Walker has more than 20 years on PA
By Thom Chalfan
Sports Editor
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Before the game, it is a variety of up-tempo music — wrestling themes and rock songs, movie anthems and NFL jingles. Kickoff comes and it is a montage of sound bites from 80s movies. When the defense takes the field, “The Imperial March” from “The Empire Strikes Back” fills the air. After the game, you know the result from hearing “Celebration” or the instrumental of “Layla.”
It’s a football Friday night in Currituck with Sam Walker running the PA.
Walker, the program director for Mix 96, WCNC-AM 1240 and WZBO-AM 1260, as well as news director for East Carolina Radio Group 7 stations, has been doing public address work for more than 20 years.
“I’ve been doing something like this since I was in high school at Currituck,” Walker said. “Then into college at Campbell.”
After college, Walker came back to the area in 1998, working PA with the Edenton Steamers for five years and a year as PA announcer at Wake Forest for football. He also worked PA at Dixieland from 2004 to 2007.
Over the years, a lot has changed for Walker in running the PA.
“I’ve gone from casette tapes and a boom box evolving into having everything on a laptop now,” Walker said.
The music he plays before and after the games and during breaks comes from a variety of sources. The team has a CD of songs it has chosen, but Walker says he gets a loyt from broadcasts of college and professional games.
“When I watch games on TV at home, I’m always listening for what they are playing,” Walker said.
On a typical Friday night, everything goes smoothly. But that wasn’t always the case.
“I started out writing scripts, word for word like I do for commercials or news scripts on a daily basis,” Walker said. “Now, I’ve done it so long, I’ve kind of got it in my head.”
Walker says it takes a lot of work getting ready for a typical Friday night.
“I set up at 3 o’clock, and make sure everything works,” Walker said. “I make sure we’ve got rosters, make sure we’ve got officials (names).”
He then has to coordinate the evening with the directors of the band and the JROTC, the band and athletic booster clubs, Currituck AD Rodney Kight and football coach John Wheeler.
“There are a lot of people you have to coordinate with pre-game in the afternoon and into the evening.”
During the games, a lot of coordination goes on as well. Walker works with Robert Griffin, who operates Currituck’s clock, as well as media members to make sure everyone is well-informed.
In addition, he is in communication with Kight via walkie-talkie throughout the game to make sure everything flows smoothly
“In most cases, we kind of watch out for each other — anybody that’s in the press box,” Walker said.
While it sounds like a lot, Walker says it is easy compared to announcing at Wake Forest.
“There, you’re coordinating with the operator of a matrix board and video board, coordinating with the sports marketing department and also coordinating with the officials,” Walker said. “And having done it now for over half of my life, it is one of those things that you’ve done for so long, you know what to expect.”
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