Meredith Emshoff
Grade: Senior
Major: Journalism: Strategic Communications
KJHK Position: Social Media Director
Cami: All right how long have you worked with KJHK?.
Meredith: Just since last year, since I was studying abroad in the fall.
C: Oh where did you go?
M: to the Czech Republic
C: Oh my gosh, that’s awesome!
M: Yeah it was awesome and, well I was learning about radio there and I really wanted to come back and start working here. But I was like, I don’t know if they’ll interview me when I’m in a different country. So, they interviewed me through Skype while I was in the Czech Republic. Then I started on the Arts and Cultures staff.
C: So you didn’t even do like a volunteer staff before that?
M: Yeah, no I just went straight to Arts and Culture because I really wanted real-world stuff that I could use in a portfolio since I was a junior. And then I didn’t start DJ-ing until this year, and now I DJ two shows.
C: Cool! So you started with Arts and Culture and then is that what made you want to become social media director?
M: Well I did an internship in public relations and I always liked PR and marketing and obviously social media. I’m graduating in May, so I’m hoping to get a job in that and I thought this was perfect for my interest and just building up that kind of experience was also perfect. I really wanted to be on exec (staff) because I just want to be more involved with the station, and I thought that position was perfect.
C: Oh nice! So, when you were chosen for this position what goals did you have for KJHK’s social media presence?
M: Well, my main goal was to collaborate with all the other staffs so I really wanted to work with Multimedia staff and kind of develop a way to promote Live @ KJHK, and I wanted to work a lot with Content staff and Arts and Culture staff too. Self-promote the other staff. Especially Arts and Culture, since I was on the staff, I knew about all the cool stuff they do, but I just felt like a lot of the stuff wasn’t known, and so I really wanted to just create a way for everyone to submit their work to me and then I wanted to share it as often as I could. It’s worked pretty well. I worked with Technology staff to create some sort of social media requests form that the execs can fill out and recommend stuff to post. It’s been working really well!
C: I like that idea. Plus, it makes it easier for you so that you don’t have to go to like, everything.
M: Yeah, I was trying to go to all these meetings and I was like, no.
C: So, companies and a lot of places are trying to up their social media game and kind of play off of the super sarcastic and the meme stuff. So how do you view this tactic? And especially with KJHK in mind?
M: Ooh, that’s a good question! So I think during the summer before we start school we have an exec retreat thing and we kind of all talk about this image we have of KJHK, and we all thought it was kind of a weird vibe. Like not actually weird, but this is kind of funny, weird young person vibe. So I try to play that out, especially on Twitter. Twitter is super easy to just share memes and funny videos and stuff, so I try to do that as much as I can. You just have to know your demographics, and Facebook, we have a lot of older people and like faculty members always looking at our stuff and looking to share and so I try to be more professional.
C: Yeah, they wouldn’t really understand memes.
M: And on Instagram I try to be youngish too.
C: What does a typical work week look like for you?
M: Yeah, I come in on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Fridays. So usually on Friday I just try to program as much stuff into the computer as I can. I use this site called Sprout Social. So basically it has Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and I can just program in what I want to post. I’ll do that on Friday for the next week and then Tuesdays and Thursdays I’ll just look for events and plan out what I’m going to be posting. So it’s kind of like always looking ahead.
C: What is the best part of working at KJHK?
M: I think the best part is the people. Coming into it I didn’t know anyone. A lot of people will walk past here and they’ll just look in and they think it’s just… I don’t want to say pretentious but think that it’s this place where most people think they’re just really cool and fun. It’s honestly intimidating when I came in like these people are pretty cool.
C: Yeah! And it seems like everyone knows so much music!
M: I know! And I’m like, my music taste probably sucks compared to all these people! Then you come in and everyone is so cool and friendly and I think the best part is just the people. I have made some of the best friends in college through KJ and I wish I would have joined as a freshman. I was an Orientation Assistant over the summer, so I was like talking to all the freshmen and I was telling them, “you need to join a club” because it will seriously change your life.
C: So you also D.J. at KJHK. What are your show times?
M: So I have For the Record which is the all vinyl show Wednesday nights from 8-10. And then I do rotation on Thursdays from 3-6.
C: That’s cool. And do you have like a specific like theme?
M: For the Record is by far my favorite show. I love it so much because I have such a vinyl addiction. Over the summer, I created this new stereo set up all from Craigslist. And so my vinyl collection doubled, and since I started the show it’s like quadrupled. I want to keep playing new stuff, but new vinyl is kind of expensive obviously. But, I’ll mix it up sometimes I’ll play like all female artists. Sometimes I’ll play 80s alternative, or I’ll play like 70s funk, or real classic rock. I just mix it up and that’s really fun. But, sometimes it is hard to play [new stuff] because my demographic seems to just like the older stuff I play and I don’t want to disappoint.
C: What was the last thing you were listening to?
M: I was probably listening to the Cocteau Twins. I found one of their albums in here called Victorialand, and yeah before I came here I was listening to it on my turntable.
C: Is there anything else you want readers to know about KJHK and your experience?
M: Tune into my show and I want people to join KJHK. And follow our social media: YouTube and then Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
Twitter: @kjhk
Instagram: @kjhk90_7
Facebook: @kjhk907
YouTube: Live @KJHK and KJHK