04-03-2025
Two Veteran Anchors Retiring: One in Wisconsin Another in Michigan
It seems like veteran journalists are dropping out of local TV in larger numbers than usual. Either that, or I'm just getting old.
Hopefully, no one feels shorted by this combo post where I cover two retirements in one.
In Green Bay, Wisconsin, Bill Jartz is retiring from ABC affiliate WBAY, while Sheri Jones has announced her retirement after almost 37 years from CBS affiliate WLNS in Lansing, Michigan.
WBAY general manager, Steve Lavin, said, "There is just no one like Bill. Our viewers will miss him, his co-workers will miss him, and I will miss him."
He started his broadcasting career as the 10 o'clock sports anchor in Wausau. He joined WBAY as a sports reporter in 1983.
He left local TV in 1990 and came back three years later as sports director. He moved from sports to news in 1998.
Jones's contributions to broadcasting have earned her a place in the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame. In addition to her professional achievements, Jones has traveled to Japan as part of Lansing's Sister City program, contributing to cultural understanding and international relations.
She has also spent time in China taking part in economic development efforts on behalf of the city of Lansing and the state of Michigan. She also led a team to Kenya, Africa, to build a home for a deserving family in Homa Bay as part of Habitat for Humanity Capitol Region.
Since 1994, Jones has been the spokesperson for Mid-Michigan Crime Stoppers, producing segments that have aided in the capture of many of the area's most wanted fugitives. In 2018, Crime Stoppers had an 80 percent success rate in taking fugitive felons off the street.
