AUGUSTA — The Augusta school board rejected a proposal to restrict media broadcasts of Cony High School sports and other district events after broadcasters said they would stop covering such events if it was enacted.

The the Board of Education voted unanimously to send the proposal, modeled on policies in Florida, back to the Policy Committee. Board members said it should be revised with input from broadcasters.

Broadcasters, including a veteran radio announcer, at Wednesday’s board meeting said they could not afford to pay proposed per-game fees to cover the games and the rules they’d have to follow are unnecessary and burdensome.

“As it stands if this policy is passed, we will not broadcast your (home) games, and nobody else will, either,” Mike Violette, of Mix Maine Media, told board members. “I felt after I read your policy I might have to have an attorney come to the game and sit next to me. You literally discussed, in the policy, what we can and can’t say on the air.”

Violette hosts a morning show and broadcasts high school sporting events for radio station Legacy 1160 WSKW.

The proposed policy would charge any outlet wanting to broadcast Augusta school events on television, radio or the internet a fee of $50 for each regular season game and $100 for each playoff game.

The rules included a requirement that announcers refrain from using profane or harsh language and from inappropriate criticism of officials, coaches, teams, players, schools or other entities.

It provided examples of inappropriate criticism: “This official clearly has no clue what he’s doing. Coach Smith should be fired. Joe Smith should not be starting.”

And appropriate criticism: “We are unsure as to what drew the penalty. We will search for further clarification. Coach Smith made a mistake that now has his team down late in this game. Joe Smith is really struggling at the moment. We’ll see if he can bounce back.”

The policy would also have required outlets to submit the names of all sponsors and allow the school department to review all advertisers and advertisements to run during the broadcasts, and ban advertisements for alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, firearms, bars and taverns, exotic dance clubs and political issues.

Mike Violette, right, talks during a Dec. 6 live broadcast of the Cony at Lawrence boys basketball game on radio station WSKW Legacy 1160. During his morning radio show on Tuesday, Violette said that he opposed the proposed live broadcasting rules for Cony High games. Kennebec Journal photo by Joe Phelan Buy this Photo

Exceptions to those banned ads included ads for combination businesses, such as grocery stores and restaurants, which sell alcoholic beverages, tobacco or firearms as well as other items, as long as no part of an ad mentions banned products.

While it would have banned advertisements about political issues, “political candidates may be acceptable as sponsors provided that no part of their political advertisements raise controversial political issues.”

Cony Principal Kim Silsby said the intention of the policy was to support and protect Augusta students.

Representatives of Munzing Media, which streams many local high school sporting events, did not attend Wednesday’s school board meeting. However the business’ Facebook page stated it was “doubtful we will stream any Cony games in the future” if the policy is approved.

Violette said when his station wants to broadcast a game at any other high school in Maine, all he has to do is call the athletic director or appropriate school official to ask and he is always welcomed, and never charged a fee or required to fill out an application.

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