John Bachman is an evening anchor at Action News Jax.
He anchors the 5, 6 and 11 p.m. weekday newscasts on WJAX and the 6:30 and 10 p.m. newscasts on WFOX.
News runs in my blood. I grew up in a newsroom with my dad, also John Bachman, who was in the business for about 40 years. In fact, my dad even worked with our Chief Meteorologist Mike Buresh back in the '80s in Des Moines, Iowa! I like to remind Mike of that regularly!
I didn’t always want to follow in my dad’s footsteps. Despite loving the newsroom energy, and following my dad to St. Olaf College, I thought I wanted to be a doctor. I was pre-med, a biology major. I took the MCAT to get into medical school. At about that time, though, I was offered a chance to get into TV. I took an internship at KELO-TV in Sioux Falls, and after a few months they hired me. From there, I went to Raleigh, North Carolina, and WRAL-TV. After four great years, I had the opportunity to go to WSB-TV in Atlanta, our sister station. I reported and anchored there for seven years.
While I was at St. Olaf College, I played golf and baseball. More importantly, though, I met my wife, Jen. I convinced her to go out with me, and a year after graduation we got married. We live in St. Johns County and have three amazing girls.
I've been fortunate to cover some important stories to Jacksonville. Right before Florida voted on Amendment 2, medical marijuana, I flew to Los Angeles to investigate how their similarly written law worked. I exposed how easy it was to buy marijuana, as someone from out of state and with no legitimate medical reason. I also went to Wisconsin, where crews are building Littoral Combat Ships headed for homeport in Jacksonville starting in 2016. I took viewers into the unfinished USS Little Rock--the first ship headed our way. I also talked to Mayport business owners who can't wait for the influx of people and millions of dollars into our local economy.
I love raising my family in the Jacksonville community. I serve on the Make-A-Wish Advisory Committee for NE Florida. I'm on the board of Day1 media ministry. I look forward to learning about getting involved with other great organizations here in Northeast Florida. I hope to see you at your next event!
When I’m not working or chasing my girls, I’m busy running after Teddy Roosevelt, my golden retriever! I also love to chase that little white ball. I’m a certified golf and baseball nut. I try to carve out time to read—actual books—not on a tablet. I like to physically turn the pages—preferably a presidential biography. Now that I am in Jacksonville, I've started to learn how to surf. What a workout!
