Don Carrigan (left) shares stories from his 50 years as a newsman with LCTV “Talkin Town Talk” host Larry Sidelinger. (Photo courtesy LCTV)
Lincoln County Television is proud to present a one-hour special with legendary Maine broadcaster Don Carrigan at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5 on Channel 7 and online at lctv.org.
“This November marks 50 years since Don started full time as a reporter and broadcaster,” said “Talkin’ Town Talk” host and LCTV Executive Director Larry Sidelinger. “Over the decades he’s covered everything from basketball games and horse races, to county fairs, commercial fishing, Maine farmers, and politics in Augusta and Washington, D.C. If it’s about Maine — the real Maine — Don has told the story. We thought people would like to hear more about it from him.”
A native of South Bristol, where he still lives, Carrigan believes that the key to his work is chronicling the life and lives of the people where one lives.
“You report on the life all around you,” he said.
Carrigan’s career started during the summer of 1973, before his last semester at University of Maine Orono, when he juggled three part-time media jobs. By the fall, he was working full time for WLBZ-TV in Bangor, and eventually became the station’s news director over his 19 years there.
In the early 1990s, Carrigan worked for U.S. Sen. Bill Cohen for three years and went on to work for Maine Public Broadcasting. During that part of his career, he covered every Maine governor since Ken Curtis and Maine politicians, including Margaret Chase Smith, Bill Hathaway, George Mitchell, and Vice President Nelson Rockefeller.
The Aug. 5 show on LCTV includes guest appearances from Don’s colleagues at Newscenter Maine where Don has worked since 2003, including Amanda Hill, Bill Green, Pat Callaghan, Rob Caldwell, and Kirk Cratty. Longtime Carrigan fans will appreciate a mention for Togus the cat, his co-host for WCSH-TV winter weather reports.
“You’ll also want to tune in to hear how Don and his colleagues earned an Emmy by telling an ‘Only in Maine’ story about log-hauling vehicles invented 120 years ago,” Sidelinger said.
Currently, Carrigan reports with WCSH-TV’s “207” show, where he continues to tell stories that Mainers want to hear.
Lincoln County Television broadcasts on Spectrum/Tidewater Channel 7 and lctv.org as Lincoln County’s nonprofit public access community television station and media center. The station presents government meetings, educational programs, community events, and original weekly, monthly, and special shows for Lincoln County residents of all ages.
For more information, go to lctv.org or follow LCTV on Facebook and Instagram.
