WPPI (95.5 FM ) is a sports radio station in the Portland, Maine , area. The station is owned by Atlantic Coast Radio .
17-502: WPPI serves as a simulcast of WPEI (95.9 FM) in Saco . Both stations, in turn, mostly carry the same programs as WEEI-FM from Boston. Some local commercials take the place of Boston commercials, and some WEEI-FM game broadcasts are substituted with Fox Sports Radio . WPPI also carries University of Maine Black Bear football and ice hockey, and Portland Pirates ice hockey . The 95.5 frequency began operations in 1993 as WPME, simulcasting
34-465: A country music format with 96.7 WCME from Boothbay Harbor (now WBQA ). A year later, the station converted to an oldies format as WXGL-FM. Atlantic Coast Radio purchased the station in 1999, and in January 2000, the station switched to an adult album alternative format as WCLZ. A few months later, WCLZ adopted a sports talk format, initially as a simulcast of WJAE ; the next year, the station took
51-588: A high-school stadium into a professional ballpark. City manager Robert Ganley led efforts to renovate Hadlock Field and return professional baseball to Portland. The team won its first game, defeating the Reading Phillies on the road 2–1, with the help of a 14th-inning home run by future major league catcher Charles Johnson . The team opened Hadlock Field on April 18, 1994, losing 7–6 to the Albany-Colonie Yankees . Cartoonist Guy Gilchrist designed
68-541: Is Delta Dental Park at Hadlock Field , named after longtime Portland High School baseball coach Edson Hadlock. It has a seating capacity of 7,368. Hadlock Field is often visited by vacationing celebrities, such as former NFL coach Bill Parcells , former U.S. President George H. W. Bush , and his wife Barbara . In left field stands the Maine Monster , a 37-foot (11 m) replica of Fenway Park 's Green Monster , complete with Coke bottle and Citgo sign. Along
85-506: Is a WEEI Sports Radio Network station serving the Portland, Maine , area. The station is owned by Atlantic Coast Radio . On July 18, 1982, WPEI signed on as WPIG with a country format and the slogan "Southern Maine's Country: FM-96 WPIG". In 1984, it became hot adult contemporary WHYR with slogans "Your Stereo", and then "R-96". In July 1990, WHYR flipped to contemporary hit radio as "96-HYR". In 1995, WHYR changed calls to WRED, but kept
102-625: The Double-A Northeast . In 2022, the division was renamed the Eastern League, the name used by the regional circuit before the 2021 reorganization. Ahead of the 2023 season, the Sea Dogs' longtime owners, the Burke family, sold the team to Diamond Baseball Holdings . In August 2024, Portland cartoonist Lincoln Peirce featured the team in his comic strip Big Nate . The Sea Dogs' home stadium
119-694: The Florida Marlins , the Sea Dogs became part of the Red Sox system for the 2003 season. The team went to the Eastern League championship series in 2005, losing to the Akron Aeros ; and again in 2006, when they defeated the Aeros to win the first Double-A championship for a Red Sox farm team since the New Britain Red Sox in 1983. All games are carried on a network of radio stations with Emma Tiedemann providing
136-595: The right-field foul line just beyond first base, a picnic pavilion is available for group outings from 20 up to 300 people. In 2006, a new pavilion opened above the right-field wall over the Sea Dogs bullpen. Modeled after the Green Monster seats at Fenway Park in Boston, it seats up to 393 people and gives fans an opportunity to catch a home run ball. Slugger the Sea Dog has been the Sea Dogs' mascot since May 6, 1994. The team
153-672: The FSR affiliation). WPEI has been the flagship station of the Portland Sea Dogs since 2012, taking over for WBAE/WVAE that year. Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine , playing in the Eastern League . Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox . Originally affiliated with
170-641: The WUEI call letters.) As of April 2009, WGEI was simulcasting AM sister station WLOB , as WLOB-FM; that station eventually returned to simulcasting with WPEI in August 2011, and is now WPPI . WPEI does not carry Boston College football. It does carry Boston Celtics basketball, as well as Boston Red Sox baseball in tandem with The Big JAB. WPEI carries ESPN Radio when not airing WEEI; it had previously carried Fox Sports Radio (now on The Big JAB) and Sporting News Radio (simulcast from The Big JAB, before WZAN dropped
187-495: The call letters WJJB-FM. On August 25, 2008, 96.3 WLOB-FM was converted to a simulcast of WJJB (which WJAE had become by that time), resulting in WLOB 's programming being heard only on the AM signal. This was part of a shuffle of Atlantic Coast Radio's FM stations as a result of the conversion of two of its stations, including WJJB-FM, on September 1, 2008 to simulcasts of WEEI . Shortly after
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#1732884351085204-547: The completion of these format changes, 95.5's call letters were changed to WGEI (it had initially planned to use the WTEI call sign, and for a week in September 2008 used the WUEI call letters). On April 1, 2009, WGEI converted to a simulcast of WLOB; it became WLOB-FM a few days later. In August 2011, WLOB-FM returned to simulcasting WEEI. On September 7, 2011, WLOB-FM changed its call letters to WPPI. WPEI WPEI (95.9 FM )
221-564: The play-by-play, with the flagship WPEI doing both home and away games. Minor league baseball returned to Maine on October 4, 1992, when Portland was awarded one of two Eastern League expansion franchises (the other being the New Haven Ravens ) to begin play in April 1994. The Sea Dogs signed an affiliation agreement with the Florida Marlins on May 3, 1993, beginning a nine-season relationship. The city renovated Hadlock Field , transforming
238-407: The same format and was known on air as "Red Hot 95" with the slogan "Portland's Hot Hits". Some time later, WRED went rhythmic top 40 as "Red Hot 95.9" with the slogan "Maine's #1 for Blazin' Hot Hits". On August 31, 2008, at 6 p.m., WRED dropped its rhythmic top 40 format after a farewell from station DJs (airstaff and listeners had been notified a week in advance). WRED and WJJB-FM (which
255-455: The team's logo. His comic strip Mudpie had a series of strips in which the young cat's family visit the Portland area and attend a Sea Dogs game. The team won its sole league title on September 17, 2006, defeating the Akron Aeros 8–5, in a rematch of the series from the previous year. When Major League Baseball restructured Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Sea Dogs were organized into
272-509: Was a member of the Northeast division of the Eastern League from 1994 to 2020 and the Northeast division of Double-A Northeast in 2021. They have been members of the Eastern League's Northeast division since 2022. In the below table, "Place" represents finish within the team's division for the overall regular reason. Note that in 2019 and 2022, the Eastern League played a split-season schedule, with first-half and second-half winners advancing to
289-405: Was simulcasting The Big JAB ) then flipped to programming provided by Boston 's WEEI , with the simulcast of The Big JAB moving to 96.3 FM. Up until April 1, 2009, WEEI's programming was also heard on sister station WGEI (95.5 FM), and the stations were known as WEEI on the 95's . (WGEI, the former WJJB-FM, had initially planned to use the WTEI call sign, and for a week in September 2008 used
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