News anchor Patrick Paolantonio is leaving WISN-TV (Channel 12) in Milwaukee

Patrick Paolantonio, who has been a reporter and news anchor at WISN-TV (Channel 12) in Milwaukee for more than 20 years, is leaving the ABC affiliate at the end of July.

Paolantonio is anchor of Channel 12's 5, 6 and 10 p.m. weeknight newscasts.

"Patrick will leave us at the end of the month. He is making that decision for family reasons," WISN-TV President and General Manager Jan Wade said in an emailed statement. "We certainly appreciate Patrick and all of his many contributions over more than 22 years of service to WISN 12 News. We wish him nothing but the best, and thank him for all of his contributions."

In the statement, Wade said the station planned a nationwide search for his replacement, as well as looking internally.

Paolantonio came to Channel 12 in 2002 as a reporter, hired from WOLO-TV in Columbia, South Carolina. Within a year, he was promoted to co-anchor of the Milwaukee station's new weekend morning newscast, a gig he had for 12 years.

In 2015, Paolantonio went back to nights, as co-anchor of Channel 12's 5 p.m. newscast along with added reporting duties. The following year, he added co-anchoring duties at 10 p.m., and then co-anchor at 6 p.m. in 2018.

Paolantonio's departure will come two months after the exit of another longtime Channel 12 news anchor. Joyce Garbaciak cut her last anchoring job at the station at the end of May, focusing instead on "special projects."

The Milwaukee Business Journal first reported Paolantonio's planned departure.

RELATED: Diana Gutiérrez is named co-anchor of 6 p.m. news at Milwaukee's WISN-TV (Channel 12)

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: News anchor Patrick Paolantonio is leaving WISN-TV (Channel 12) in Milwaukee