A sea change is occurring along Lake Michigan.

Since January, six reporters have left Milwaukee’s NBC affiliate WTMJ:  Michael George, Melanie Stout, Aaron Diamant, George Mallet, Mick Trevey, and Lauren Leamanczyk.

Now you can add Heather Shannon who announced next Friday will be her last day as a reporter with the station.

So is there anything unusual going on at this NBC affiliate?

“No, not at all,” Bill Berra, vice president of news at Journal Broadcast group, tells TVSpy. “They were all hired at about the same time, and through various mechanization of contracts, they all went on to do bigger and better jobs.”

George, Diamant, Mallet, and Leamanczyk have all left Milwaukee for on-air jobs in other markets. “I think it shows the vitality that has returned to the hiring in TV news jobs,” Berra tells us.

As for Shannon, Stout, and Trevy, who are all leaving the business, Berra pointed out TV news isn’t for everyone. “Journalism has a fallback: it’s not a 9-5 job,” he says. “It’s 24/7, you can get called in, you can work at odd hours. When you’re young, and you have a family, and you’re presented with a better situation, you should probably take it.”

“I’m excited for all of them,” he says. “It makes me happy.”

Steve Chamraz has left his post at Chicago’s WFLD to become an anchor and reporter at Milwaukee’s WTMJ.  Chamraz had been working as a reporter for the Chicago Fox-affiliate since 2008.

“Can’t wait to get settled into my new home in Milwaukee,” Chamraz posted Tuesday on his newly launched Facebook page.

Chamraz is set to join the station on February 21 and will take over the afternoon anchor chair vacated by George Mallet in December, according to OnMilwaukee. In addition to anchoring the daytime newscast, Chamraz will report for the 10 p.m. news.

With the move to WTMJ, Chamraz is returning to the city where he started his career.  He graduated from Marquette University and had his first TV news internship with the NBC-affiliate.

Video of Chamraz inside… Read more