Everyone should want to be really good at what they do. Really, really good.
But not everyone knows how to get there. Let me make it simple for you:
Everyone should want to be really good at what they do. Really, really good.
But not everyone knows how to get there. Let me make it simple for you:
Our format is foundationally based on values. It attracts people that share those values, both listeners and staff. In visiting a station I often observe how we come from different places and backgrounds but we’re all in the same room at the same time because of shared values.
The great irony then is that too few stations communicate shared values and vision with their listeners. Stations are more likely to message the attributes of the music itself (positive, encouraging, uplifting) which are generic to any station playing the music than message something unique and preferable to their own brand, a more important factor in markets with multiple CCM stations.
It’s the difference between being a commodity and being a brand.
Continue readingIt seems like I’ve had to explain countless times over the years why questions – especially little rhetorical questions, like “Right?” – are ineffective today.
There was a time – about 25 or 30 years ago – when Questions were in vogue. (The “Where’s the meat?” campaign is a good example. You can look up the ads on You Tube.) It was thought then that Questions produced interest in the product.
But in today’s ten-second-attention-span world, they don’t hold water anymore.
I was asked by a GM of one of my stations about this recently. Here was my reply:
Questions are the death of radio. And the death of ads. Henrik Hagtvedt, a Ph.D marketing professor at Boston College, said, “A simple declarative statement is best. Consumers don’t want to think about it; they just want simple information that they can act on. Consumers tend to experience questions as less clear communication than a statement. Hence, they have an adverse reaction.”
So, if you’re shooting for an adverse reaction, a question will get it. But, obviously, no one should want that.
Make Statements instead. They’re stronger.
– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2025 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.
This may be the simplest Frost Advisory you’ve ever read. But simplest doesn’t mean easiest.
I’ve learned that every bad radio station has three things in common:
After hearing a couple of overly long breaks the other day on a music station I work with, this came up in the next coaching session:
Use fewer words.
Continue readingIn the previous two Frost Advisories (here and here) I’ve shared key challenges of a station in our format becoming a market leader.
In a recent coaching session, a very good air talent I work with had chosen to do a stunningly uninteresting story about sleeping better with something called “cognitive shuffling.” I’d tell you more, but the story itself was a better cure for insomnia.
This happens a lot nowadays. A posting that you think is “interesting,” or that you can think up a funny line for, makes it through your filters and gets on the air. Continue reading
On last week’s show I began with a lofty premise: “If you’re a new programmer or new to the format this maybe the most important Frost Advisory you’ll ever read.” (Do you have to use quotation marks if you’re quoting yourself?)
I went on to say that our CCM format doesn’t inherently have the basic foundation for success that almost every other format does. Notably 1) hits, and 2) stars. (I had a similar challenge when programming Smooth Jazz. We overcame that challenge to reach top 4 in Adults 25-54, thank you very much).
Continue readingCollaboration is one thing. Sharing Content can be a whole different thing.
Let me explain…
If you’re a new programmer or new to the format this may be the most important Frost Advisory you’ll ever read.
If you’re a general manager this may be the best reference point for productive conversations with your program director about the station’s direction.
A few years ago this tacky joke was going around.
Continue reading