Photo: Chris Emeott
WCCO-TV anchor A.J. Hilton tells Minnesota’s stories and shares his love of music.
As a middle schooler growing up in Apple Valley, WCCO-TV anchor A.J. Hilton watched Bryant Gumbel on NBC’s Today Show every morning before school. One morning as Hilton watched Gumbel nimbly weave through a delicate interview, he realized he wanted to do the same thing one day. “If I can talk to people, tell them what’s going on in the world, kind of have some fun with it and help people tell their stories, that’s what I want to do,” he says.
After graduating from Apple Valley High School in 2000, Hilton studied broadcast journalism with a minor in African American Studies at the University of Minnesota, graduating in 2004, and got a job in broadcast journalism at a news station in Alexandria. His career has taken him to TV stations all over the country, including in Florida, Michigan and Tennessee. He returned to Minnesota to work for WCCO-TV in 2022 and settled in Lakeville. He’s currently a weekday morning news anchor at WCCO.
We caught up with Hilton to chat about his work and his passion for music. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
A.J. Hilton serves as emcee for Lifeworks Services, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to advancing disability inclusion. Photo: Lifeworks Services, Inc.
What does a typical work day look like for you?
I set two alarms: one at 2:15 a.m., one at 2:30 a.m. for my work phone and my personal phone. I get up. I do some stretching. I’ll eat something light while I read, meditate or just get my mind right and ready for the day. I’ll look at the newspaper. Look at my phone for headlines to see what I missed overnight. Typically, I’ve watched the news from the night before. I may flip on the news really quick to see what happened overnight. I’m in the shower by 3 a.m., out the door by 3:20 a.m. or 3:30 a.m. I try to get to work by 3:45 a.m., but typically, it’s about 4 a.m. Then I’m ready to go on air at 5 a.m.
So are you a coffee or a tea drinker? I’m assuming caffeine’s involved.
I drink water. I don’t need caffeine. It’s weird.
Your career brought you all over the country. Were you trying to get back to Minnesota or did it unfold naturally?
I didn’t think I’d ever get back to Minnesota because it’s such a great market. Minneapolis/St. Paul was always on my dream list. It’s home, and the [TV news] market here is so good. It is so competitive. Then there’s just stories here that you just don’t see other places. It was different here. It was special here.
What are you most proud of in your journalism career overall?
I think that I have been able to establish and inform [the] community wherever I’ve been, giving people a feeling that they belong. I want to make people feel like they are connected to something. Despite all the awful things that are happening in the world, I try to give people a sense of hope and a sense of community.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I love music. I’ve got three turntables. I DJ on the side, sometimes, too, for fun.
Why is music so important in your life?
Music is so important to me because it reminds me of family. I can still remember my dad playing Al Jarreau’s Look to the Rainbow or Stevie Wonder’s In Square Circle on the drive to or from Target Center. My mom wore out Toni Braxton’s cassette on countless road trips. Marvin Gaye was always in the rotation. Those weren’t just albums—they’re memories. They’re snapshots of my childhood.
Like a lot of people, music has been the soundtrack to my life. There’s a song for every chapter, every celebration, every heartbreak, every victory, everything. Some songs take me back to a specific place or a specific person faster than any photograph ever could.
In a world where so much divides us, music remains one of the few things that can bring people together. No matter where you’re from or what your story is, there’s a good chance there’s a song that connects us.
As a lifelong music lover, A.J. Hilton celebrates Record Store Day by DJing at The Electric Fetus in Minneapolis. Photo: Alyssa Lovgren
What was your first album?
Loaded question! I have a couple of “first albums.” Remember those CD clubs in the ’90s when you could get six CDs for the price of a dollar? I remember my six.
- Seal (1994 album), Seal
- The Ultimate Collection, Jackson 5
- Off the Wall, Michael Jackson
- 20 All-Time Greatest Hits!, James Brown
- Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks
- (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, Oasis
The first CD I bought in a store: Vol. 2 … Hard Knock Life, Jay-Z.
When I got a record player, sometime in the 2010s, the first record I got was Michael Jackson’s Bad.
What are you listening to right now?
I have my iPod. I don’t use Spotify. The song I’m listening to right now. Oh! I don’t want to show you. Well, this is my vinyl playlist, so this is all my vinyl records, and right now I’m listening to a song by the Sneaker Pimps.
What’s the best thing you found recently at a record store?
The best thing I found at stores was in Amsterdam in January. It’s this rare record. I actually played it for Record Store Day [in April at The Electric Fetus]. The name of the song is Fantasy by Johnny Hammond. It’s an old record. It’s from the ’70s. It still sounds good today.
What are your favorite record stores locally?
[The] Electric Fetus is number one. That’s my go-to. Mill City Sound over in Hopkins is another one. Down in the Valley over in Golden Valley. I haven’t been to South Metro Music [in Burnsville] in a while, but those are the big ones that I go to.
Why do you feel like it’s important to own hard copies of music as opposed to keeping a digital collection?
This answer goes back to my childhood. On the weekends, there was always music playing in our house. My mom and dad had two speakers mounted on shelves in the family room, and they’d have everything from Yes to Sounds of Blackness playing through their six-disc CD changer while they tackled Saturday chores.
Like any kid, there were times I didn’t want to listen to what they had on. I’d grab the oversized headphones, head over to my parents’ record collection and pick an album—many times based solely on the cover art. Looking back, that’s how I discovered some incredible music.
Moonlighting as a DJ is something A.J. Hilton does for fun. Hilton took this selfie while spinning records at the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis. Photo: A.J. Hilton
There’s a certain euphoria that comes from playing a record you’ve never heard before and discovering sounds that somehow make perfect sense. It’s hard to describe.
But it wasn’t just about the music. I’d open the gatefold and read everything. The liner notes sparked my curiosity. What does a producer actually do? Who’s the recording engineer? How does arranging work? I’d read the lyrics, study the credits and wonder about the choices that shaped the album. Why were these songs selected? What songs didn’t make the cut? Why did they sequence the tracks in this order?
Those questions taught me to appreciate music beyond what I was hearing. They helped me understand that every album is the result of hundreds of creative decisions.
I think that gets lost with digital music. While streaming is convenient, it doesn’t allow you to slow down and engage with an album the way a physical record does.
When I put on a record now, I’m chasing that same experience I had as a kid. I enjoy the ritual of pulling the record from its sleeve, dropping the needle, putting on headphones and letting an album play. I still love flipping through the artwork and liner notes. In a world that constantly demands our attention, vinyl reminds me to slow down.
And there’s something meaningful about owning a physical piece of music. Long after the streaming subscription ends or a platform disappears, that record is still there. I can hold it in my hands. And it gets to tell its story all over again.
Sometimes A.J. Hilton brings his passion for music to work. Hilton interviews Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for WCCO-TV before their grandstand concert at the Minnesota State Fair.
Lakeville Takes
Go-to Dairy Delite order: I just had the most amazing milkshake of vanilla ice cream and root beer float ice cream combined together. I’m a different person. Whenever I go to Dairy Delite, I always get milkshakes. I love [its] vanilla milkshake.
Favorite restaurant: Ole Piper. I love those pizzas. The thin crust pizzas.
Best place to hang out: Grand Prairie Park
Biggest change since you’ve moved back to the area: Going to football games at Lakeville High School [from Apple Valley], it was just cornfields. Now, it’s houses. And there are two high schools.
