UNK TODAY
Saturday, August 24, 2024 | 7
Alex Hammeke, left, called games for several Loper athletic teams during his time at UNK. He’s pictured with fellow KLPR sports staff member Jon Willis. “The experience that I was able to gain here basically fast-tracked where I am professionally within radio.”
including Faculty Senate and stu- dent government. “If there was breaking news on campus, more than likely I was covering it here on KLPR,” said Hammeke, who also served as a sports writer and news editor for The Antelope student newspaper. He earned awards from the Ne- braska Broadcasters Association and was a national finalist in the Intercollegiate Broadcasting Sys- tem Media Awards competition. “Alex has tremendous skill in everything as it pertains to broad- casting,” said Clark, who recently accepted a faculty position at Briar Cliff University. “He has incred- ible knowledge of the profession and tremendous on-air skill, he is a wonderful interviewer and he is easy to work with. I could go on and on. He will be successful for a long, long time.” Voice of Kearney Dallas Nau agrees. He’s the general manager of NRG Media in central Nebraska, over- seeing three radio stations in Kear- ney and two in Grand Island, plus a news site and other digital assets. Nau calls Hammeke a “do what needs to be done” guy with a great attitude. “Alex is a very talented, person- able, team player who is a joy to work with,” Nau said. “He is very much a utility player, as they say in baseball.” After two years in a part-time
role, Hammeke was offered a full- time position with the media com- pany in December 2023. Currently, he’s a midday host on Hits 106, af- ternoon personality on Y102 and play-by-play announcer on KGFW while also serving as interim sports director for all five NRG stations. “Basically, if you were to turn on any radio station in town, wait five minutes and you might hear me,” Hammeke said with a smile. That’s still pretty hard for him to believe. “If you were to tell me three years ago when I first stepped foot on this campus that I would have a full-time job before getting a di- ploma, I think I’d slap you and call you crazy,” he said. Hammeke’s “wild ride” at UNK came to an end last week, when he graduated honorable mention with a bachelor’s degree in sports com- munication and a minor in sound recording technology. He repre- sented the College of Arts and Sci- ences as a gonfalonier during the commencement ceremony. Nau and Clark both believe he has the passion and skills to do whatever he wants in the industry, and everyone is thankful that the former middle school tennis player ended up on the radio in Kearney. “I’m really happy where I am right now,” Hammeke said. “I couldn’t have found a better com- munity than Kearney to start off in. I don’t really think I want to go anyplace else.”
Alex Hammeke graduated from UNK last week with a bachelor’s degree in sports communication. “If you were to tell me three years ago when I first stepped foot on this campus that I would have a full-time job before getting a diploma, I think I’d slap you and call you crazy.”
semester on campus, Hammeke was calling UNK Athletics events for KLPR. He was also hired by NRG Media as a board operator and color commentator for Kear- ney High School football games. “The experience that I was able to gain here basically fast-tracked where I am professionally within radio,” Hammeke said. “Being in a smaller environment where I was able to hone my skills and get that hands-on experience really accel- erated my career.” Hammeke was part of the KLPR where I was able to hone my skills and get that hands-on experience really accelerated my career.” Alex Hammeke “The experience that I was able to gain here basically fast- tracked where I am professionally within radio. Being in a smaller environment
Alex Hammeke works with future broadcasters in the KLPR radio studio during a Loper Launch Enrichment Camp at UNK.
on the athletics side, Hammeke served as the KLPR news direc- tor for two years and music direc- tor for one year. He launched and hosted programs such as “KLPR Daybreak,” a morning news show; “Mitchell Center Live,” a weekly talk show featuring prominent alumni, NU and UNK administra- tors and other guests; and “Final Thoughts with Hammer,” a news editorial that allowed him to share his opinions. On top of all that, he covered a variety of campus news and events,
sports staff throughout his time at UNK, co-hosting the weekly “Throwin’ Lopes” talk show and calling games for several UNK teams. One of his favorite moments was the historic Volleyball Day in Nebraska, when 92,003 people packed Memorial Stadium in Lin- coln to watch matches featuring the Lopers, Huskers, Wayne State College and University of Nebraska at Omaha, setting a record for the most-attended women’s sports event ever. Along with his involvement
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