Bob McGuire will close the book on a 35-year broadcast career Thursday night. He will sign off on the 10 p.m. newscast after delivering more than 26,000 regularly scheduled newscasts and hundreds of severe weather alerts.
Bob is one the longest-running weather personalities in the region. He has called Q2 and Billings home since 1984 with the exemption of a brief 2-year run at KOMO-TV in Seattle.
This week Q2 has reminisced about Bob’s contribution to the community and significant moments on air. Bob was a tireless supporter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and was a host of the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon for 25 years. The telethon took a different direction in 2011 but for over two decades Bob poured his heart into helping “Jerry’s kids”.
Bob has hosted the annual Relay for Life Survivors dinner for years. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2005 and made it a goal to get a lap around the track with the other cancer survivors the next year. He has been a big part of the event and Q2 coverage of Relay for Life.
Many students have had their weather interest piqued by Bob’s presentations in the local schools. If he didn’t come to them, they came to him in the studio for a tour. He always enjoyed watching them take a turn at being a weathercaster in front of the green chromakey board.
This month many of Bob’s colleagues wanted to say goodbye and wish him well in retirement. Due to most Q2 employees working remotely and restrictions on indoor gatherings, we held a drive-by goodbye to Bob last week. A steady stream of cars rolled slowly through the Q2 parking lot for current and former employees to bid their farewells. Cars backed up into the street as stories were shared and goodbyes were passed along through car windows.
Q2 Meteorologist Ed McIntosh will replace Bob on Jan. 1. Ed will move from doing weather on Montana This Morning and the MTN News at Noon moving to the MTN News at 5:30 p.m., 9 p.m., and 10 p.m.
“I’m not taking Bob’s place, nobody can,” said McIntosh. “I have years of experience forecasting weather in Montana and Wyoming and people can count on me to deliver an accurate forecast and severe weather information.”
McIntosh said he will miss “geeking out” with Bob on weather data. He said the new morning Meteorologist Miller Robson is already filling that spot for talking weather specifics.
Bob worked with former Q2 News Anchor Jay Kohn since 1998. Jay sat down with Bob for an interview in the Q2 studio this month to look back at his career. You can watch that interview here:
Jay sat down with Bob for an interview in the Q2 studio this month
