Mike Gousha says that even his boss at Marquette University's Law School wasn't surprised when Gousha made it official Tuesday that he was returning to television next month, this time as a host and a political reporter on WISN-12.

"When I signed on here at Marquette, one of the things the dean said to me was, 'I think you still want to do good journalism,'" says Gousha.

It turns out the dean was right. And though media insiders have speculated since his resignation from WTMJ-TV in August 2006, that it was just a matter of time before the venerable anchor resurfaced on Milwaukee's airwaves, Gousha insists that Tuesday's announcement wasn't premeditated from the day he left Channel 4.

"This was not something that when I left television I planned to do," says Gousha. "I think it was a product of a number of months of discussions. Both (news director) Lori (Waldon) and (general manager) Jan (Wade) made it clear that they thought I would be a good fit for their news operation, and I had a chance to talk with them at length and watch their product, and talk to a number of executives at Hearst-Argyle about their commitment to political overage.

"Over time, we decided this would be a really good fit. It's a nice complement to what I do at Marquette University Law School."

Wade broke the news officially in a statement, announcing that Gousha will host a Sunday morning political talk show that the station hopes to kick off in early January. He'll also serve as a special reporter, "along the same lines that Joyce Garbaciak does with us right now," says Wade.

Gousha will continue serving as a distinguished fellow in law and public policy at Marquette Law, but the opportunity at WISN fills a void in his career: "It allows me to practice good journalism."

Gousha, 51, says Marquette has been supportive and encouraging throughout the whole process.

"It's a good fit at this moment in my life," says Gousha.

As for Gousha's choice in stations, some have opined that Channel 12 has gained an increasing reputation as a leader in harder news. According to one report, Channel 12's 10 p.m. newscast was seen by 84,645 homes in November, up from 78,000 a year ago.

By comparison, recent ratings show that viewers are tuning out his old station's focus on "dirty dining" exposes and more entertainment-based news. That same report says viewership of WTMJ-TV's 10 p.m. newscast dropped from 96,000 households in November 2006 to fewer than 84,000 a year later. In 1998, Channel 4 had a viewership of 137,000 households.

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