UMaine AD Ken Ralph Talks Broadcast Partnership With The Ticket

Following Friday's announcement that Townsquare Media Bangor, University of Maine Athletics and Black Bears Sports Properties were teaming together to make 92.9 The Ticket the official home of UMaine men's and women's basketball, as well as Maine baseball, Ken Ralph joined The Drive to discuss the new agreement.

"This is really exciting...92.9 The Ticket really is the home for sports in this region. To see our basketball programs and our baseball program migrate to this platform I feel like has been a long time coming and I think it's going to be a great partnership for a long time," said Ralph.

"Our goal as always is to find a home for our programming that reaches as many alumni and fans across the state as we can. To be on a sports format station so that we can compliment that coverage with week-long topical stories and interviews really makes a lot of sense," added Justin Barnes, the general manager of Black Bears Sports Properties.

Here at The Ticket, we have always provided weekly in-season coaches interviews, as well as conversations with the student-athletes and analysis of the games, but the added level of game broadcasts on Maine's Sports Leader, and the ease of knowing exactly where each game will be, is something Ralph anticipates Black Bear Nation will welcome.

"It's a wonderful partnership, I absolutely know our coaches are going to use it in recruiting. A lot of our fans are already tuned into 92.9 [The Ticket] and, you know, that's their station of choice for many of them. For them to know they don't even have to change the station to catch their Black Bear teams playing I think is going to be very well received," said the AD.

The Ticket will serve as the home for all UMaine women's basketball games beginning with the season opener at Nebraska on Nov. 9.

Most of the men's games will be featured on The Ticket as well, with select games broadcast on our sister station WDEA AM 1370.

You can hear our full conversation with Ken Ralph and Justin Barnes, below -