Skip to content
NOWCAST WISN 12 News This Morning
Watch on Demand

Patrick Paolantonio

Anchor

Patrick is a veteran, award-winning journalist with more than 25 years of experience in television news. He joined the WISN 12 News team in March 2002 as a news reporter and is currently the co-anchor of the weekday editions of WISN 12 News at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.

His time at WISN-TV has come full circle. When Patrick arrived in Milwaukee, he reported for the evening news. He then spent 12 years as co-anchor of WISN "12 News This Morning" before returning to the night shift in 2015. This time, on the anchor desk. Journalism has taken him around the country, providing live coverage from major stories, including the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, Pope Francis' visit to Congress and Wisconsin U.S. Representative Paul Ryan's election as House Speaker. Patrick traveled to Cleveland in 2016 to cover the Republican National Convention and reported from Phoenix during the Milwaukee Bucks NBA championship run in 2021.

In 2019, Patrick was part of the team that put together the Emmy-nominated "Honor Flight 50: A Mission of Thanks" documentary. Patrick and three colleagues from WISN 12 traveled on the 50th Stars and Stripes Honor Flight trip to Washington D.C. The team documented the experience as veterans from WWII, Korea and Vietnam took a free, one-day trip to visit the memorials built in their honor. Patrick and the crew then produced a one-hour television special that Patrick wrote and hosted. In conjunction with the documentary, WISN 12 held a fundraising phone bank with the goal of sending more veterans on a Stars and Stripes Honor Flight. Thanks to the generosity of WISN 12 viewers, the effort raised nearly $60,000 to sponsor an entire plane and send nearly 90 veterans on a future honor flight trip.

Patrick previously worked at WOLO-TV, the ABC affiliate in Columbia, S.C., where he was a news anchor, reporter and photojournalist. His reporting has been recognized by a number of organizations including The Associated Press and Wisconsin Broadcasters Association (WBA). He's also been part of award-winning coverage, which earned regional Edward R. Murrow and Chicago/Midwest Emmy awards.

In his spare time, Patrick loves spending time with this wife and kids. He also enjoys traveling and doing just about anything outdoors, including skiing. He grew up in Vermont, graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, Mass., and met his wife in Milwaukee.

Advertisement