KSDB-FM has done something unusual this year — the radio station rehired someone to be program director.

Luke Wempe, senior in digital media and public relations, was chosen for a second term as program director of K-State's student radio station.

Steve Smethers, the station's faculty adviser and associate professor of journalism and mass communications, said while the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communication does not typically pick a student to hold a position twice at the station, they wanted Wempe, who was program director last year, at the helm for the upcoming year.

"These are very extraordinary times, and so we wanted to have some continuity," Smethers said. "Since this is our SGA allocation year, we kept two staff members in place and that's unusual for us to do, but certainly Luke was an outstanding program director last year. This is a time where we need good leaders and so we have him to help us in making a smooth transition in the allocation process."

Along with the budget allocations in October, Wempe said some of the challenges he and his staff are facing are the unpredictability of a job itself. Such challenges include finding times to get all 85 staff members on air and helping with the Miller School's centennial celebration this week.

"He's very efficient," Smethers said. "He works very well with staffers. He works very well with keeping our executive staff organized."

Wempe said he is excited for the year ahead, especially since he no longer has to deal with the learning curve of the job.

When asked what his responsibilities are as program director, he responded, "Which day?"

"It's a job where I have to wear many hats, but it's fun; you'll never have a day that's the same," Wempe said. "It's kind of stressful for the first couple of months, but beyond that it's pretty good."

Wempe said while the start of the semester is hectic, his basic responsibilities are overseeing the programming and technical aspects to the radio station. He said he, along with station manager Kristin Russell, are tasked with running the day-to-day operations of the radio station.

Russell, graduate student in media and cultural studies, is also responsible for teaching the class that all staff members must enroll in to go on air.

"Luke is still my student; he's enrolled in the class," she said. "All the executive staff has to be enrolled. I'm still technically their instructor, but there is a common ground we manage at the station ... [we] try to do a two-person leadership rather than just one, or me being untouchable or him being more lowly or something. It's all very us together doing things together."

Russell said while they might have the occasional difference in ideas, she thinks they mesh really well with their leadership skills.

"Luke and I have a really unique balance," she said. "Luke is very practically minded. He has high aspirations for a radio career in the future, whereas I am more outside of the box. I like to think in ideas and generalizations, whereas he likes to get in the studio and get things done and knows how to relate to the general staff members a lot better than I do."

With about six years of experience in the broadcast industry and several Kansas Association of Broadcasters awards, Wempe said he has a passion for helping students.

"That moment that they find the love and the passion for it is really how it transmits," he said.

Wempe said his purpose at the radio station is not to find the students' careers, nor is it the executive staff's purpose.

"We're not telling them where they need to go," Wempe said. "We're trying to foster what they want to learn now."

Under Wempe and Russell's leadership, the station has been fairly successful. Last year, the station won more than 20 KAB awards, triple the number of awards the University of Kansas' station did.

"We had an extremely successful year at the KABs last year, but we can always be better and we always need to strive to be better," he said. "We can't be satisfied with being good. We want to continue on being great."

Wempe said he tries to create a fun and competitive environment for the staff.

"I listen to a lot of our shows," he said. "I listen just randomly when I'm driving around or when I'm at home. I'll throw it up on the Web, and I'll just see where they're at, and I'll call in and give them some trouble, just make them feel at home."

Wempe plans to graduate this spring and find a job in broadcasting.

Both Smethers and Russell compliment Wempe for his work ethic.

"He's confident, he's efficient, he seems to be one of these folks that can take great pride in knowing that he does a good job," Smethers said. "Sometimes the best management of individuals is to just sit back and let them do their work, and that's the type of person Luke is."