At the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, Don Payne worked at radio stations KAAY and KLPO. While attending Purdue University’s School of Engineering, he worked at WZUS and WAZY in Lafayette. He was a trained engineer but also an on-air personality heard live on WZPL in Indianapolis and WAZY in Lafayette simultaneously. After working as Director of Engineering for WKRQ in Cincinnati, he returned to Indianapolis to be Chief Engineer for Radio One’s one television and four radio stations. Payne passed away on December 12, 2010.