PBS Wisconsin Director of Television Jon Miskowski has announced his retirement from the statewide public media organization

A leader in public media for four decades, Jon Miskowski’s leadership, statewide community focus, programmatic vision, and development acumen advanced PBS Wisconsin’s prominence nationally in education, innovation and fundraising around mission-focused Wisconsin programs.

PBS Wisconsin has been inspired by Miskowski’s passion, depth of knowledge about our history and service, and steady flow of ideas to keep us moving into the future. 

Miskowski has been in treatment for cancer the past few years and has made the decision that he now needs to focus on his health while spending more time with his family. 

With a public media career that began as a volunteer at what was then Wisconsin Public Television, it’s difficult to find an aspect of PBS Wisconsin’s growth and success that can’t be connected to an innovative idea or initiative that Miskowski fostered. 

A prime example is LZ Lambeau: Welcoming Home Wisconsin’s Vietnam Veterans. What began as an installment of PBS Wisconsin’s award-winning and powerful Wisconsin War Stories project, which told the stories of major military events through the first-hand recollections of Wisconsin’s veterans, grew into the largest community engagement event ever mounted by any public media station in the country. 

Miskowski’s development and leadership of this project inspired 70,000 people to convene in Green Bay to give a long-overdue “thank you” and “welcome home” to our state’s Vietnam veterans, cementing the power of public media’s mission rooted in the experiences, perspectives and needs of the people we serve. Expanding on the impact in our state, this model also inspired other stations around the country to create their own events.

Miskowski’s abilities to convene conversations, listen to community members, and build a vision to serve all of the people of Wisconsin have been instrumental to the development and growth of numerous PBS Wisconsin projects and initiatives, including PBS Wisconsin Education, Wisconsin Hometown Stories, the Tribal Histories series, and dozens of other fundraising specials, documentaries, events, and broadcast and digital series. 

The truest thing anyone can say is that Jon Miskowski loves public television and he’s built an extraordinary career making it better. And, PBS Wisconsin remains committed to the work he so deeply believes in. 

Following Miskowski’s retirement, Chief Operating Officer Kathy Bissen will serve as acting director of PBS Wisconsin.