Broadcast vet returns

BIDDEFORD — A familiar face will return to the airwaves during the 2009 football season.

Andrew Poirier will be broadcasting Biddeford High School football games this season for Channel 3, Biddeford Local Access.

Poirier, a veteran of 23 years in broadcasting, has done various high school games throughout his career, but has returned this season after a 5-year hiatus.

“I’ve been toying around with the idea for a while,” Poirier said. “I missed it. I used to do T.V. and radio for 23 years and we haven’t done anything for five years and nobody has stepped up to do football for Biddeford. We talked about possibly doing a game or two, and then the adrenaline started flowing. I ran it by my wife, because I have to talk to the upper brass of my family and she gave me her blessing.”

Poirier said he enjoys bringing the games to people who may otherwise not be able to make the game in person.

“It’s a good thing to do for the community,” he said. “I love putting the kids on T.V., and I know they enjoy it. And I love to bring it to people who can’t make the game, people in nursing homes and people who work second shift and they can’t see a game. With everything combined, that’s why I wanted to come back.”

Poirier got into broadcasting in college, as his high school athletic career at Biddeford was cut short do to a heart condition.

“One time I was watching publice access, and not to criticize people, but I said, ”˜I can do a better job than that,’” Poirier said. “Senior year there was a fun class with Jim McGuire. You had to be a sports agent, you had to do play-by-play, everything was revolved around sports. What happened was, I got an A in the class and I knew that was my calling. I was going to Graham Junior College, but back then the racial problems were going on in Boston in the mid 70s, and I was a shy kid from Biddeford who was 17 and I got scared away from going to school. I wish I had gone now but it was too late.”

Poirier said the late Tony Alamo gave him his first oppurtunity to broadcast games on Channel 30, CTV out of Saco, doing play-by-play for many different high school sports and college sports, as well as boxing matches with former Maine boxer Joey Gamache as his color analyst.

Poirier also had the oppurtunity to broadcast games on radio with the now Maine Rep. George Hogan (D-Old Orchard Beach) on WIE for four years. His last position was radio broadcasts for WLPP and WLAM for Portland and Lewiston High School games.

On top of his broadcasting duties, Poirier also hosts a local access sports talk show, “Talking Sports 2009,” in which he brings on many area athletes as guests.

Poirier said the show first started at CTV in the mid 1990s as an interview show, and gave much of the credit for the return of the show to “Talking Sports 2009” Producer Steve Pulos.

“(Former Biddeford football coach) Brian Curit was my first guest, and we would tape two shows on a Sunday,” he said. “We taped about 30 or 40 shows and kind of tailed off of it. Then I just recently did a show for my church. My wife and I run the Agape Coffehouse in Saco, I was asked to do a couple shows to set up the coffehouse by Steve and he said, ”˜Why don’t you do a show?’ So a lot of people saw the show and people said nobody was doing sports, so Steve kind of weened me back into it and it didn’t take a lot of poking and proding to do.”

The show aired in January, with about 40 shows taped. Poirier said he “has a ball,” hosting the show.

“The DNA of this show is high school sports,” he said. “That’s what we started, that’s where we’re going with this. It’s nice to get all the bigger names on, too.”

Poirier said he has Biddeford High School coaches and players scheduled for the show until November, but future guests will also include Austin Ainge, the head coach of the Maine Red Claws, the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Bobcats new developmental team in the NBA D-League, as well as Red Claws players.

While Poirier puts much time and effort into his show and broadcasts, he still works a full-time job at Hannafords in Biddeford, a position he has had for 23 years, as well as run the Agape Coffehouse at Seacoast Chapel in Saco with his wife, Donna.

Even though the schedule seems hectic, Poirier said it doesn’t phase him.

“I work for a great company that understands that serving the community is important,” Poirier said. “So when I do football this year, I start at 8:30 at night, they know I might be there at 10, but they gave me their blessing, and they give that rope to come in a little later and stay a little later, because they know how important it is to serve the community. When you enjoy what you’re doing, it doesn’t seem like work.”

Poirier said he has recieved a great support on the “Talking Sports 2009” show from the community.

“It’s been great. We run into people that, I don’t know if it’s when I’m working at night, or if I’m on the street or go to a restaurant. People have been great, I haven’t heard one negative comment. People love it, they love having us back on, and now that they know I’m doing high school football again, they’re excited to not just have me back but have football back. My point is we’re going to do a good show for them. We’re going to do it the right way. We’ll have a pre-game show, a post-game show and we’ll keep it nice and for the kids. It will be a positive thing.”

Poirier said he plans to continue to broadcast games as well as host the show for the forseeable future.

“If it would be my choice, I would do every sport year round,” he said. “But I have a family. I have a great wife. We’re both busy, we have a coffehouse. My faith is my first priority, and my family. With sports, it’s fun to do as long as it doesn’t interfere with that part of it. As long as it’s fun, football is a trial thing. I would like to see other people step up and volunteer. As long as it continues to be fun, I don’t see an end to it right now.”