or the prime minister in general).  He said “Why should someone who’s never even been to Antigua have a mountain named after him?  What has he done for Antigua?  Nothing.  What is he going to do for Antigua?  Nothing!”  He then carried on a bit more about the Prime Minister, who I am guessing is not one of the candidates he campaigns for when he drives around the island during election season.

It was an interesting look at how people perceive the President in other countries.  Clearly it’s not all positive.

This morning the front page of the Press Herald features this article about the newspaper’s move to new offices.   Bill Nemitz also wrote a column looking back at his memories there. 

I was a little disappointed that outside of a passing mention in Bill’s column that WGAN-TV was on the 5th floor at one time, they failed to bring up the history of other media organizations at the building on Exchange Street. 

WGAN-AM broadcast from the Press-Herald building for about 25 years, from the early 50’s to the mid-70’s.  At the time, the radio station was located on the floor below the TV station.  We don’t have a lot of material from that era; the station ended up moving in the mid-70’s first to Northport Plaza (where WGME-TV still resides today) and later to a building on High Street in Portland before ending up at its current location on Western Avenue in South Portland in the early 90’s. 

Our Anchor Mike Audet, who worked for WGAN in the 70’s at the building, told me a story during WGAN’s 70th anniversary celebration about the time he was the only person in the newsroom when pro wrestler Chief Jay Strongbow showed up looking for former WGAN-TV anchor Frank Fixaris-at 5 in the morning.  The wrestler had misunderstood Fixaris’ request to come by “at around 5″ for an interview that afternoon. 

WGAN originally broadcast from the Columbia Hotel on Congress Street in Portland; that building was renovated recently into an apartment complex. 

Learn more about WGAN’s history by clicking on our 70th anniversary page.

Today, Critical Insights released a poll that gauged just how well Maine voters recognized the Republican and Democrat candidates for Governor.  

600 telephone interviews of likely primary voters were conducted between April 28th and May 7th; each participant was asked to identify as many candidates as they could.

The results are not necessarily surprising:  Les Otten leads all candidates in recognition.  30% of the respondents were able to name him.  Otten has been the most visible in radio and television advertising (including here on WGAN).

Finishing in a tie for second is Libby Mitchell and Peter Mills at 16% each.  Though Mills has been running television ads in recent weeks, both candidates are probably better known for their lengthy careers in Maine politics (including Mills’ failed 2006 run for Governor). 

Steve Rowe (who has not yet been on television) is next with 11%.  No other candidate garnered more than 9% of recognition among likely voters, includng Bruce Poloquin, who has run a fairly decent amount of television advertising to date.

Poloquin fares slightly better among likely Republican voters, with 14% recognition.  That’s not close to Otten’s 42%, which leads the field.  Peter Mills finishes 2nd with 23% of the vote.  Among likely Democrat voters, Libby Mitchell leads with 22% recognition. Steve Rowe is next with 16%, followed by Pat McGowan with 15%.

It’s important to note that just because a voter recognizes a candidate, there’s no guarantee that they will end up voting for that person.  The poll is, however, a good indicator of who’s getting the word out about their campaign.  At the least, high recognition means there’s a larger potential pool of voters than candidates with low recognition.

It’s also important to note the survey was conducted in the first week of May.  The first major broadcast debate among Democrat candidates was held on April 28th, at the beginning of the survey period; the first major broadcast debate for Republicans was last Friday at the convention, at the end of the survey period (both of which aired on WGAN).  With the exception of Otten, Poloquin, and Mills to a limited extent, none of the candidates had yet begun an earnest advertising campaign on either radio or television when the survey was being conducted. 

In other words:  There’s a long way to go.

Thanks to all the delegates at the Republican Convention who came up to Ken and Mike Friday to talk to them about the show.  We were in a much more visible location for Friday’s broadcast (not because the Democrats were trying to hide us-for technical reasons we had to broadcast in a corner of the Irish Heritage Center that was out of view from the attendees of that debate) and we got lots of hellos.  Both Senator Collins and Senator Snowe (with former Governor McKernan) stopped by to greet us, as well as all 7 GOP candidates.

Some observations on the event:

–We had more than one person ask us why it wasn’t an “open forum” debate-meaning that the audience could ask questions.  We were not directly involved in the planning on how the debate was moderated-that was determined by Maine Today Media and WGME-but with 2,000 people in attendance and 7 candidates-and only 1 hour for the debate-I am going to guess that MTM and WGME decided that it was best to have pre-selected questions in order to maximize the time and keep things moving.

–Gregg Lagerquist, once again, did an excellent job in the debate.  The only question that struck me as odd was his question during the lightning round about American Idol (whether they thought Simon Cowell was too mean or “right on” with his criticisms).  While lighter questions were part of the format, they usually were related to Maine topics that displayed the character of the candidate in terms of how in touch they are with Maine.  For example, one of the lighter questions Friday concerned whether the candidates ate lobster tomalley (the green part for you flatlanders).  I thought the American Idol question was the only one that could have been left out. 

–The debate was much more lively than the Democratic debate-in part because there were 7 candidates, but also because there were genuine differences of opinion on some issues, most notably the future of 233 miles of track in northern Maine.

–Supporters of Paul LePage appeared to be the most vocal (followed by Bill Beardsley), though each candidate had a group of supporters there to cheer them on.

We’re making an adjustment to our WGAN Sunday afternoon lineup.

Starting this Sunday, ABC This Week with host Jake Tapper will air from 1 to 2pm.  The 1-hour show features interviews and discussion with the key newsmakers from inside the Beltway.  Combined with Meet The Press (which remains at its current timeslot from 12pm-1pm) it creates a solid 2-hour block of conversation about news and politics every Sunday afternoon.

Fans of the Handyman Show with Glenn Haege-fear not.  Glenn will air immediately following ABC This Week from 2pm-4pm.

The Kim Komando show will air from 4pm-6pm. 

Here’s the complete Sunday lineup:

6am-10am  The John McDonald Show
10am-12pm  The Garden Hotline**
12pm-1pm  Meet The Press
1pm-2pm  ABC This Week
2pm-4pm  The Handyman Show with Glenn Haege
4pm-6pm  Kim Komando
6pm-10pm  Dr. Dean Edell
10pm-1am  Bill Cunningham

**Note: we are still awaiting word on who will be replacing Ralph Snodsmith on a permanent basis.

You may have heard Ken and Mike say multiple times this morning that they didn’t book Rosa Scarcelli for this morning’s show and wouldn’t have if it was their call.

So who did book the interview?  I did.  (I’m Jeff Wade, the Program and News Director for the radio station, in case you didn’t know). 

I spoke to Ken and Mike off the air this morning.  I understand they (and some listeners who have emailed them and left messages on their Facebook page) may think that we’re playing into the Scarcelli’s campaign’s hands by giving them airtime. 

My answer to that is simple:  while I certainly would not discourage any of the other candidates for Governor to appear on the show, the only one who’s making statements suggesting John Richardson’s campaign be the subject of an independent investigation is Rosa Scarcelli.  Like it or not, that’s not only news, it’s got people talking (even it is to say they think she’s grandstanding) and listening to the radio.    Our job is to bring you interesting and compelling radio every morning-that’s why you keep listening and making our station so successful.  I don’t book guests to meet someone else’s goals (real or perceived in the case of the Scarcelli campaign).  

One other thing:  Dennis Bailey incorrectly referred to Ken as a journalist on our Facebook page.  Even Ken would tell you he’s not a journalist.  He’s a commentator.  The interviews we do on the WGAN Morning News are done by two commentators, Ken and Mike.  Sometimes news is made on the show and you hear about it during WGAN’s newscasts, which are written by WGAN’s news department, which operates seperately and independently from Ken and Mike.  I am the Program Director and News Director of WGAN.  I do book interviews on the WGAN Morning News with two goals in mind:  because I think they will be interesting and compelling to the listeners, but also in the hopes that the guests have news value.  

Ken and Mike might disagree with me, and that’s fine.  Reasonable people can disagree on things.  At the end of the day, whether the decisions we make are right or wrong are answered by you the listener.

WGAN State House Bureau Chief Mal Leary is reporting that John Richardson is calling an 11am news conference in Brunswick to announce that he’s dropping out of the race for Governor.  Read Mal’s story here.

We’ll be sending WGAN’s Mike Audet to the news conference this morning and will have more later today.

To this point, John Richardson is the only candidate for Governor who has applied for Clean Election Funds and has not been confirmed to be eligible by the Secretary of State’s office.  Exactly what the issue has not been made clear.

Today, the website pinetreepolitics.com has posted this article claiming that Richardson has not only been denied funding, but may also be investigated by the Attorney General’s office for irregularities.

Without confirmation from either the campaign or the Secretary of State (or the Attorney General for that matter), the report is purely speculative at this point.  However, it is a story we will be watching very closely in the coming days.

As far as we know right now, Richardson will be on hand for Wednesday’s Democratic Debate at the Irish Heritage Center, which WGAN will be broadcasting live.

UPDATE 4/25:  pinetreepolitics.com has posted an update on their story.  Our State House Bureau Chief Mal Leary is looking into the story as well and hopes to have something on the record by Monday morning.

UPDATE #2:  Now there’s word Richardson may hold a press conference to announce he is leaving the race.  Again, all of this has not been confirmed by the campaign-requests for comment from WGAN have gone unanswered.  We’re talking to Matt Gagnon of pinetreepolitics.com on the WGAN Morning News at 8:08am Monday.