Jim Mertens

Anchor

Jim and Julie Sisk co-anchor our full morning coverage on "Good Morning Quad Cities" and the one-hour midday broadcast, "News 8 at 11".

Jim, Julie, and meteorologist James Zahara have been together on "Good Morning Quad Cities" since 2006.

Before coming to mornings, Jim was the anchor and producer of "News 8 at 6:30" and a reporter for "News 8 at 10". He's also anchored the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts, the weekend broadcasts, and was a reporter on the streets when he joined the WQAD News 8 team in 1995.

Jim is also the host of "The Cities", a weekly half-hour public affairs program seen on WQPT-TV, the Quad Cities PBS station.

Before coming to the Quad Cities, Jim worked at WWMT-TV in Kalamazoo, Michigan as an anchor and reporter for six years. Prior to that, Jim was an anchor and reporter for seven years at WEAU-TV in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

He got his start in radio in 1978 at WFON-FM in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. He later joined WAXX/WAYY Radio Stations in Eau Claire, Wisconsin where he would start as an overnight Country music announcer before working in the station's radio news department as a reporter and anchor.

Jim is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire School of Journalism. He's received numerous reporting awards from Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan. His long-form reporting earned him first place awards with the Iowa Associated Press, the Iowa Broadcast News Association, and the Illinois News Broadcasters Association.

Jim has been president of the Iowa Broadcast News Association (www.ibna.org) and is a past president of the Northwest Broadcast News Association (www.nbna.info), an organization serving broadcast journalists in six Midwestern states.

Recent Articles

  • Chef Scott: Jimmy Sullivan’s Biscuits and Gravy

    Posted on: 10:45 am, May 23, 2013, by , updated on: 11:49am, May 23, 2013

    Do you remember Jimmy Sullivan's in Rock Island? Our chef does and tells us you can make the restaurant's signature dish.
    Read More ›

  • Pay It Forward: Fighting for Veterans

    Posted on: 5:59 am, May 23, 2013, by , updated on: 06:29am, May 23, 2013

    Our Pay It Forward recipient doesn't want any veteran forgotten
    Read More ›

  • Ag in the AM: Farmers Make “Significant Progress”

    Posted on: 10:21 am, May 21, 2013, by

    More than three quarters of the area corn crop is now planted
    Read More ›

  • Chef Scott: Red Snapper with a Twist

    Posted on: 10:52 am, May 16, 2013, by

    Forget everyday salmon. Chef Scott tells us how to make Red Snapper with a coconut marinade.
    Read More ›

    food
  • Chef Scott: Grilling a Mother’s Day Feast

    Posted on: 12:34 pm, May 9, 2013, by

    Get ready for Mother's Day grilling with an inexpensive steak that tastes like a filet, and a taste of Polynesian for the side dishes
    Read More ›

  • Chef Scott: Go Italian with Osso Buco

    Posted on: 10:21 am, April 25, 2013, by

    Chef Scott takes a usually tough piece of beef and turns it into something you can make in your kitchen
    Read More ›

  • Pay It Forward: Rescuing Refugees

    Posted on: 5:57 am, April 25, 2013, by , updated on: 11:12am, April 25, 2013

    A Quad City volunteer means the world to a group of people from all over the world.
    Read More ›

  • Chef Scott: Saute’d Chicken Livers

    Posted on: 12:10 pm, April 11, 2013, by

    Stopping complaining about liver! Chef Scott has a simple recipe that may change your mind about the inexpensive meal.
    Read More ›

  • Chef Scott: Blackened Sea Bass

    Posted on: 10:57 am, April 4, 2013, by , updated on: 11:14am, April 4, 2013

    Chef Scott says you can spice up your options by blackening sea bass!
    Read More ›

  • PAY IT FORWARD: Clothing the Homeless

    Posted on: 4:14 am, March 28, 2013, by , updated on: 05:11am, March 28, 2013

    This Humility of Mary volunteer helps organize donations that clothe Quad City homeless citizens
    Read More ›

  • CHEF SCOTT: Easter Ham with Local Flavor

    Posted on: 11:20 am, March 27, 2013, by , updated on: 10:46am, March 28, 2013

    Chef Brad Scott takes Boetje's Mustard to your Easter dinner table with a unique ham glaze
    Read More ›

  • Chef Scott: Bringing Back “Steak Velie”

    Posted on: 11:20 am, March 14, 2013, by , updated on: 12:03pm, March 14, 2013

    Chef Scott brings back a Quad City restaurant's signature dish and asks if you have a favorite
    Read More ›