Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are searching for ways to restore remote access to activities in and around the Capitol after the nonprofit broadcasting organization WisconsinEye went offline this week, citing a lack of funds. But it was unclear whether that will continue to involve the organization commonly known as “WisEye” or some other form of streaming live coverage from the statehouse.
The Wisconsin State Journal story appeared in several newspapers, including the Dec. 20, 2025 issue of The Chippewa Herald of Chippewa Falls. According to the story:
The independent, nonprofit WisconsinEye has broadcast floor sessions, press conferences and public hearings for 18 years and is viewed as an indispensable source of information for lawmakers, legislative aides, lobbyists and reporters. The network went dark on Monday after it failed to secure enough donations to meet its 2026 operating budget of $887,000.
Democratic lawmakers have proposed a bill that would fold WisconsinEye into the state government. But Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, told the Wisconsin State Journal he’s not sure if continuing with WisconsinEye is the best approach.
“I think it’s important to have, to be able to stream committee hearings and floor sessions and things like that,” LeMahieu said Wednesday. “But how that’s done … it seems as if WisconsinEye is burning through quite a bit of money. It may not be the most responsible way to provide this service to the public.”
On its website, WisconsinEye cites “extreme competition” and “a complete collapse” in private funding, driven by donor fatigue, recent record-breaking political contributions and economic uncertainty.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said last week he’s open to supporting the longstanding media network in some capacity.
On Tuesday, Democratic Sens. Mark Spreitzer, of Beloit; Kelda Roys, of Madison; and Chris Larson, of Milwaukee, and Rep. Brienne Brown, D-Whitewater, proposed folding WisconsinEye into a new Office of Public Affairs under the state Department of Administration, with oversight by a board of directors. That board would mirror other state boards by including the governor, four legislators and two members of the public nominated by the governor.
The bill would provide WisconsinEye with $2 million annually to restore and expand access to government proceedings, and would direct the office to hire former WisconsinEye staff who have the expertise of filming and broadcasting in the Capitol and around the state.
The bill would also direct the state Department of Administration to acquire WisconsinEye’s entire archive catalogue, which contains more than 30,000 hours of footage. The public’s access to government proceedings should not be dependent on donor generosity, the bill’s authors wrote in a co-sponsorship memo.
“This shutdown has resulted in an immediate and unacceptable loss of access to live coverage and video archives of state government for the public, for journalists, and for legislators,” the co-sponsorship memo said. “This failure underscores a fundamental need: Open government requires reliable and permanent public infrastructure, not a private entity that can be shut down due to difficulties raising funds or in an attempt to pressure legislators to pro- vide funds.”
Asked about the bill, LeMahieu said it “seems sort of like overkill with appointments and a separate agency.”
