KATV Plans New Sports Bureau

KATV-TV, Channel 7, the Little Rock-based, Allbritton Communications Corp.-owned ABC affiliate, on Aug. 28 said it would open a sports bureau in Fayetteville and also named Steve Sullivan its new sports director, filling the post left vacant by the death last month of Paul Eells.

Sullivan left Little Rock’s NBC affiliate, KARK-TV, Channel 4, to join KATV in 1998. He also hosts KATV’s “SportsWeek” and “Friday Night Touchdowns” programs, and was twice named Arkansas Sportscaster of the Year.

“Paul Eells can never be replaced, but I am honored for the opportunity to walk in his footsteps and continue KATV’s dedication to the Hogs,” Sullivan said in a news release.

Meanwhile, KATV said its Fayetteville sports bureau, called “Hog Central,” will be led by reporter and former sports anchor Rusty Jackson.

KATV news director Randy Dixon said he is excited about the new opportunities the bureau will allow.

“The close proximity to the Hog headquarters will increase the scope of our coverage, but it will not be limited to the state,” he said. “We’ll go wherever the Hogs take us.”

Eells died July 31 in a car accident while returning to Little Rock from Fayetteville, where he’d filed reports for KATV. In late August, the Arkansas Razorback Sports Network, owned by KATV, announced that Mike Nail would temporarily fill Eells’ post as play-by-play announcer for the radio network’s Razorback football broadcasts.