Off The Mic
John Dillingham
DJ Name: N/A
DJ Shift: Local Block, Wednesday at 6PM
Exec Position: Station Manager
Year: Senior
Major: Photomedia
Favorite Color(s): Rose Quartz and Serenity
Hobbies: Eating way too much, photography, watching interviews on Youtube, spending too much money on gas, talking to his dog on Facetime
Mason Kilpatrick: What do you do as Station Manager?
John Dillingham: In short, I make sure people have what they need in order to accomplish what they need to do. I lead a very high-functioning group of people.
MK: When and how did you join KJHK?
JD: I joined KJHK in the Fall of 2011. I was on the Street Team so I bounced around town, promoted the station with love and went to concerts for free. It was pretty cool.
MK: How did you hear about KJHK?
JD: I actually didn’t come to Lawrence before I came to KU. My tour of Lawrence was a Google tour. KJHK popped up and I thought “Oh! There is a cool radio station here.” I was super into music in high school so it fit. I think I first listened to KJHK via the interwebz and my friend took me to the first All-Staff Meeting after that.
MK: You weren’t one of the people in the last wave of the Shack (KJHK’s former home), right? You were the first wave of KJHK at the Union, correct?
JD: No, I think I was the second year of KJHK at the Union. I don’t really know if I had expectations in what I was going to do at the station. I just remember everyone being super cool and I was not cool at the time. But overall, it was cool.
MK: Speaking of expectations, what expectations do you have on yourself as a human being?
JD: Oh! My expectations, summed up in a successful life motto: “Be kind to everyone you interact with.” Try to be better to every person that you are interacting with. I want to leave everybody on a more positive note. I try to be as present as possible and enjoy life. Eat. Pray. Love.
MK: How has KJHK influenced these values?
JD: KJHK has established every chord I have at this present moment. I wouldn’t be anything without KJHK. My KU experience would be drastically different and not as successful if I had not had KJHK in my life. Even on my bad days, I know that I have the people at the station who care about me. KJHK is the reason why I get out of bed in the morning.
MK: I feel the same about the mornings. But what keeps you up at night?
JD: What keeps me up night are the things I could have done that day if I would have gotten off of Instagram. I am not as restless as I used to be though. Actually, I am really perturbed because one of my favorite HBO shows, “Looking,” will not be renewed and I did not know that. I just finished the most recent seasons and now I have nothing to look forward to. So that kept me up for a bit.
MK: I am so sorry. That is always frustrating. You brought up Instagram. What role does social media play in your life?
JD: It plays too much of a role. A lot of my artistic role is about connectivity, pertaining to the digital revolution our society (more specifically our generation) is going through. I am super into social media because it has connected me with a lot of cool people and I now have lasting relationships with people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise. At the same time, a lot of people spend too much time on social media, looking at people’s profiles when they probably shouldn’t.
MK: Do you see this digital revolution, more specifically social media, having a positive or negative impact on us in the future?
JD: With everything, it all has to do with intention. There are people, including myself sometimes, who blame their problems on social media and technology. The technology is strictly a medium where I can maintain a relationship with my best friend in Europe and be closer to them than I am with people I see everyday. That is awesome. People will knock that this is taking away from physical relations but there are dual realities. We are different from who are online and who we are as a person, and this can intersect. It is all about intention. It can ruin us if we let it.
MK: Under your reign as Station Manager here at KJHK, we have noticed a strong pull now towards the social media direction of KJHK. We are more active on Facebook than ever before, our Twitter is always doing something, Instagram is now becoming consistent and we recently started a Snapchat. What part does this play in the local community of Lawrence?
JD: I used to do promotions and was super into social media since I have been at KJ. It is awesome, especially for us, when he hold fluid conversations with the community. All feedback is good feedback. We like to provide more direct contact with the community and take away the effort for them to connect with us.
MK: What are some of your favorite things to do in the local community?
JD: I love eating at restaurants. Leeway Franks has been blowing my mind, as of late. I have mad love for the LFK food scene. I also love the chains.
MK: Last question: What are some of the things people can expect from KJHK in the Spring of 2016?
JD: You can expect more birthday celebrations and really cool concerts from us and SUA. Expect fresh music, new content, and more of our faces (not just our voices).