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Hall of Fame 1995Jack PayneVideo |
Jack Payne's career in broadcasting spans 46 years and includes association with six radio stations and one television station. he is best known in Nebraska for his 17 years at WOW and WOW-TV and his 22 years at KFAB.
Love of sports was in Payne's blood from his youth in his native Oklahoma and broadcasting became the means for expressing it. He began football broadcasts while a student at the University of Oklahoma, following military service with the Air Force. His Oklahoma broadcasts were heard on WNAD, WTOK and KNOR.
In 1951, Jack came to Omaha as Sports Director for WOW radio and the fledgling WOWTV (WOWT). while doing University of Nebraska football broadcasts for WOW radio, he also created and produced many of the "firsts" for television sports broadcasting in the Omaha market. He was named Nebraska state "Sportscaster of the Year" in 1965 and again in 1967, and has received scores of professional and community honors over the years. Jack was also a popular public address announcer at the College World Series in Omaha from 1963-2000.
In 1970,Jack Payne joined KFAB, where he was part of the broadcast team on the Nebraska Football Network until 1992. He also did Nebraska basketball play-by-play, high school basketball tournaments, the Drake Relays and state high school track and field broadcasts. Wearing still another "hat", Jack served as an Account Executive at KFAB from 1974 until his retirement.
Jack and his wife, Connie, have two daughters and six grandchildren.