anchor Craig Colson, who also became news director for WVII and WFVX, in December 2012. In June 2013, WVII and WFVX reached a deal to carry Husson University sports. This was followed a month later with a deal to carry University of Maine sports; as a result, WVII and WFVX replace WABI-TV as the television flagship of the Black Bear Sports Network. As part of the deal, Black Bear sports telecasts are also seen on Stadium College Sports, and production is handled by Pack Network (WABI had produced its telecasts in-house). In early September 2017, WVII replaced their long-time version of the commonly-used Circle 7 logo from ABC (used among their channel 7 stations) with a different logo variation made up of a block number "7". On February 28, 2022, WVII and WFVX temporarily changed their logos to blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag, in support of Ukraine after the 2022 Russian invasion. WVII is one of a few ABC affiliates to air paid programming on weekdays. News operation WVII has spent most of its history as a distant third place in the Nielsen ratings behind WABI and WLBZ, at point in its early existence not registering any measurable or identifiable audience in one of the smallest media markets in the U.S. Since the early 2010s, it is quickly catching up with WLBZ in the Eastern Maine market. Its news operation is quite small compared to its rivals. The station produces newscasts at 6 a.m. (on WVII), 7 a.m. (on WFVX), Noon, 6 p.m., 6:30 and 10 p.m. (on WFVX), and 11 p.m. WVII's website offers on-demand video of its newscasts. Unlike most ABC affiliates, WVII does not air weeknight newscasts at 5 and/or 5:30, though it did produce a 5:30 newscast until August 1998. It currently does not air weekend newscasts; the 6 p.m. edition ended in September 1998, and the 11 p.m. show was dropped in July 2003. However, WFVX began airing a weekend 10 p.m. newscast in September 2012. The station also ended its 6:30 a.m. newscast on October 1, 1998, though it returned on September 7, 2011. WVII also attempted a noon newscast during the 1990s. On February 4, 2016, WVII brought back a Noon newscast. WVII operated its own weather department during the 20th century, serving as an entry-level opening for aspiring television meteorologists. On October 1, 2002, the station contracted out