After 51/2 years at Bangor NBC affiliate WLBZ 2, sports director Matt Fine is heading back to his home state.

The 30-year-old Fine, who was born and raised in Philadelphia, is taking a sports anchor-reporter job at Fox affiliate WPGH in Pittsburgh next month.

“I have a lot of family still there,” Fine said. “In fact, I’m pretty much the only one in the family not in that area.”

The switch moves him from the 155th-ranked television market in the United States to No. 19.

“I’ve been very happy at WLBZ, so I wasn’t sending out tapes everywhere, but when you see an opening in your home state that brings you into a top 20 market, that’s something you have to look at,” said Fine. “There were other jobs that were good in one area, but not in others. This is good in all of them.”

Fine said his wife Heather, an attorney, 7-week-old son Adam and he should do well in a larger-city setting.

“She’s not in a hurry to go back to work, so the timing’s pretty good for her, too,” Fine explained. “On paper, it’s everything we’re hoping for. It moves me into a market with three pro teams and a couple major college programs and I’ll get to learn under a guy who’s been there 17 years.”

Sherman Station native Wayne Harvey, who joined WLBZ as a sports and news reporter last February, will replace Fine as sports director.

“I’m very excited about the whole opportunity,” Harvey said. “It’s been fun. I didn’t expect to get to this position in nine months.

“I have a lot more responsibility now, making sure the entire show gets on the air. Before, I just had to worry about my part of the show, but I’m happy to have the chance.”

Harvey, 27, graduated from Katahdin High School in 1992 and the New England School of Broadcasting in 1993. He is finishing up a degree in mass communications at the University of Maine.

Fine, who graduated from Clark College before getting his master’s degree from Columbia, will work his last day at WLBZ on Dec. 1. WLBZ was Fine’s first full-time job out of college.

“This will always be a special place for me,” he said. “I got married here, got my first job here, and saw my son born here, which are the three most important things in my life.”

At WPGH, Fine will serve as the weekend (Friday-Saturday) sports anchor as well as host the station’s Friday night high school sports recap show.