Monthly Archives: March 2025

WLUK-TV News Director Juli Buehler has announced her retirement after a career spanning 45 years, with 30 of those years in northeast Wisconsin.

Buehler is the recipient of numerous awards, including The Associated Press Carol Brewer Award, and she was inducted into the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle in 2016.

“Juli has had a truly remarkable journey. Many strong journalists across the country have passed through here and have benefited from her involvement in their lives,” Jay Zollar, Vice President and General Manager of WLUK FOX 11 and WCWF CW14 said. “FOX 11 would not be what it is today if it were not for Juli’s investment of her passion and experience.”

“I am appreciative of all the many opportunities WLUK-TV and Sinclair Media (the parent company of WLUK), have afforded me,” Buehler said. “It has been an incredible journey with colleagues who have become lifelong friends, and newsroom adventures that are lifelong memories. This career has been a gift.”

In a previous role, Buehler also wrote and produced for the Voice of America, based in Washington, D.C.  She also worked as a reporter and anchor at television newsrooms in Rochester, Minnesota and Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and as a producer in New Haven, Connecticut.

Under Juli Buehler’s leadership, the content creation teams of WLUK-TV embarked on many northeast Wisconsin “firsts,” from launching the market-leading four-and-a-half-hour morning news program, “Good Day Wisconsin,” to network affiliation changes, Super Bowl coverage, national political conventions, and lifestyle programs. She was an integral part of the team that created FOX 11 Packers Family Night, along with the football organization, as well as advising on the purchase of a property across from Lambeau Field, now known as the FOX 11 Field House. She has served on the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Board and played a part in advocating for access and transparency between elected officials, the court system, and journalists.

After more than four decades with WBAY-TV in Green Bay, Local Broadcast Legend Bill Jartz is retiring on May 23.

“His unparalleled work ethic, affable personality, booming laugh, and tireless commitment to public service has made Bill a true icon in northeast Wisconsin,” said WBAY-TV General Manager Steve Lavin. “There is just no one like Bill. Our viewers will miss him, his co-workers will miss him, and I will miss him.”

Raised in Clintonville, Jartz earned all-state recognition as a high school football player and received an athletic scholarship to attend Northwestern University. After graduating in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism, he began his broadcasting career as the 10 p.m. sports anchor in Wausau. In March 1983, he joined WBAY as a sports reporter.

In June 1990, he briefly stepped away from broadcasting to work in the private sector. He returned to WBAY as Sports Director on Jan. 11, 1993, paving the way for what he says was the most memorable day of his career.

“There have been many unforgettable people and stories, but anchoring our Super Bowl XXXI coverage from New Orleans probably tops the list. There was such a build-up over the years, and to finally get there and win was fantastic! Green Bay was once again the place to be in pro football, and we got to share the excitement with the folks back home,” Jartz said.

In October 1998, when an evening anchor position opened up, Jartz decided to move from sports to news. He was paired with 10 p.m. news anchor Cami Rapson.

“The best person, the best work partner, a forever friend,” Rapson said. “It is not lost on me how lucky I have been to spend the last 26 years co-anchoring the newscasts with Bill, and over 30 years of working in the newsroom together. It’s been a dream partnership; a person who cares about the team, the product, and the viewers. He is one of a kind, and I feel so blessed to have been part of his career.”

“The excitement of being on the inside of a story is pretty rewarding, but what I’m going to miss the most are the people I’ve worked with over the years,” Jartz said. “I grew up watching Chuck Ramsay, and later I shared an office with the state broadcasting Hall of Famer. I’ve seen many people leave here for bigger markets – even network jobs. I can say I was there in their early days and got to watch them grow into incredible journalists. And Cami has been an angel for supporting me and getting me through some tough times in my life. I could not have asked for a better TV wife.”

“While Bill is an ideal employee and excels at what he does on-air, his true legacy is his commitment to the community, Lavin said. “I can’t think of another media personality who has made a bigger impact. Whether volunteering as an emcee, auctioneer, guest speaker, or celebrity judge, Bill supports countless fundraisers and events. He simply does not say no to any cause where he thinks his time and energy can make a difference.”

Jartz has been honored for his charitable efforts, receiving the Heart of Gold Lifetime Achievement Award at the 34^th Annual WPS Volunteer Awards, and later, the 2022 Governor’s Service Award, Volunteer of the Year/East Central Wisconsin.

“I am quite proud of the contributions I’ve made to many local charitable organizations. The CP Telethon and Make-A-Wish’s Gourmet Wishes come to mind. I used to watch the CP Telethon as a kid, so to become an active part of the show is unreal. The final hour of the telethon is unlike anything I’ve ever done – pushing hard and motivating people to call in with a pledge. I’m a very lucky man to be asked to help the great causes in our area.”

Jartz was named a WBA Local Broadcast Legend in 2024.

“I’d like to continue volunteering, if these organizations I’ve worked with over the years still want my help,” Jartz said. “I plan to do more hunting and fishing. It will be nice to share evening meals during the week with my wife, Mary. I also need to spend more time driving my John Deere tractors. I can’t fix them, but I sure enjoy driving them. Maybe it’s time to learn how to fix them?”

The long-time voice of Lambeau Field, Jartz said he plans to continue announcing home games for the foreseeable future, while serving in a new role on the Packers Board of Directors. Jartz has also been a member of the Packers Hall of Fame Board since 2023.

Jartz said he would like to thank the viewers for trusting him as a source for news over the years.

“When I took over for Chuck Ramsay, he was the Walter Cronkite of northeast Wisconsin. Those were big shoes to fill. I didn’t want to blow it, and I don’t think I did. I always tried to inject a little humor where possible, because we all need to smile and laugh more. I tried my best, and I hope I served you well,” Jartz said.

Jartz’ last day on-air will be May 23.

For the 19th consecutive year, the is bestowing its annual Openness in Government Awards, or Opees, meant to recognize outstanding efforts to protect the state’s tradition of open government, as well as highlight impediments. 

The awards are being announced in advance of national (), March 16-22 and will be presented at the in Madison on March 6, as part of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association’s annual convention.

Awards are being given in six categories. The winners are:

Public Openness Advocate (Popee): Milwaukee Police Sensitive Crimes Division and Open Records Division. When Jessica McBride’s UW-Milwaukee journalism class launched a full-semester project to delve into unsolved missing persons cases, she was impressed by the cooperation she received from Milwaukee police, especially Capt. Erin Mejia and Sgt. Jason Kotarak. “They provided the full, unredacted missing person files for each case submitted by the students in just a few weeks,” McBride wrote in her nomination. Credit goes also to the students, who produced an impressive collection of stories, “.”

Citizen Openness Advocate (Copee): American Oversight. After a years-long fight, this liberal advocacy pried records from the probe into Wisconsin’s 2020 election conducted by former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, as well as . And Gableman’s disregard for the state’s transparency laws was flagged in several of the ten counts of alleged misconduct by the Office of Lawyer Regulation. The probe cost taxpayers nearly $2.5 million and turned up no evidence of wrongdoing other than that committed by Gableman himself. 

Media Openness Advocate (Mopee): Wisconsin Examiner. This nonpartisan, nonprofit , represented by attorney Tom Kamenick of the Wisconsin Transparency Project, this year settled two important lawsuits. The was against the city of Black River Falls for seeking to charge reporter Henry Redman thousands of dollars for a third-party to retrieve records regarding the disappearance of an Indigenous man. The was against the city of Wauwatosa for its long delays in handling records requests from reporter Isiah Holmes. Both cases settled with $5,000 payments, with Black River Falls saying its records system was changed to avoid these huge charges.

Open Records Scoop of the Year (Scoopee): TMJ4 for “Ghosted.” When this Milwaukee  asked the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office for its “Brady list” of law enforcement officers who have had issues that impact their credibility as witnesses, it was denied a complete copy. But it hired attorney Brendan Healey and pressed for more information, which was series called “Ghosted.” It’s the first of a series of reports on the serious accountability and transparency concerns the station found. This reporting is ongoing, in partnership with Wisconsin Watch and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Whistleblower of the Year (Whoopee): Todd Heath

This operator of a business that audits telecommunications bills has endured 17 years of litigation over his federal whistleblower that Wisconsin Bell overcharged schools and libraries millions of dollars for internet access and other services. In February, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously in Heath’s favor, which will allow his claim to proceed (yes, it’s not over yet). The case reinforce federal programs that make broadband more accessible, and affirm accountability and taxpayer protections in whistleblower cases.

No Friend of Openness (NOPEE): Satya Rhodes-Conway

At a the day after the deadly Dec. 16 shooting at Abundant Life Christian School, Madison’s mayor ripped the press for asking too many questions. “It is absolutely none of y’all’s business who was harmed in this incident,” Rhodes-Conway admonished. “Please have some human decency and respect” for the victims and their families. “Don’t feed off their pain.” Her comments were deeply unfair to the reporters, who were hurting too. Bashing the press for political gain is contrary to the cause of openness. Enough already.

Your Right to Know is a monthly column distributed by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council (), a group dedicated to open government. Bill Lueders is the Council’s president.