The man behind WPR’s business and energy coverage is a self-described “big nerd,” “softie” and “goofball.”
Joe Schulz’s nerdy side is what got him into journalism. He enjoyed writing research papers and eventually joined the student newspaper at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, then the college radio station. He also freelanced for the Oshkosh Herald.
He owes some of that journalistic influence to comic book superheroes, who he grew up reading and watching.
“Spider-Man was a news photographer. Superman and Lois Lane were reporters,” he said. “So I knew of newsrooms, and newsrooms always seemed like the place where things happen, where people got to the bottom of stuff.”
Joe’s radio advisor at UW-Oshkosh was Randall Davidson, an alumnus of WPR, who introduced him to local public media. He recalled listening to WPR’s podcasts “Derailed” and “Mapped Out” while commuting to a reporting internship in Ripon.
In 2021, Joe received the Wisconsin Newspaper Association’s Rookie Reporter of the Year award in the weekly division for the Ripon Commonwealth Press. And in 2022, he joined WPR’s newsroom to cover northeastern Wisconsin and statewide business.
He’s found mentorship in WPR’s veteran reporters and admires the wealth of experience among the news team.
“We just have a really solid team of good people who are funny and smart,” he said. “That’s probably my favorite part, just the team we have.”
Outside of the station, Joe’s a typical Wisconsin boy, keeping up religiously with the Green Bay Packers and participating in weekly trivia with a group of friends from his days of working at Kwik Trip in college. He enjoys a variety of music, from Kendrick Lamar to Creed. (He does a mean Creed at karaoke, I tell ya).
“My goal is always just to make people laugh and try to be entertaining and funny with it,” he said. “I try not to take myself too seriously.”
— Alyssa Allemand, Social Media Manager
