Bill Jartz Leans into Retirement

Bill Jartz, longtime WBAY news anchor and community figure, retired this year after more than four decades in broadcasting. 

“We come into people’s homes during very intimate times. We’re guests in their homes,” Jartz said, reflecting on what it meant to serve as a local reporter. 

Bill treated everyone like a guest. As mayor I attended hundreds of events in a year. More often than not Bill Jartz was in attendance. He treated everyone with the utmost respect. Bill talked with everyone and if someone was unable to approach Bill ( wheel chair, disability, medical issues) he always made an effort to get to them, greet them with his smile and shake their hand or give them a hug. Bill never saw himself as the celebrity in the room but treated everyone like they were the celebrity. 

Jartz didn’t step into retirement with fanfare. He spent his first day polishing his friend’s John Deere tractor. That gesture alone sums up the man. This is a quiet symbol of how deeply he values hard work, relationships, and service.

He never chased recognition. “I’m a failure as a journalist,” he joked, pointing out that he had no big awards on his shelf. But those who know him would argue that’s exactly what made him so great. He never needed the spotlight. He just wanted people to be kind, to get along, and to leave things better than they found them. 

That’s how he grew up: helping on the farm, helping neighbors, and helping friends. He carried those same values into the newsroom and into every corner of Green Bay.

Editor’s note: For more local community talk, join Jim Schmitt on Sundays at 1pm on 97.9fm WGBW for “Lean Local” through the Civic Media radio network.