Jerry Taff, the longtime news anchor whose deep voice and signature sign-off became synonymous with Milwaukee television journalism for more than a quarter-century, died Monday, October 27, 2025, at his home in Texas. He was 85.
Taff anchored the news at WISN-12, Milwaukee’s ABC affiliate, from 1979 to 2005, ending each broadcast with his trademark phrase: “Good night, and better tomorrows.” His distinctive baritone voice and commanding presence made him a fixture in southeastern Wisconsin households during a transformative era for local television news.
Born in Lamesa, Texas, in 1940, Taff began his broadcasting career at age 17 at his hometown radio station, KPET. He worked in Dallas, Flint, Michigan, and New Haven, Connecticut, before joining WISN-12. By 1980, he had become part of an anchor team that propelled the station to first place among local 10 p.m. newscasts in the Milwaukee market.
His career at the station was not without turbulence. In early 1985, WISN-12 fired Taff, but station executives asked him to return in 1987 after ratings declined during his absence. The move underscored his value to the station and his connection with Milwaukee viewers.
During the late 1980s, Taff maintained a demanding schedule, co-anchoring two evening newscasts on WISN-12 while also delivering four early morning newscasts on WISN-AM radio. He even found time to DJ a weekly hour of Elvis Presley music on WOKY-AM, showcasing his versatility and deep love for broadcasting.
Throughout his tenure, Taff covered major stories that ranged from international events in Cuba and Tel Aviv to national political conventions and severe weather aftermath. He accompanied an Oak Creek mother to Paris when her son was held hostage in Iran, demonstrating his commitment to bringing human stories to Milwaukee viewers.
Former WISN-12 journalist Kathy Mykleby, who anchored alongside Taff for more than a dozen years, described him as a know-it-all in the most positive way who could always inject a little Texas-ism into things. The pair maintained contact through retirement, and in a recent email describing an operation he had undergone, Taff wrote with characteristic humor that he “looked like a cool watermelon on a hot summer afternoon. They pretty much split me right up the middle.”
Mykleby recalled forming her first impression of Taff when she was hired to start a newscast at Milwaukee’s Channel 18. As she reviewed other local news programs to understand the market, seeing Taff reporting from Paris left a lasting impression. To ultimately share the anchor desk with such a larger-than-life figure was incredible, she said. His presence meant something during harder moments, including her mother’s death and her husband’s death in 2023.
A 2005 profile in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel described Taff as having a basso profundo that came from an older school of anchors. In that interview, he joked about becoming an unlikely celebrity around the city. “I’m not pretty. I’m not especially smart. I’m certainly polarizing … and wow, Milwaukee has taken me in,” Taff said.
His polarizing nature was confirmed by a viewer survey conducted by the newspaper in the 1990s, in which Taff placed first as the city’s least favorite anchor and second as favorite. Such contradictory results spoke to his distinctive style that resonated deeply with some viewers while leaving others cold.
Though Taff acknowledged that no place totally felt like home, he told the Journal Sentinel in 2005 that Milwaukee felt more like home than anyplace else. That sentiment was reciprocated by viewers who remembered him fondly long after his retirement.
After retiring in May 2005, Taff returned to Texas, settling in Lubbock, where he grew up. He spent his retirement years surrounded by friends he had known since third grade, volunteered with Meals on Wheels, and enjoyed the anonymity that came with being out of the spotlight.
WISN-12 chief meteorologist Mark Baden, who stayed in touch with Taff during retirement, wrote on Facebook that his former colleague was one of a kind. “Jerry loved Milwaukee and loved all of you,” Baden wrote. Jerry passed away last night at his home in Lubbock, Texas. Good night and better tomorrows to you, JT.”
Taff’s 26-year legacy at WISN-12 left an indelible mark on Milwaukee broadcasting. His deep voice, commitment to storytelling, and genuine connection with viewers defined an era of local television journalism that shaped how southeastern Wisconsin received its news for more than two decades.