It was during the 2010 NCAA Tournament that Bret Buganski had an epiphany of sorts.
While attending first and second round games at the Bradley Center, the Chicago native began to realize how much he liked Milwaukee and thought it might be a good place for him to ply his trade.
"You never know," a friend told him.
Less than a year later, Buganski was packing his bags and heading to the Brew City for a job with FOX 6, where he is a reporter on the weekend morning show.
He couldn't be happier with his career decision and recently sat down with OnMilwaukee.com to talk about his career, the city and his love for karaoke.
OnMilwaukee.com: How did you get started in the business?
Bret Buganski: I've always had that moment of irony in my life whether it was when I was reading in church as a kid or announcing basketball games in high school ... there was always that calling. It was always "you can speak pretty well so why don't you do something that uses it." I always admired the television journalists I watched when I was a kid. Bill Kurtis was a favorite. When I was young, I wanted to be Mark Giangreco of (Chicago's) ABC 7. I just knew that was what I wanted to be. Everybody else had their own calling. I had a buddy in gym class who would just make us laugh all the time. The teach would always ask if he was a comedian and wouldn't you know it, now he's a comedian. That was my moment of irony; being able to talk, being able to be myself, being able to be a storyteller. I was able to combine it all and make a career out of it.
OMC: You went to Columbia in Chicago, where did your professional career get started?
BB: It was Quincy, in Illinois, but we covered parts of three states: west-central Illinois, northeast Missouri and southeast Iowa. That was a lot of ground to cover.
OMC: What was the progression for you?
BB: During college, I interned at Newsradio 780 WBBM. I was an intern coordinator and from there, they asked me to be a part-time staffer. That's how I got into the radio side. I would set up the broadcasts for Jeff Joniak and Tom Thayer during that '06-07 Bears season when they went to the Super Bowl ... and if you don't mind, we won't talk about the outcome of that game. But that's how it all started, that's how I got my foot in the door. From there, I graduated and sent out about 100 reels, got a bunch of interviews but it was Quincy that gave me my start. I'll never forget that. I'll always be thankful.
OMC: Then it was off to Champaign?
BB: Yup, Champaign, Ill. That's where I met (current FOX 6 coworkers) Ben (Handleman) and Brittney (Sager).
OMC: That's an interesting situation. All three of you worked the same show together at your previous market and now, you're all together again here in Milwaukee.
BB: This business is so tough and there is such a quick turnaround sometimes. People, you know, they come and go. There aren't too many opportunities to work with the same people twice. After I left Champaign, I didn't think I'd get to work with them again and the right opportunities came about and just a few weeks later, here we were again.
We have such a good time on the weekend show. We were the weekend team at WICD in Champaign and we just basically brought it to Milwaukee. It's the craziest thing. I still talk to people from Champaign they still think it's totally bizarre. And you know, it is. It really is. It's great. It's a one-in-a-million shot. I make friends pretty quickly, but having them there is really comforting for me. And for them, too, I think.
OMC: How have the stories changed during your various stops?
BB: There is definitely more crime. But there are bigger issues. In a lot of ways, they're the same stories. The same things a matter, no matter where you are, whether it's holding public officials accountable, keeping kids safe, scams going around, how tax dollars are used ... all of that is the same but here in Milwaukee, a bigger market, it's on a much bigger scale. The stakes are definitely higher.
OMC: What do you like most about your job – not specifically at WITI, but just in general; what do you like most about being a television journalist?
BB: Every story, every day ... they're all different. You hear from so many people, they're not happy with what they do because it's the same thing every day. I think a big part of enjoying life is being able to go into work, enjoying yourself and being happy with it. I look forward to learning what the next story I'm going to do, who the next person is I'm going to meet. It's doing that and sometimes, you just never know, sometimes you can really make a difference with the stories I do. It sounds like something you might take for granted but it's true. It's really true.
OMC: This isn't an attempt to get you to talk smack about your competitors but what makes FOX 6 special in your mind?
BB: Everybody brings something different to the table. We have a lot of fun. Look at the morning show, with all those great personalities. There's "Real Milwaukee." There's "Ted's Take," which is something a little different. We have the partnership with the Business Journal. Vince (Condella) is a great meteorologist. To top it all off, we have some great political coverage. You blend it all together and it's a unique blend of different styles and personalities.
OMC: Does being new to the area make it difficult at times to find a good story?
BB: It can be tough, but that's your job. You have to dig a little bit. I love a good story. With the Internet and social networking, that helps. It makes it easy to get story ideas. Little stuff like that can be a big story.
OMC: Ah, social media. Is it a true tool of the trade or a necessary evil?
BB: I think it's been great for journalism. The platform is always changing. Some people aren't reading the newspaper like they used to. You want to get the word out about your stories where people are actually looking, so you have to get on Facebook. You have to get on Twitter. You have to adapt. Is it better? Yes. I was covering the "clout list" scandal at the (University of Illinois) and I didn't have a camera in the room. But I could post what people were saying on Twitter and those outside the room could know what was going on instantly. People love that. That's what it's all about, getting news to people right away.
OMC: You're pretty active on Twitter. What do you like about it?
BB: I like the little jokes and the insight into people's daily lives more than anything. I like to see what people are doing. It's how I get to know people and how to get to know the area.
OMC: Do you interact a lot with your viewers?
BB: All the time. I try to reply to everybody on Twitter and Facebook, I do. I try. It's great. I didn't know that many people really were interested in what I was doing or what I had to say. It's cool. I like to talk to people. I like to find out what they like. It's what I'm all about.
OMC: When you're not working, what do you like to do?
BB: I play a lot of guitar. Everybody needs a hobby outside of their career. I'll get home some nights and pluck away for three of four hours, learning the next Jimmy Page or Eddie Van Halen solo or something by Stevie Ray Vaughan. That's what I like to do. And, I have a confession ... I like to sing karaoke. I haven't, though, since I've been here.
BB: I'm still pretty new so I haven't done a lot of exploring but I really like the Third Ward. Lots of great places to eat and drink. Water Street is nice because I don't live too far away. I don't have a particular spot yet but I'm always up for suggestions. I like Pizza Shuttle and Ian's, when I'm in a pizza mood. I am starting to like the beer chaser with a Bloody Mary. I never saw that before I came to Milwaukee.
OMC: Can you admit your NFL loyalty or do you have to sweep it under the carpet?
BB: I am still a Chicago Bears fan. Through and through. Sorry, Milwaukee, I don't think I could ever become a Packers fan. I will tell you, though, it was an easy transition for me to become a Brewers fan because of my dislike for the Chicago Cubs. Everybody has a bad century, right?
OMC: You must be a White Sox fan.
BB: I am. I am a White Sox fan. It's a challenge sometimes to find a place that has the Sox games on TV but there are a few that have the baseball package so if I'm not doing anything, I'll head over and watch them.
OMC: OK, so you're a Brewers fan ... what do you make of the team this year?
BB: They're great. Really. The trade they made after the All-Star Game ... as Lou Brown would say in "Major League" ... "it's all starting to come together." You know, I've always been a Bob Uecker fan. We could hear him growing up. But when my friends and I would watch "Major League," a lot of my friends didn't know that Uecker was the voice of the Brewers. Honestly, I've always wanted to meet him. I've always been a fan of the movie but I think he's a great broadcaster, too.
OMC: What's a good story to you?
BB: If people are talking about it the next day, if people are debating it and offering different viewpoints ... that's a good story. If they're talking, you know they care and that makes a good story. There are great stories out there that don't get a lot of play, but if they're talking, you know you've touched somebody in a certain way and that what you do really matters.
OMC: Some people don't like covering crime, others don't like the so-called fluff ... is there anything you don't enjoy covering?
BB: Any crime story with kids or murders, I don't think anybody likes covering that. But you have to do it. It's part of the job, you know? You just have to put your emotions aside and be a journalist. It's difficult, especially when you can relate to a story, but it's your job. It's a privilege to do these stories – even the sad ones.
OMC: Is there a story that stands out from any of your markets as memorable?
BB: I did a story in Southwest Wisconsin. He had a little guitar shop and I didn't think he sold that many, really. But he gave, I think, four guitars, amps and cords to a bunch of Iraq veterans. That was in '08, when the economy was really struggling. He called it an honor. I was touched by that and as a guitar player, I liked doing the story.
That's when I was in Quincy. That year, I also covered the floods of 2008. That was a big story. It got national headlines. It was devastating. Homes were destroyed. Everything people had, everything they worked for ... gone in an instant. It changed my life forever.
OMC: Anything that stands out since you came here?
BB: Brewers opening day, believe it or not. It was one of my first stories. I never really knew about the tailgating at that game. The fans get behind the team. I love Miller Park – especially that roof.
OMC: Where is home for you?
BB: The Northwest side of Chicago. I grew up in Jefferson Park. It's a predominantly Polish-Irish, working-class neighborhood. A lot of cops and firemen. That's where I grew up. I went to Catholic school my whole life up until college.
OMC: So you're an honest city boy, not one of those suburbanites trying to ride the city's coattails...
BB: I'm proud to say I was born and raised in the City of Chicago, not the suburbs. It's funny to me when people ask me where I'm from. I'll tell them Chicago and they'll ask me what suburb. No, man, I'm from the city. That's where I grew up. It's funny, too, to meet somebody from Chicago and then they say they went to high school in Palatine. Well, why not just say you're from Palatine or whatever suburb?
OMC: Do you find a lot of similarities between Milwaukee and your neighborhood growing up?
BB: Without a doubt. You've got the hot area likes like Downtown, the East Side, the Third Ward and then of course, the Lakefront. It's all very similar to how Chicago is, just on a smaller scale. I think that's one of the reasons I like it so much here. I was talking to some friends recently and told them I was driving home. They thought I meant I was coming to Chicago but no, Milwaukee is my home. I really feel like I'm at home here.
OMC: There are a lot of Chicago folks in this market. They all seem to like it here. What do you like about it?
BB: When I was a kid, we'd come up for Brewers games when it was still County (Stadium). When I got older, we'd come up for Summerfest. I went to Miller Park for games. My first college was actually Carthage in Kenosha, so I wasn't exactly a stranger to Southeast Wisconsin. I always kind of had a bit of admiration for Milwaukee. What I like now is the diversity of stuff to do. There's really so much you can do here. The beaches are great. The Lakefront is great. The nightlife is great. It's a great news market, too. It almost reminds me of being back home, but with a lot less traffic – which is a good, good thing.
OMC: It is pretty easy to get around here. I think we take that for granted sometimes.
BB: That's one thing I'll never miss about home ... the traffic.
OMC: Some people look at Milwaukee as a stepping-stone market. You're a hop, skip and a jump from Chicago. You've worked your way up the market ladder ... is this a destination job?
BB: I don't look at this as a stepping stone at all. Not at all. When I got the job in Milwaukee, I felt like I really was in the big time. I feel like I really made it. There are people who, yeah, probably look at Milwaukee as a stepping stone to get to Chicago but you know what, this is my big city job. I love it here. I do.
OMC: What's on your Milwaukee bucket list; what do you want to do here that you haven't?
BB: I definitely want to go to more Brewers games. I actually just went skydiving, which was on my overall bucket list. I want to go to a Bucks game and I really want to go to a Marquette game. I'm a Big East fan, so being able to see the Big East teams here in Milwaukee is great. I know someday I'll have to go to Lambeau Field, but I'll probably secretly be wearing the blue and orange.
