As a producer and host for “Morning Edition,” Dani Matias arrives at the office by 5 a.m. weekdays to work with Jennifer Stayton on the morning newscast. She finds Central Texas stories and edits sound for air. She’s also the backup “Morning Edition” host when Jennifer is out.
Before joining KUT News as “Morning Edition” producer and host, Dani Matias wrote breaking news posts for NPR and was there for the Jonas Brothers’ Tiny Desk Concertin Washington, D.C.
In addition to interning at KUT, “Texas Standard,” KERA (Dallas-Fort Worth) and WAMU (Washington, D.C.), Dani participated in NPR’s Next Generation Radio Project at KUT in 2017.
A Fort Worth native who is fluent in Spanish, Dani graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Her two favorite things are her cat, Flacko, and her mother’s cooking.
Follow Dani on Twitter: @Matias7Dani
What are you listening to these days?
I listen to a variety of music by artists like Bad Bunny, Kid Cudi, Glass Animals, Elevation Worship, Willow and Juice WRLD. My favorite genre is Latin trap/reggaeton.
Because I’m surrounded by news most of the day, the podcasts I enjoy are comedic, such as Girls Gotta Eat or the Joe Buden podcast. Some of my favorite true crime listens are Dr. Death, Dirty John and Crime Junkies.
NPR-wise, I tune in to “Morning Edition,” “Code Switch” and “Radio Ambulante.”
Read anything interesting lately?
Quarantine has allowed me to catch up on a lot of reading. When I’m not journaling, I order books from Book People and have them collect dust until I have some free time. I’ve recently finished Samantha Irby’s essays called “We Are Never Meeting in Real Life,” Celeste Ng’s “Little Fires Everywhere” (and also binged watched the Hulu series) and Jaquira Díaz’s “Ordinary Girls.”
I plan to read “An American Marriage” by Tayari Jones and Chanel Miller’s “Know My Name” next.
What are you loving about the ATX lately?
Austin has some of the coolest trails and parks. When my allergies are manageable, I go to the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail to run or have a picnic at Mueller Park with friends from college. There are amazing eats all around the city like Rosita’s Al Pastor food truck, the Beer Plant or Komé. I also practice Austinite’s Adriene Mishler’s yoga videos every day, go thrift shopping and buy new records from stores like End of An Ear.
