Meet the UNC student who has her own radio show

Some students in the Hussman School of Journalism and Media work for the broadcast program Carolina Week, some take audio or visual reporting classes and some choose to write for The Daily Tar Heel. Claire Galt, a sophomore media and journalism major, has taken to local radio to gain media experience. 

DTH reporter Nathan Wesley talked with Galt about how she got the idea for the radio show she hosts, how she balances it with schoolwork and when listeners can tune in. 

The Daily Tar Heel: What's your radio show about? What topics do you cover?

Claire Galt: It's called the Claire Galt show, which is my name. Honestly, we really cover everything. I try to do people who are starting new things — maybe businesses, organizations, clubs, activism in the area and in North Carolina, but mostly Chapel Hill, since it is on air. I try to do whatever is current going on right now and (interview) people who are passionate about what they do. 

DTH: And what gave you this idea, to give people a platform to talk about their businesses, activism, etc.?

CG: I do Carolina Now, and that's the broadcasting club here. I figured there's a bunch of stuff happening, but there's almost no one doing radio at all. And so I was looking at the radio station — it's funny, actually everyone at the radio station besides me is over 65. There’s almost no college kids or even like mid-life (people) who are covering topics that are current and I mean, they come to just do music. 

There's also no one having talk shows about current issues and things like that. I thought 'Someone needs to do it,' and then I applied for a show, and they were like, 'Yeah.' Now I think they're trying to bring more younger people to the station. 

DTH: Why a radio show and not something different, like a podcast? 

CG: I think the radio show, it does appeal to people my age, but it also appeals to older people who might want to listen to current stuff. So this kind of gets across a wider age range. It's not just college-age kids, but it's not just older people — just kind of everyone. Everyone can listen. 

DTH: Why do you think people outside of UNC should tune in to your radio show? 

CG: Especially for people who live in the Chapel Hill area, they should care about the school. I'm not just doing stuff at school. I do local businesses and local organizations. I just did the Airborne Museum last Friday for Veterans Day.

DTH: When do your shows air? 

CG: We air on Fridays at 10 a.m., which is a convenient time since there are no (media and journalism) classes on Friday. I'll try to at least have the questions that I'm going to ask and what I want to talk about done by Tuesday, just so I can talk with whoever I'm going to be talking to and get them ready and kind of know what they're going to say. 

It's been a lot; it's gotten easier. At first, when I started out, it was kind of stressful at the last minute. But now I've kind of learned how to. It's a lot easier the sooner — the more prepared you are ahead of time. When you wait until Friday, and you don't know what you're going to ask, it can be a bit rocky. 

DTH: Where do you get your ideas for topics and people to interview? 

CG: I'll actually look in The Daily Tar Heel a lot at stories that are being covered. I use Instagram a lot. Jalon Cooper, (a UNC student), came on and talked about his brand, VZN Clothing, and I found him through Instagram. Someone I recently spoke with was Peyton Brown, she’s a freshman, and she just won Miss Teen North Carolina last night ... I talked to her about domestic violence, which was her platform. I kind of find ideas by word of mouth and hearing things and looking at the INDY. I'm always open to people reaching out to me if they think they have something they want to be heard. 

DTH: What are your plans after UNC? Do you want to continue doing radio in any way?

CG: I definitely want to get an internship at a news station of some kind and probably work for them for a while, and then just work my way up. I definitely want to go somewhere bigger, like a bigger city like LA or New York. I'd love to continue to do radio. I don't know if that's my ultimate goal, but it definitely is something fun that I'd like to continue in my free time. 

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