Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryne Turke.
Hi Ryne, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
From an early age, I always had a passion for sports broadcasting. I can recall sitting on the couch as a child, watching my younger brother play video games and being his play-by-play announcer. That passion continued through my teenage years as I took on the role of Sports Director for our High School Newspaper. All the tools I needed to get my start as a sports broadcaster came from my time at Eastern Illinois University. In my sophomore year, I was hired to broadcast the local high school’s girls’ basketball games, the Charleston Trojans. While I was fairly inexperienced and raw in my talents, I caught the eye of a radio station in Taylorville, IL. In my senior year, I was brought on to broadcast the Taylorville Tornadoes Girl’s Basketball team. This was my first time out on my own, without the safety net of Eastern Illinois University. I always contributed to this time when sports broadcasting went from a hobby to a career. I quickly found my voice and grew in confidence game after game. After graduating from Eastern Illinois in 2011, Taylorville hired me back to broadcast the high school’s boys and girls basketball teams, a job I kept for 2 years until I returned home to my local radio station in Jacksonville, IL.
WLDS/WEAI is a flagship station when it comes to sports broadcasting. The station has provided high school sports coverage at the highest level for over 70 years, so it was just an honor to be in the mix, working with some absolute legends on the mic.
It took time, but I became a bigger part of the sports broadcast team year after year. I’m extremely proud of my work over the last 16 years, especially the last two seasons. When people see me walk into a sports event, they know they are getting the best coverage possible from someone who genuinely cares about the players and the communities they represent. And that’s what it’s all about, shining a light on the players and teams from our community. We may be small, but I’ve already seen a lifetime of buzzer-beaters, jaw-dropping players, and incredible comebacks, and I don’t plan on retiring anytime soon!
Baseball, Basketball, Football, Volleyball, Pro Wrestling. I’ve done it all and loved it! Over the past decade, I’ve been on the call for some of the sport’s biggest moments in the Midwest. I watch in awe as Rochester’s Wes Lunt threw for an IHSA State record 506 yards and completed an epic 42-39 win over Richmond-Burton. I called Nolan Killion’s Sectional OT Buzzer Beater in 2022, which gave Routt Catholic its most thrilling basketball win in school history. Kameron Hanvey’s miraculous last-second 3 clinched a SuperSectional victory for Waterloo Gibault Catholic in 2023 and the eventual State Championship. (both basketball clips featured on SportsCenter featuring my call 🤯, and the Hanvey 3 has been viewed over 1 million times and even shared on Instagram by Shaquille O’Neal). I’ve called the IHSA State Basketball Championship Games countless times, with my favorite being the rise of future NBA superstar Jalen Brunson, winning the Title for Lincolnshire Stevenson in 2015. I’ve been the voice of the Waverly Holiday Tournament, Illinois’s longest-running 1 A hoops tournament, for the last 7 years. I get the best seat in the house to broadcast a week of basketball from the Winchester Invitational Tournament, which just completed its 100th anniversary.
My most recent adventure has been joining the Illinois College Athletic Team as their lead broadcaster. For the last 4 years, I’ve been the voice of Illinois College Athletics, and what a joy it has been watching this school rise into a powerhouse in the Midwest Conference. I’ve been on the call for Baseball, Softball, and, most recently, basketball conference titles. IC completed a historic season in 2023, smashing the school’s record for regular season wins and making their first appearance in the DIII march madness basketball tournament. One of the highlights of my career would have to be broadcasting a game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis! Jacksonville High School played Greenfield Northwestern High School in May, and I was asked to broadcast the action on WLDS/WEAI Radio. What a fantastic experience! The best part was bringing my 1-year-old son Cooper with me for the day. We got to walk around on the field, hang out in the dugout and have a day at the ballpark. Nothing beats a father-son day of baseball.
Is every game exhilarating? No, but those edge-of-the-seat games, where players become superstars under the big lights, keep me coming back day after day. Not many people can say they are living their dream, but I am. I love making a difference in my hometown of Jacksonville and can’t wait to see what the future has in store!
Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Far from smooth As anyone in media will tell you, things go wrong. But you must adapt to the situation and make the most of it. Equipment problems, internet issues, illnesses, it’s all just part of the job. But if you’re prepared to handle those situations, more often than not, you’ll be ok.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might need to become more familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
Sports Broadcaster Play by Play for High School and College Athletics across the Midwest. If I’m known for anything, it would be the energy I bring to the broadcast. I grew up listening to sports radio and would hear the same kind of broadcasters using the same tones and descriptions. If I wanted to stand out, I had to provide a different style than people in my area had been used to hearing. My goal for every broadcast is for each fan listening to feel like they have a front-row seat to the action. I love bringing my emotions into the game so fans can feel what players and coaches are going through. And I’ve achieved that goal because I’ll frequently be out in public and have someone come up to me and start a conversation like, “Hey, I heard you call that game, and man, I can’t believe how wild that was, and that shot I can’t believe he made it we had everyone listening at work. I don’t know any of the teams, but I was on the edge of my seat. I felt like I was there.” It makes me feel great to know people do enjoy my style. I am greatly inspired by WWE’s Jim Ross and NCAA’s Gus Johnson, two broadcasters who bring tons of energy and creative lingo.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Working with people is vital to my success. I’m constantly communicating with coaches for information about the team and getting updated stats to let fans know the ins and outs of what’s happening with the team. I love talking with the players to get their mindset on how the season is going and how they’ve improved as a team. Over the last two years, I’ve started posting my broadcast highlights on social media, and they’ve taken off. It’s a great way to get people the latest news on their favorite teams while promoting our great area players.
You can find me on:
Instagram: @ryneturke
TikTok: @ryneturke1
Twitter: @RyneTurke
Contact Info:
- Website: ryneturke.com
- Instagram: @ryneturke
- Twitter: @RyneTurke
- Youtube: @ryneturke217
- TikTok: @ryneturke1
