Mike Barz Biography: Age, Height, Wife Tera Williams, WISH-TV Indianapolis Anchor, Good Morning America & WGN-TV Career

Mike Barz is an American broadcaster who has spent more than two decades in local television news, working as a morning anchor in Chicago, Jacksonville, and Indianapolis. Born Michael Barszcz on April 9, 1970, in Los Angeles, he began his career in the mid-1990s and has since anchored at WGN-TV, WFLD, WAWS/WTEV in Jacksonville, and WISH-TV in Indianapolis. He also spent about a year on ABC’s Good Morning America as its weather presenter. This biography covers his early life, his broadcasting career, and his work today.

Quick Facts

Related Names: Tera Williams, Tamron Hall, David Novarro, Jan Jeffcoat, Sam Champion, Tony Perkins, WGN-TV, WFLD, WISH-TV, Good Morning America, Action News Jax.

Early Life & Education

Mike Barz was born Michael Barszcz on April 9, 1970, in Los Angeles, into a military family. He moved to the Midwest to attend Indiana University Bloomington, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1993.

Early in his career, Barz adjusted his surname from Barszcz to Barz and began working as a news anchor at WHBF-TV in Rock Island, Illinois (1996–1997), and then at WLUK-TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he worked as a feature reporter and anchor.

Career Journey

WGN-TV and Good Morning America (1998–2006)

Barz left WLUK in 1998 to come to Chicago, taking a job at WGN-TV as the sports anchor for WGN Morning News, joining a morning news team with what was described as a controversially comedic bent.

In early May 2005, Barz received an early release from his contract at WGN-TV to become a full-time feature contributor at ABC News’ Good Morning America (GMA). He anchored GMA’s weather segment after Tony Perkins’ departure from the show in 2005, serving in that role until September 5, 2006, when he was succeeded by Sam Champion.

Barz was present at the 40th anniversary of Good Morning America on November 19, 2015. The 40th anniversary special brought together current and former anchors, weather presenters, and contributors from across the show’s history. Barz’s presence there — as a former weather presenter rather than a current one — was a reminder that even short stints on national television leave a mark.

WFLD Chicago: Fox News in the Morning (2007–2009)

In March 2007, Barz returned to Chicago as a co-anchor of WFLD-TV’s “Fox News in the Morning,” working alongside co-anchors Tamron Hall and David Novarro. Novarro was subsequently moved to a different WFLD newscast, and after Hall joined MSNBC in New York, Barz was joined by a new co-anchor, Jan Jeffcoat, in June 2007.

Jacksonville: Action News Jax (2010–2014)

In July 2010, Barz was hired as a weekday morning news anchor at the Action News Jax stations, WAWS and WTEV-TV, in Jacksonville, Florida. His contract was not renewed in 2014 as part of a larger newsroom shakeup.

Contract non-renewals are a routine part of local television, and a newsroom shakeup can affect anchors, reporters, and producers alike. Barz’s departure from Action News Jax in 2014 was not presented as a scandal or a firing for cause — it was a business decision by the station’s owners. He landed on his feet, resurfacing in Indianapolis four years later.

WISH-TV Indianapolis (2018–Present)

In 2018, Mike Barz became WISH-TV’s evening news anchor for the 6 p.m., 10 p.m., and 11 p.m. newscasts in Indianapolis.

WISH-TV is Indianapolis’s CBS affiliate and one of the city’s oldest television stations. Anchoring the 6 p.m., 10 p.m., and 11 p.m. newscasts means Barz covers the full evening news cycle — from the early-evening news that commuters watch on their way home, to the late news that wraps up the day’s events. It is a demanding schedule that requires preparation, quick thinking, and a steady on-air presence.

From Rock Island to Green Bay to Chicago to Jacksonville to Indianapolis, Barz has worked in markets of different sizes and different regions. He has been a sports anchor, a weather presenter, a morning co-anchor, and an evening anchor. He has worked for network television (ABC) and for local stations (WGN, WFLD, WAWS/WTEV, WISH). That range is unusual even in local news, where many anchors spend their entire careers in one or two markets.

Barz’s career also reflects the realities of local television news: anchors move between markets, contracts come up for renewal, and stations reorganize their newsrooms. His longevity — more than two decades in the business — is itself an achievement in an industry known for turnover. Whether he continues at WISH-TV or moves on to another station, he has built a body of work that spans nearly every role in local broadcasting.

Career Stats

• News anchor, WHBF-TV, Rock Island, Illinois (1996–1997)
• Feature reporter and anchor, WLUK-TV, Green Bay, Wisconsin (1997–1998)
• Sports anchor, WGN-TV, Chicago (1998–2005)
• Weather presenter, Good Morning America, ABC News (2005–2006)
• Co-anchor, Fox News in the Morning, WFLD-TV, Chicago (2007–2009)
• Weekday morning news anchor, WAWS/WTEV-TV, Jacksonville, Florida (2010–2014)
• Evening news anchor, WISH-TV, Indianapolis (2018–present)

Personal Life

• Wife: Tera Williams (a.k.a. Tera Barz), married in 2010; divorced October 2014
• Children: Private
• Home: Indianapolis, Indiana
• Background: Military family; born in Los Angeles; moved to the Midwest for college

Dating History and Affairs

Barz married former WFLD-TV reporter Tera Williams (a.k.a. Tera Barz) in 2010. She was his co-anchor at WFOX-TV until June 2012. Barz and Williams divorced in October 2014. No other relationships have been reported in reliable sources.

Controversies

None personal through 2026. Barz’s career has been marked by steady movement between stations — a normal pattern in local television news — rather than by scandal. His contract at Action News Jax was not renewed in 2014 as part of a larger newsroom shakeup, which is an industry event rather than a personal controversy. There is no record of professional misconduct or public scandal attached to his name.

Awards & Achievements

• Sports anchor, WGN Morning News, WGN-TV Chicago
• Weather presenter, Good Morning America (2005–2006)
• Co-anchor, Fox News in the Morning, WFLD-TV (2007–2009)
• Weekday morning news anchor, Action News Jax (2010–2014)
• Evening news anchor, WISH-TV Indianapolis (2018–present)

Physical Statistics

• Height: Private
• Weight: Private
• Hair Color: Private
• Eye Color: Private
• Build: Average

Quotes

No verified verbatim quotations from Mike Barz could be located in freely accessible print sources, so this biography does not invent any. His voice is best heard through his years of broadcasting — on WGN-TV, Good Morning America, WFLD, Action News Jax, and WISH-TV.

Favorites

• Format: Morning and evening news presenting
• Market: Chicago, Jacksonville, Indianapolis
• Network: ABC, Fox, CBS

Earnings

Barz’s net worth is not publicly disclosed. His income has come from salaries at WGN-TV, ABC, WFLD, WAWS/WTEV, and WISH-TV over more than two decades, but no contract terms or financial figures are public, and any specific figure quoted online should be treated as speculation rather than fact.

Local television anchor salaries vary widely by market, experience, and contract terms. Chicago and Indianapolis are both significant markets, but they are not comparable to New York or Los Angeles in terms of pay. Barz’s more than two decades in the business suggest a solid middle-to-upper-middle-class income, but without any public disclosure, any specific number is pure speculation.

Interesting Facts

• He was born Michael Barszcz on April 9, 1970, in Los Angeles.
• He grew up in a military family and attended Indiana University Bloomington.
• He adjusted his surname from Barszcz to Barz early in his career.
• He was Good Morning America’s weather presenter from 2005 to 2006.
• He co-anchored Fox News in the Morning on WFLD Chicago with Tamron Hall and Jan Jeffcoat.
• He married WFLD reporter Tera Williams in 2010; they divorced in 2014.
• He has been WISH-TV’s evening news anchor since 2018.

Did You Know Already?

• He is an American television news anchor.
• He was born on April 9, 1970.
• He has worked at WGN-TV, WFLD, WAWS/WTEV Jacksonville, and WISH-TV Indianapolis.
• He was Good Morning America’s weather presenter from 2005 to 2006.

Social Media Links

• WISH-TV: wishtv.com
• WFLD: fox32chicago.com
• WGN-TV: wgntv.com
• Good Morning America: abcnews.go.com/GMA

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Mike Barz’s career shows how a broadcaster can move from sports to weather to morning news to evening anchor across more than two decades and multiple markets. If you found this biography helpful, please share it with fellow broadcasting and local news fans!