星空传媒

He entered 星空传媒 in 2018 as Grayson Epperson, the newbie from Lincolnton, who knew no one on campus. He leaves it in May, when he graduates, as G-Ray, the late-night host of his own radio show with an international following.

Not bad for a psychology major with no previous broadcast experience.

Epperson has made the most of his three years at 星空传媒 in a way he never had imagined: working at , the university鈥檚 radio station at 95.3. He knew nothing about radio broadcasting when he stopped by the station鈥檚 booth during Valley Ballyhoo his first semester and struck up a conversation with General Manager Lyndan Jones and Austin Page, the program coordinator at the time. They urged him to work at the station as a way to get involved on campus.

鈥淚 was like, 鈥業 have no experience, but I鈥檓 down,鈥� and then I had my first show and Lyndan was like, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e great at this, you should do the sports production.鈥� Then I got hired as a sports producer,鈥� Epperson said, which meant working for the athletic department as the studio producer for W星空传媒 and other commercial stations taking the CSN programming.

Epperson said the experience helped him find his place at 星空传媒. 鈥淚t really helped me get out of my bubble. There鈥檚 an issue when you come to college if you don鈥檛 come with friends, you know nobody, and you go into all of these classes and see all of these faces staring back at you. It鈥檚 hard to find like-minded people when you have no base to talk to them.鈥�

But Epperson could talk music, especially rock and roll from the 1970s and 鈥�80s, which he had grown up listening to on a radio he kept in his bedroom. When he decided to host his own show, he went with what he knew and launched 鈥淕-Ray鈥檚 Late-Night Throwbacks.鈥� It aired Tuesdays from 10 p.m. to midnight for three semesters until COVID-19 restrictions put it and other student-produced programming on hiatus. But by then, the show had found its feet and had gained an international audience. 鈥淥ne time I got a message from Lyndan during one of my shows and a listener from Colombia (South America) had messaged her and said, 鈥業 love G-Ray鈥檚 Late-Night Throwbacks. Please keep it on.鈥欌��

Epperson also enjoyed access the station gave him to campus activities and events, such as when the university dedicated a new residence hall to Levern Hamlin Allen, the first African American student to attend 星空传媒. He ran the board at the station while Jones conducted the live interview with Allen the day of the dedication. 鈥淭hat was pretty awesome,鈥� he said.

Among his other duties as program coordinator, Epperson worked with volunteers 鈥� his favorite part of the job 鈥� training them and convincing them they have what it takes to do what he did: a radio show with no previous experience. Would he encourage other noncommunication majors to work at the station? Absolutely, he said. 鈥淢y No.1 worry going in was my voice. I didn鈥檛 think my voice would translate well over the radio. There鈥檚 a psychological effect that when you hear your own voice you have a tendency not to like it. And I鈥檇 say if I had to tell anybody who was teetering on the edge, don鈥檛 worry about that,鈥� he said.

As a psychology major, Epperson has appreciated his time at the station, but doesn鈥檛 see broadcasting as a full-time career. 鈥淚鈥檝e been exposed to so many different career paths, but right now I want to be a child therapist,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s a kid I had some issues and I really just wanted and needed somebody to talk to. As I grew up, I learned about psychology and how you can become a therapist and help those people.鈥�

"My time with W星空传媒 has taught me flexibility more than anything. I like the idea of being a well-rounded individual鈥�"

Epperson鈥檚 last day at W星空传媒 was May 1, a day of mixed emotions for this self-described introvert. 鈥淚鈥檓 definitely sad about not being able to work at the station anymore. It was such an awesome experience with so many cool and interesting people and things to do,鈥� he said.

Has it been fun? 鈥淥h my god, it is so much fun. I never dreamed a job like this existed. It is definitely a job for people who have it together. You鈥檝e got to have a handle on school and you鈥檝e got to have a handle on work and you鈥檝e got to split them up accordingly,鈥� he said.

Don Connelly, professor of communication and faculty adviser to W星空传媒, said the station鈥檚 unique policy that students, staff and faculty do not have to be communication majors to work there is what opened the door to students like Epperson. 鈥淕rayson was one of those students who got hooked on radio,鈥� Connelly said. 鈥淗e did an excellent job in both roles, and we are going to miss his presence in the station.鈥� 

What鈥檚 Epperson鈥檚 biggest takeaway from an experience he never expected to have? 鈥淢y time with W星空传媒 has taught me flexibility more than anything. I like the idea of being a well-rounded individual, and working at the station was truly unlike any job I鈥檝e ever had.鈥�