BANGOR, Maine — Bucksport native Brian Sullivan wants to set the record straight.
The sports director/anchor at WVII ABC Channel 7 and WFVX Fox Channel 22 is leaving to become the local sports director at Fandom Sports, but not as the result of the abrupt resignations of WVII-WFVX news co-anchors Cindy Michaels and Tony Consiglio late last month.
“I gave my notice on Monday (Nov. 19) and they resigned the next day,” said the 29-year-old Sullivan, who wanted a “new challenge.”
He said he has bittersweet emotions about the move.
“I have nothing but good things to say about [WVII-WFVX],” Sullivan said. “I made lifelong friends there and I got a lot of hands-on experience.
“But this is the right move for me,” he added.
Sullivan will be handling a variety of chores for Fandom Sports.
He will be coordinating the live game coverage of high school basketball and hockey games on WAEI (AM 910) as well Time Warner Cable’s tape-delayed TV game coverage on Channel 9. He will also do some play-by-play, color analyst and sideline reporter gigs.
He will eventually host a weekend sports talk show from the Fandom Sports studio on Main Street. The format and time frame for the weekend show has yet to be finalized, he said.
“I like the fact he’s a local guy from Bucksport, he’s passionate about sports and he knows the people involved whether it be Husson University, the University of Maine or high school athletic departments,” said Jim Churchill, the CEO of the Fandom Group.
“I like the fact he is creative and aggressive in his reporting. He has done a lot of interesting features and I’m looking forward to having him doing some features for us to use on our local programming or our website.”
Fandom Sports is a multimedia organization that produces sports radio shows, like Downtown with Rich Kimball, along with game coverage. It also supplies the on-air talent for Time Warner Cable TV sports productions.
Sullivan, who had been the sports director at WVII/WFVX for almost four years, said the idea of being involved with a fledgling organization is “pretty cool.”
And he doesn’t have to leave his home state to do so.
“I like living here. I’m happy about being able to do something I love and I’ll be around my family and friends,” Sullivan said.
He said they are hoping to take the local sports market by storm.
“I think we’re going to start the season by doing three or four games a week and we hope to be in at least 10 different gyms before the end of December,” Sullivan said.
He said it will be exciting to work in the new studio located on Main Street in Bangor in the Seasons Grille and Sports Lounge.
It is in the hub of Bangor’s recent growth, a short walk away from the Hollywood Casino, the Waterfront Concert series and the new Cross Insurance Center, which will replace the Bangor Auditorium next fall.
Sullivan, a 2007 University of Maine graduate and former three-sport athlete at Bucksport High, said he will have more normal work hours and he will make more money at Fandom Sports. He preferred not to discuss the financial terms.
He has been working a 3:30 to 11:30 p.m. shift at WVII/WFVX.
He will continue to work at both places as he makes the transition but he speculated that his final sportscast on WVII-WFVX will be later this week or sometime next week.
Sullivan said Aaron Jackson, who has been a news/sports reporter and occasional sports anchor at WVII/WFVX, will take over as the sports director at the stations and news reporter Brittany Devane, a recent Boston University graduate, will take over Jackson’s role as a news/sports reporter and fill-in sports anchor.