Maine

Opinion: My doppelganger cut a wide swath in Maine broadcasting

Published

6 months ago

September 12, 2025

Opinion: My doppelganger cut a wide swath in Maine broadcasting

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Murray Carpenter is a journalist in Belfast and author of “Caffeinated” and “Sweet and Deadly.”

Here’s some great advice for radio journalism, memorable, pithy, and always useful: “Keep your ears open, and your mouth shut.” I’ve passed it along to many aspiring radio reporters. Oddly, this advice came to me via my doppelganger, the Maine broadcast pioneer Murray Carpenter.

I first heard about him in 1997 when I was working as a reporter for The Republican Journal, a weekly in Belfast. When talking to sources, I had the same experience a few times. “Murray Carpenter,” they’d say, “Did you used to work up around Bangor?” I’d say no, I was new to the area. But I got the idea that another Murray might have been out there somewhere.

A few years later, I was publishing Northern Sky News, a newsprint monthly covering the environment of New England and the Maritimes. Carol Carpenter Ketcham, a subscriber in Connecticut, emailed to say that her father had worked in Maine for years as a media entrepreneur. He was Murray Carpenter. Ketcham filled in some of the blanks, and it became clear that my doppelganger had cut a wide swath.

He arrived in Maine in the early 1950s after working in advertising in New York, and began working with former Maine Gov. Horace Hildreth at his Bangor AM radio station WABI. By January 1953, when WABI launched the first TV station in northern New England, Carpenter was the manager and a co-owner with Hildreth.

According to Judith Round’s history of Bangor TV, things got lively when Carpenter applied for a radio license in Portland: “Guy Gannett, another newspaper and radio station owner, convinced Carpenter to pull out of the Portland market, in exchange for licensing preference for a second station in Bangor — WGUY (Channel 2). Carpenter, who had relinquished his ownership of WABI, was now back in Bangor competing against his former partner, Horace Hildreth.”

WGUY never became a TV station, and Carpenter soon sold the radio station WGUY (which evolved into WKIT, later owned by Stephen and Tabitha King). But he kept the studio on Mount Hope Avenue and used it to launch the TV station WTWO in 1954. Carpenter sold WTWO in 1958, and it became WLBZ.

By 1963 Carpenter was in Florida, where he owned the pioneering FM station WTCX. He died of Alzheimer’s in 1990 before I became a journalist, but our connections mounted.

In 2022, a story I reported for NPR caught the ear of Robin Ketcham, in Ohio. He reached out to me to see if I might be related to his grandfather, Murray Carpenter. (Robin is the son of Carol, who’d contacted me 20 years earlier.) Ketcham passed on more details about Carpenter, including that he was a pilot who loved to fly his Mooney airplane. Ketcham said his grandfather had the first TV in Maine; it’s still in the family and it still works.

The most notable connection to my doppelganger came a bit earlier, in 2007, when I was working as a radio reporter in Maine Public’s Bangor studio. I was lucky to work alongside Maine radio veteran Barry Darling, who was eager to hear if I was related to Murray Carpenter.

Darling says Carpenter was one of the most interesting people he met in over 50 years of Maine radio and television work, a broadcasting genius who cobbled Channel 2 together from a heap of used equipment from a station in Puerto Rico. And he had interesting quirks, Darling says. He’d often drop off the radar and go fishing for a few days, leaving the station in the hands of his employees.

Darling’s earliest memory of Carpenter was when he was 13. He and his father, who worked in broadcasting, went to a reception at Carpenter’s house in Bangor. Darling’s father had told Carpenter that Barry was interested in getting into radio.

“Let me give you a piece of advice that I hope you’ll remember,” Carpenter said to the young Darling, “Keep your ears open and your mouth shut.”

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Maine

Rage Room in Portland, Maine, Developing ‘Scream Room’ Addition

Published

7 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Rage Room in Portland, Maine, Developing ‘Scream Room’ Addition

For a lot of people throughout Maine, there’s some built up frustration that they’ve just been keeping inside.

That frustration can come in a lot of different forms. From finances to relationships to the world around you.

So it makes plenty of sense that a rage room opened in Portland, Maine, where people can let some of that frustration out.

It’s called Mayhem and people have been piling in to smash, crush and do dastardly things to inanimate objects that had no idea what was coming.

But Mayhem has realized not everyone is down with swinging a sledgehammer. So they’ve decided to cook up something new.

Mayhem Creating ‘Scream Room’ at Their Space in Portland, Maine

Perhaps the thought of swinging a baseball bat and destroying a glass vase brings you joy. The thought of how sore your body will be after that moment makes you less excited.

Mayhem Portland has heard you loud and clear and is developing a new way to get the rage out. By just screaming.

Mayhem is working on opening their very first scream room. It’s exactly what you think it is, a safe place to spend some time just screaming all of the frustration out.

There isn’t an official opening date set yet but it’s coming soon along with pricing.

Mayhem in Portland, Maine, Will Still Offer Rage Rooms and Paint Splatter

While a scream room is on the way, you can still experience a good time at Mayhem with one of their rage rooms or a paint splatter room.

Both can be experienced in either 20-minute or 30-minute sessions.

All the details including some age and attire requirements can be found here.

TripAdvisor’s Top 10 Things to do in Portland, Maine

Looking for fun things to do in Portland, ME? Here is what the reviewers on TripAdvisor say are the 10 best attractions.

This list was updated in March of 2026

Gallery Credit: Chris Sedenka

Top 15 of The Most Powerful People in Maine

Ever wonder who the most powerful players are in Maine? I’ve got a list!

Gallery Credit: Getty Images

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Maine

Maine competition gives creative entrepreneurs the chance to win money

Published

19 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Maine competition gives creative entrepreneurs the chance to win money

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – If you’ve ever wondered what goes into pitching a good business idea, you might want to stop by a Big Gig event.

The Big Gig Entrepreneurship Pitch Off brings professionals from across the state together to network and pitch their early-stage business ideas for a chance to win $500.

Tuesday’s competition was held at the Salty Brick Market in Bangor, and it drew a lot of spectators.

“The winners of each semifinal event get $500 and the opportunity to compete for $5,000, so that can make a huge impact on a business that’s just getting off the ground,” said Renee Kelly, a Big Gig organizer.

The winner of the competition, Colin McGuire, was also grateful for the opportunity to showcase his idea “Art on Tap,” which would connect local artists with local venues trying to put on events.

“The support tonight is huge, and it’s just giving me more enthusiasm for running with the idea,” he said.

The season finale of the competition will be held May 19th.

The location is yet to be determined.

If you’d like to apply to compete in the contest, you can go to biggig.org.

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Maine

This Monster Burrito Challenge in Waterville, Maine, Is Not for the Weak

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

This Monster Burrito Challenge in Waterville, Maine, Is Not for the Weak

Are you up for a Maine food challenge, or are your eyes bigger than your stomach?

A Waterville staple, Buen Apetito has a monster burrito just waiting for someone to eat it down to the very last bite.

This thing is a beast, literally called La Bestia, and it’s definitely a mighty task for a fearless foodie.

Take on the Buen Apetito La Bestia Food Challenge in Waterville, Maine

According to Buen Apetito, if you can finish a super-sized burrito in 30 minutes or less, you’ll get the $60 meal for free, a La Bestia champion shirt, and a picture on the wall of fame. That’s not to mention the bragging rights of dominating a task few will be able to conquer.

Wondering what’s in the burrito?

The Mexican restaurant shared in a Facebook comment on a post that the burrito is filled with “grilled chicken, chorizo, and tender shredded beef or pork. Built on a layer of seasoned rice, refried beans, and French fries, it’s melted together with a shredded Mexican cheese blend and a drizzle of creamy cheese sauce, sautéed peppers and onions, green salsa, pico de gallo, sour cream, creamy guacamole, and a bed of shredded lettuce all wrapped in three extra-large tortillas fused into one epic wrap.”

Let’s just say that this thing is packed full.

The first La Bestia contender took up his fork and knife in December 2025, but despite coming close, he couldn’t come out with the win.

As of March 2026, the challenge has remained undefeated. But you never know, someone is bound to come out victorious.

Just note that you can only try your hand at this food challenge on Wednesday and Thursday.

Buen Apetito Has Been a Longstanding Waterville, Maine, Restaurant

First opened in 1999, Buen Apeitito has been around for nearly 30 years.

Centralmaine.com reported that the Mexican restaurant was originally located at the Railroad Square complex off Chaplin Street before moving to 99 West River Road in 2023.

A little over a year later, in 2024, Buen Apetito shared on Facebook that it was passing on the torch to new owners, including Dalia, “the heart and soul of [the] kitchen for twenty years,” her daughter, Norma, and Norma’s husband, Shawn.

READ MORE: Famous Maine Restaurant Buen Apetito Adds Powerhouse New Owner to Crew

And it seems like not only are things still going strong, but new additions like La Bestia food challenge are only enhancing the spirit of big flavor and delicious Mexican food at the Waterville staple.

So, you think you’re up for the task of taking down a beast of a burrito at Buen Apetito? Good luck.