Behind the Scenes with Truta: Professional PA Announcer

I have worked as a professional PA announcer for eight seasons at Arrowhead Stadium for Chiefs football. I also fill-in from time to time at other events. People ask me all the time, what is like "in the booth" during a pro sporting event. Recently, when I filled in at Sporting KC, I took my camera to show you.

[@mihonog]

This is sooo awesome!! I'm a Japanese bilingual PA announcer / event host MC and I really like how you present in the video how you work!

[@SalamanderFkre]

Announcing at my schools Baseball game today along wtih DJing, nervous and this helped with some tips... thanks :)

[@antele2848]

Are you still announcing? If so, how's it going?

[@Albruit]

Byran, This is awesome! I remeber lunch in 3rd grade when you would bring your tape player and DJ for the table! ~JR

[@BryanTruta]

Albruit Great memory, JR! Hahaha. I know, I just always wanted to hear myself talk.

[@codybansemer88]

thanks so much. i actually used to work for Fred White of the Royals before he died. I ran his ESPN 100.9 station in West Plains MO. He mirrored much of what you said. while in college at KSU I broadcast many big 12 football basketball and baseball which helped me develop my on air personality. I will definitely record some football and basketball games and send them your way.

[@herrerast]

Great job Bryan, greetings from Toronto! - Mic Valencia

[@nambiar47]

I hope I can do this some day, love from an Emcee in India, thanks for making this video

[@TheIntroShow]

NICE VOICE! i like the bayen munich stadium announcer

[@nathanhubbs7258]

Great job

[@sabertoothrocky5782]

i'm going to be the announcer at my brothers football team

[@sentelnbalivebolton7399]

This is what I wanna do any pointers my friend

[@joshtsao83]

I love this video! So with your experience of being announcer for both the Kansas City Chiefs and Sporting KC, which atmosphere do you prefer? What do you find different about the fans of these two sports? Is there anything you have to do different?

[@BryanTruta]

***** Josh - I wouldn't say I like one or the other better; it's just that they are different. With only 10 home games and 4x the crowd, the NFL is really just this atmosphere on a larger scale. Doing something over the microphone that gets a reaction from 78,000 people at once is certainly amazing. That said, I am a HUGE soccer fan and this production staff has made great strides in producing a very slick, very tight game package that gets you going from the very beginning. Basically, I love doing the job: commanding the crowd, getting them pumped up at the right times, bringing them down when necessary, imparting information when needed. Those are the basic skills. Taking words on a page and making them my own: well, that's just the art of it.

[@kid_doonski]

Wow when sean johnson played for Chicago fire. He's such a New York city fc staple I forgot you didn't pay it for another team.

[@LifewithTJ99]

Hello, is there anyway I could get you to do a 5 second voiceover for a cheer mix?

[@drsixtoes]

do you have someone helping you searching for players numbers when a play is made?

[@UteFaithful]

I'm a 15 year old and have my first football announcing job tomorrow for our freshmen team. Any tips? I'm quite nervous.

[@prana6854]

What's news? xD

[@druso5852]

@@prana6854 Fr lol

[@prana6854]

@@druso5852 huh?

[@Ridgeroader]

Any suggestions for first time college soccer announcer? Never done or watched much soccer. And what kind of mic switch box are you using?

[@NoPlaybookPodcast]

What all do you announce in-game...in addition to subs?

[@brycehatton8942]

Hello Im a college student just who started doing PA work for college baseball, and semi pro basketball. Any advice to work your way up in this field?

[@calfriedman7316]

Would you have any advice for an up-and-coming teenage PA announcer?

[@0Architectdude0]

It’s been 4 years but I’m in ur same position, I’ve found you just gotta talk to as many people as possible. Anyone can have a great voice and flow but you gotta know someone to get a job like this.

[@josemunoz19]

maybe you could help me out. I DJ for my son's hockey team. I have my mac and a DJ controller. I do this for fun. I have goal horns and penalty songs. I want the team to feel like they are at a pro level hockey stadium. where can I go to record a entrance for them. or is there any type of demo out there that I can download. thanks for any help you can give.

[@BryanTruta]

Sounds great, Jose! Are you looking for recorded voice over for your son's team? I'd be happy to record some, if you wish. Send to my e-mail bryan.truta44(at)gmail

[@average2savage1]

What's the difference between announcing for an NFL game vs a soccer game?

[@codybansemer88]

any tips for a new PA guy like myself? High school football basketball and baseball in a class 5 school in MO?

[@BryanTruta]

Annunciation! A lot of people might say "don't talk too fast." Well, in actuality, in a high pressure situation like we have at Arrowhead with the Chiefs, or even a fast-paced show like the soccer game here, sometimes you have to read fast to get it in the time allotted. When you must speed it up, think of the Micromachines Guy in your head (or Google if you don't know him). The key is over-annunciate and even over-inflect a bit when having to pick up the pace. That will still allow your words to be distinguished in a loud environment over what could be less-than-optimal sound systems. We have a rule in radio: when you think you've gone "over the top", kick it up even one MORE notch...and that's when it will be perfect. Due to bone conduction and other physiological attributes of your skull and ears, everyone sounds different to themselves. The key to being a good announcer - PA, radio or otherwise - is learning to ignore that, put your voice into "performance" mode and then you will deliver that signature sound. Another point is coming up with your own voice. Take that to mean many different things: literally, your own "voice" in that you don't want to directly copy someone else. Cribbing off of Don LaFontaine or Don Pardo may evoke good emotions on the part of the listener, but do so only in maybe style or to get tips. Directly copying someone could come off as parody. You want to fashion the words into your own voice and style. Come up with a signature pattern or cadence. The final thing I can tell you (before I write a book here) is to do as much as you can to practice so you sound natural delivering the words instead of just reading them. I like to get the gameday script in advance as much as possible, so I can read over it and even memorize some of the lines. When I know the material like an actor would, I can then bend those sentences into my own voice and phrasing and deliver them more naturally -- or at least better than if I were just robotically reading them. Hope those help! Ask anything you like! I'll answer as much as I can! Or better yet, post some vids of YOUR announcing. We all get better together. Good luck this fall!

[@drrydher]

@@BryanTruta Nailed it! Thank you for all the great advice!

[@eduardocovarrubias4049]

That's pretty cool. What does the sports announcer say, during a soccer match, when there is a player substitution?

[@BryanTruta]

Our script is something like, "Ladies and gentlemen, substitution for (team). Now leaving the field, Number ___, (name). He's replaced by Number ___, (name)."

[@MK-ex4pb]

I want this job but for hockey

[@georgemarko9538]

Any advice or tips for the guy doing this for the first time for football?

[@BryanTruta]

Study study study. I'm typically looking at lineups and trying to get pronunciations as soon as I can. Read up on game background as to who will be starting - or talk to coaches, if this is the high school level. As much prep as possible. During the game, football is mostly about information first: who caught the ball, made the tackle, down and distance, and less about the style or the fluff. Many think that they have to have a catch-phrase or lingual gymnastics, but high school parents especially just want to hear their kid's name. When reading scripts over-annunciate - PA systems anywhere can be notoriously hard to hear. This is also where you can use some verbal stylings. Most of all, have fun! Smile and know that it's not really work!

[@gametrend4910]

It’s a coincidence that my favorite team is ice chiefs