WBA Newsroom
WISN-TV anchor and WBA Hall of Fame member Joyce Garbaciak is stepping away from the anchor desk at the Milwaukee station and will take on a role as a special projects contributing correspondent.
Garbaciak will anchor her final newscast on May 31.
“Joyce has had an immeasurable impact on our local community for many, many years,” said Jan Wade, president and general manager of WISN 12. “While we are tremendously grateful to Joyce for her many journalistic contributions over the years, we are very happy to have her staying connected to her WISN 12 Family through her ‘special projects’ role.”
Garbaciak began her successful career more than three decades ago and has worked in the Milwaukee market for more than 35 years. In 2006, she joined WISN 12 as a contributing correspondent, then shifted into a full-time anchor role on multiple WISN 12 News’ newscasts in 2014. In September 2023, Garbaciak announced that she was reducing her anchoring duties to “WISN 12 News at 6:00 p.m.” exclusively.
“As I look forward to spending more time with my own family, I reflect on the fact that so many families across Wisconsin welcomed me into their homes each and every day,” Garbaciak said. “That mutual respect and resulting trust doesn’t get lost on me. It has been an absolute privilege to serve as a journalist in southeastern Wisconsin.”
Garbaciak has been honored with extensive awards and accolades over the years. She is a nine-time Chicago regional Emmy Award winner and has been recognized with both the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award and an Edward R. Murrow Award. Garbaciak was also inducted into the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association’s Hall of Fame and the Milwaukee Press Club’s Media Hall of Fame. She has been part of the Silver Circle for more than a decade – a lifetime achievement from the Chicago region of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In addition, she has just been named a “2024 Woman of Influence” by the Milwaukee Business Journal.
“Things really do come full circle! Joyce started with us in a special projects role 18 years ago, and is now returning to that same work,” Wade said. “This position allows her to keep delivering the in-depth reporting and insightful storytelling that has made her a true icon in broadcast journalism.”
Shortly, WISN 12 News will announce the new co-anchor of “WISN 12 News at 6:00 p.m.”