WESH has hired Guy Rawlings from NBC O&O WTVJ as a new sports anchor -- which leaves some folks wondering what's happening to O-Town veteran Pat Clarke.

Rawlings, we're told, will be the main sports guy at WESH -- where Clarke has been holding down the fort as sports director and the lone member of the on-air sports team since the departure of Buddy Pittman over the summer. In fact, rumors have been making their way around town that WESH was preparing to shutter it Sports department -- rumors fueled in part, no doubt, by the long lag time in hiring a second person for the Sports staff.

Rawlings, a 13-year vet, will join WESH's staff on Jan. 4 and help with coverage of the Florida Gators' national championship game with the Ohio State Buckeyes in Arizona. Rawlings, who has been with WTVJ-NBC 6 since December 1996, has most recently been the station's weekend sports anchor. He previously worked in Charleston, S.C., Baltimore, Jacksonville and Gainesville.

"You'll see Guy in a traditional sports anchor role, but he will also be reporting from the field and breaking big sports stories," WESH GM Bill Bauman said in the news release. "We couldn't be more pleased to have him join us in time for our extensive coverage of the Gators' title bid."

Said Rawlings: "I'm thrilled to be coming back to this part of the state, and couldn't be more excited to arrive in time to cover my alma mater's shot at the BCS title in Glendale, Ariz."

This is the second high-profile hire by WESH from SoFla's WTVJ. Channel 2 anchor Martha Sugalski is a WTVJ alum.