Dave & Meg: WNEM TV5 News
“Aside from my first boss here at the station, David was the first TV-5-er I met. I remember when I first came to Michigan, we went out to dinner in Bay City and when we got in the car, he said to me, ‘Okay, really, what do you want to know? What do you want to know about this place?’ I was new, 22 at the time, and I didn’t know what to ask. I tried to be polite and not ask anything too deep.
But I discovered quickly that we had the very same work ethic. We are both pretty scrupulous about grammar and things like that, and then, over time, I started to learn his humor and his heart.
Dave is one of the most compassionate people I know. He is constantly doing little things for people, whether it's dropping off a gift to someone just because he passed something in a store that reminded him of them, or leaving someone a little note of encouragement on their desk.
I find myself so privileged to sit next to someone who is one of the best storytellers in the country. He's my rock at work—I call him my work husband—and people sometimes actually think that he's my actual husband. We get that a lot! It's just grown into such a natural relationship. I consider him family. He's the guy we’re going to be calling ‘Uncle David’ when my husband and I have kids one day.
Originally, I thought I would not stay here more than two or three years. I was going to head back to the East Coast to be closer to family.
But here I am, eight years later, with the most incredible human next to me, eight hours a day. I can't believe how lucky I am to end up at my first job with someone I respect so much.
Not only has our professional and personal relationship grown, but personally, I've grown immensely as a journalist. I’ve really studied Dave’s work, learned how he operated and how he anchored, how he dealt with different things in the newsroom and how he wrote.
Even now, if I'm doing a story and I really want to bump it up, especially if it's emotional, I tell myself to ‘hone in on my inner David’.
Because of the relationship we have, I know he can trust me and I trust him. That really cuts the stress incredibly—when you're in a breaking news situation, or you're trying to get something confirmed, or something's going wrong technologically behind the scenes.
If I'm having an off day, I know he will carry me. If he's having an off day, I'll carry him.”
- Meg McLeod, WNEMTV5news
“Meg is family to me. She was the first person I called when I got engaged on a bridge in New York City, in December of 2016. I know I can lean on her and I also know that she can carry the show if I'm distracted. We laugh at the same jokes. We can look at each other if it’s something funny and I know what her reaction is going to be.
I knew from the beginning that she was serious about this work, that she was here to do a job and she was here to kick butt. She believed in the same things I did. So, when the position she’s in now was open, I gave an ultimatum that it's Meg or nobody. That was hard and a bit of a gamble, but I knew I didn't want to do it with anybody else. I know that everything she's fighting for is exactly what I would fight for.
I know I can rely on her because she’s so good at what she does. I turn to her for so many things because she is such a stickler about grammar and facts. I know I can lean on her and that she can carry the show by herself, and that’s so comforting to know.”
- David Custer, WNEMTV5news
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