Katie Clayton

How long have you been involved with WUNH and how did you first hear about the station?

During my summer before freshman year of college, I scoured UNH’s activities list for clubs that piqued my interest. As a Journalism major, multimedia outlets like the radio station and the campus magazine stuck out to me. I emailed the person in charge of new DJs sometime that summer, and I attended the first info session of the year in the fall. I’ve been involved now for almost two and a half years and I stepped into the Music Director position almost two years ago now! Time flies.

Tell us about the duties of your job and what part of it you love the most and what is most challenging.

 
Being the Music Director for WUNH, I have a lot of hats I have to be ready to wear at any given time! WUNH’s station standards are no Top 40, playing at least 50% adds during general programming slots, and general FCC rules. It’s my job to oversee DJs’ playlists and act as a rule-enforcer for our standards, as well as curate a playlist of new adds every week that fit the feel of our station and what our DJs are vibing with. Most of these come from promoters of various record labels, so I have to stay in contact with them and help boost different albums that our listeners might not be familiar with. I also host our station’s college countdown show, where I count down the Top 15 on the NACC Chart; I also report weekly charting to the NACC, shout out.

By far, my favorite part of being the MD for WUNH is being able to talk to promoters, labels, and artists directly; the opportunities I’ve had access to from this exposure to industry are so valuable to me! Free tickets? Who could complain! My least favorite part might be the more menial tasks, like making sure the record stacks are neat and adding CDs into our filing system. I’m lucky to have an assistant and an eager exec board that I can trust to help me out when I need it!

What advice can you offer other MDs regarding the ways you encourage your DJs to play the new music the station receives from labels and promoters?

At WUNH, our station standards require a percentage of new music to be played, so it isn’t really a matter of me encouraging people rather than leading people in new directions! I always welcome suggestions from our DJs who might have insight on a new release that flew under my radar! I think having this rolling conversation about new music in our station’s dialect is a great thing; in our Discord server, we have different tabs for different topics, and the #music thread is always bumping. We also have a Spotify playlist where we gather all of our station’s new tunes for people to check out, and I think this really helps with people’s approach and accessiblity to new albums.

What ways does the station reach out to/interact with the community and work to grow your audience/footprint?

This year, we’ve worked super hard to increase our amount of live events and interviews with a focus on highlighting local artists! We also have an annual fundraising week where we have a live DJ on air for 24 hours a day; those who donate get cool premiums like t-shirts and bumper stickers, so that’s a fun way we like to give back to our listeners and thank them for their support! This year, during our marathon week, we had a silent disco for our on campus students that I got to DJ at. One of my favorite aspects of community outreach we do is festival coverage; in 2023, we had DJs cover local music festivals like Boston Calling and In Between Days!

What was your favorite album of the past year or so and why?  Is there a 2024 release on the horizon you are eagerly awaiting?

My favorite album of the past year was probably Wednesday’s “Rat Saw God.” I am OBSESSED with their stage presence, and as a southern girl, I love their sonic blend of heavier guitar with twangy country. Asheville’s music scene is awesome. I think the album(s) I’m most excited for in 2024 is the new Sleater-Kinney album or the new Katy Kirby album!

Do you have a favorite artist or album you never get tired of listening to?

This is SUCH a hard question! Immediately, my mind went to the Twilight soundtrack, oddly enough? Specifically the first movie—I remember growing up, my mom had it on CD and would play it in the car. Whenever she let me use her iPod, I would go on her Rhapsody account and replay Decode by Paramore til my ears bled (not really, but such a banger). 15 Step by Radiohead? Best credit rolling track, unmatched!

Who is an artist or band totally outside the realm of the music you play on WUNH that people might be surprised to know you love?

I love alternative hip hop and neo soul! Rap clean edits are definitely far and few between, so I usually don’t play them on my show.

If you had the power to instantly change one thing going on in the world at the moment, what would it be?

My lighthearted answer is to ban all peanuts! Natural selection has nothing on me.

What event or person in your life would you say has shaped you the most as a person?

I moved to New Hampshire from Atlanta when I was in high school, and I think that move was super transformative for me!

If you could choose, what time period in the past would you most want to travel back to visit and why?

I feel like I would love to live in NYC in the 60s—Just Kids by Patti Smith style. I feel like the period of New York history is so integral to where I draw inspiration from now and I would’ve loved to mingle with the underground artsy scene. Kinda cheesy I guess, but true!

Do you have a favorite restaurant in town that you recommend people try?

Down the road from the coffee shop I work at is a cute spot called Oak House! They have an amazing vegan menu and super funky rotating specials. Definitely a must for their street taco fries. Another highlight is Mei Wei in downtown Durham; their egg drop soup is the best I’ve ever had and I always get it when I’m sick!

What in your life brings you the most joy?

People and the things they make/care about!

Lightning Round:

Dog or Cat? Dogs, of course!
Morning Person or Night Owl? I feel like I’m gradually shifting to a morning person! Caffeine helps.
City or Country? City in the summer, country in the winter.
Beach or Mountains? Beach!
Watch TV or Read A Book? Read a book! I’m currently loving Little Weirds by Jenny Slate.
Sunny or Rainy? Sunny!
Restaurant or Home Cooking? Home cooking—I’ve been trying to hone my bread making skills recently!
Pants or Shorts? Pants probably.
Warm or Cold drinks? Cold, but with light ice.

Do you have any current favorite TV shows you’re enjoying/binging?  How about a movie (new or old) that you’ve watched recently that you would recommend?

I’m not too big of a TV person if I’m being honest, but some of my favorite shows are Broad City and Portlandia! Outside of TV, I’ve been on a Rachel Sennott kick recently—Shiva Baby is a gem <3

Finally, If you could have a lifetime supply of anything, what would it be?

TIME, oh my goodness. If I didn’t have to sleep, my life would be infinitely more fulfilling in so many ways! I think it’s a really human thing to learn what you want to prioritize in the day to day.