If you’ve ever been to a Reno-area sports game then you’ve likely heard the gruff but excitable tenor of Chris Payne. Since 2016, Payne has been the emcee for the Reno Aces. And, after lending his radio voice and sports acumen to the Arizona Diamondbacks’ minor league affiliate, others took notice, landing him gigs with the Reno Ice Raiders, men’s and women’s basketball at University of Nevada, Reno, and Wolfpack football.
“I’ve got a career, I’ve got a job, and I’ve got a hobby,” says Payne, who spends afternoons on the air, evenings and weekends at games, and occasional stints emceeing weddings.
With so many jobs announcing local sports, we’ve started to see—or hear—Payne as the voice of Reno sports. And while his approach may change between teams due to the vastly different nature of the arena, his personality is as recognizable as his tone.
If you ask how Payne got onto the field, he’ll tell you, “dumb luck.” However, his passion and love for sports as well as his knowledge certainly played a part, as well as his early fascination with radio.
“It was what I wanted to do since I was 8 years old,” Payne says. Well, that and be in the band KISS, but the latter dream never came to fruition.
Listening to DJs on air, Payne just thought, “there’s no way people talk like that in real life.” But something about the inflection really caught his attention, and never let go. And if you were wondering, no, most radio DJs don’t use their on-air voice in person, but, according to Payne, he has run into a few that do.
Payne credits much of his success to his fan-forward thinking. “I put myself in the position of a fan first,” he says. “You want to draw the best out of them.” Being a fan of all of the teams he announces certainly helps.
Payne says his job is much more than delivering a play by play though. To an extent, it’s his responsibility to control the crowd, getting fans chanting and cheering so they can hype up the team. His sole goal, he says, is helping the team win.
“When the team tells you that they get a charge from their names being announced the way I do announce them, that’s kind of a rush for me.”
Payne is an energetic force to be reckoned with, and quite a presence. At Aces games, he’s up on the stage cheering with Archie and on the field manning the engagement games attendees love to play. His style is a bit different at an Ice Raiders game where he’s stuck in a booth, but he manages to shine anyway, letting his booming voice bring animation to already thrilling games.
Payne says hockey is definitely the wildest sport he announces. The Ice Raiders games can be complete pandemonium with players crashing into the glass and breaking out into fights.
During peak season, Payne is emceeing six games per week and on the radio in the afternoons, which means taking care of his voice is priority. He’s been lucky so far, never canceling a game due to strained vocal cords. The closest he came was a matchup against El Paso in 2022.
“All I wanted to do was continue to bring the heat onto the team,” he recalls. Even without the microphone, he was screaming to get the crowd into the game. “The next day… I had next to no voice and I actually kind of panicked.” Luckily a mixture of warm salt water and hot tea with honey got him game ready by the time the first pitch was thrown. “It came back about 60%.”
At the end of the day, it’s about fan interaction—that’s what Payne loves most about his job. Especially with kids. “It’s important for the kids to have as much fun as possible,” Payne says.
Payne feels his time on the field is limited, knowing no voice can last forever. So, he’s making the most of every minute he has to live his dream, giving it his all, and asking all Reno sports fans to do the same.
“[Fans] are going to get their money’s worth,” he promises. “I want everybody to have as much fun as possible."
“It was what I wanted to do since I was 8 years old."
"I want everybody to have as much fun as possible.”