Former WFLA-Ch. 8 sportscaster Dave Reynolds has joined the legions of displaced journalists returning to the local news business through freelance work.

But Reynolds' fill-in jobs over the next few weeks will include the station where he once worked full time, as the sportscaster rejoins a few of WFLA's evening broadcasts for several weeks to help with coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' preseason preparations. So far, he's scheduled to appear on Saturday, Aug. 22 and Friday, Sept. 4 in the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts

Since his layoff by the Media General owned WFLA in March, Reynolds has worked everywhere from Kane's Furniture to Bright House Sports Network and WFTS-Ch. 28, picking up work wherever possible as local broadcasters cut back on sports reporters.

At WFLA, staffers from the Tampa Tribune newspaper's sports department help the station's lone sportscaster, while ABC affiliate WFTS-Ch. 28 has not renewed the contract of its lead sports anchor, Al Keck.

(Reynolds chuckled at how his one appearance at WFTS was included in station ads, leading some viewers to think he was working there full time.)

"The local affiliates are really phasing out regular sports coverage," said Reynolds, who now works regularly with the cable channel Bright House Sports Network. "If you're going to stay in local sports reporting, cable TV's the answer."  

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