I saw a TV news report tonight that highlighted Al Gustin’s 40th anniversary in broadcasting. You can view KFYR-TV’s report by clicking here and KXMB-TV’s report by clicking here. The first time I heard Al referred to as “The G-Man” was on KFYR Radio, by Mr. Phil Parker. I’ve always assumed that Phil coined the nickname. Congratulations, Al! You’re the most professional person I’ve ever met in this business. By the way, this is just about the only picture of Al I could find in my collection. I wasn’t always into photography, and never had a digital camera while the two of us still worked at KFYR. How about those orange countertops? Yikes!

I’m honored to call Al my friend and to have worked with him for a large part of my broadcast career. I started working with Al in 1991, when I was just getting my feet wet as a technical director in the mornings. He was patient with me as I’d make the occasional gaffe, sometimes popping him up on camera instead of going to a tape or graphic. He once told me of one of his goofups, back when commercials were run on slides. He dropped the box of slides for the morning, spilling them all over the floor, after they’d been sorted and organized for the day! I guess it happens to everyone. I don’t recall ever seeing Al make a significant mistake on the air, myself.

As usual, I’ll try to provide some additional insight in this blog post:

– As I recall, Al worked at KXMB way back when, before joining KFYR and becoming their farm director. In fact, I think that’s where he was working when he dropped that box of slides.

– Nothing can rattle him on the air. If there was a problem with a tape or graphic or something, we could just cut back to him and he’d keep going. When we would do news cutins throughout the morning on KFYR, he’d give me a script for a tape if he had one, so I knew when to go to the tape and when it would be done, and the rest he’d do on the fly. He would have little filler stories ready and always add or subtract whatever needed to make his news updates time out just right, every time.

– Al would come in at 3:30 every morning, like clockwork. He’d get his morning prepared for radio and TV, making the rounds from the radio building to the TV building throughout the morning. Between 5 and 6 he’d get some time to catch a break and call his wife, Peg, to see how her evening was. Because he had to come to work so early every day, he had to go to bed early too. So he would faithfully call home and see how his wife was doing and if anything exciting happened the night before.

– Al’s got some surprises up his sleeve. I remember one time when he came in to type up his market graphics. I had the control room speakers turned up with the Frank Zappa CD “Thing Fish” playing. Without even looking up from the keyboard, Al said something to the effect of “Frank’s talented, but I think he would get his message across a lot better if he wasn’t always trying to shock people with his lyrics.” I was stunned that he could actually recognize Frank Zappa, especially by hearing a short segment from Thing Fish! I never asked how he knew. I doubt he has a copy of “Joe’s Garage” in the tractor, though.

– He looks pretty good in a turban. I remember seeing a picture hanging in his office featuring him atop a camel, taken when Meyer Broadcasting sent him to the Middle East on assignment. I believe it was in Egypt. When the building was remodeled and his quarters were moved into the new, spacious newsroom, I think the picture adorned his cubicle as well.

– My favorite mornings were when Al joined Phil & Mark for the simulcast of “Country Morning” on the KFYRs (TV and radio). When I first started at Meyer, Country Morning was a 15 minute show. There was a staff of two: Al and the director. Most days it was my friend Mike Holwegner. When Mike was out fishing, it was me. It later evolved into a simulcast half-hour show, with cameras stationed in the radio studio. By that time I was working overnights, Mike would come in at 4:30, and the two of us would handle the behind-the-scenes part of the show every morning. Al had great chemistry with Phil & Mark, the perfect complement to their goofy style. Add to that the PMS trips to small town events around the state, with their trusty camcorder in hand, and we had the best morning entertainment to ever hit North Dakota screens.

I haven’t seen Al in a while, although I hear him on the radio. We have had lunch once since he left TV and I left broadcasting, and while talking to Jason Hulm on the phone I’ve asked him to shout out a “Hello” to Al as he walked by. Hopefully he’ll see this someday and have a fond memory or two of that kid who joined Country Morning back in the 90s. Let me say it again: it was a great privilege to work with such a consummate professional, the likes of which are rare in any industry, not just broadcasting.