This tip is primarily for Program Directors, but it also applies to air talent.  Never have the air talent say your “positioning” phrase.

First of all, they’re not good at it, because it’s a “selling” thing that no one would ever say in a real-life conversation.  (And most “positioning phrases” or slogans backfire anyway.  Think about how many times you’ve heard something like, “Favorites of the 80s, 90s, and Today” – and then they play a song you hate.)

Let the Imaging voice do the liners.  That’s what that person is for, to take the unnatural language OUT of the equation for the air talent.

Let the air talent concentrate on things that actually matter to the listener, and that he/she can relate to.  Your sales pitch isn’t one of them.

It’s only natural that I get a lot of inquiries about how to break into the Voice Acting world.  Several years ago, after a seminar, a guy asked if I would listen to some of his work.  He was a very good talent, but listening to his demo, I noticed something.  I told him, “If I were playing the notes on a keyboard that you hit with your voice, you always seem to end sentences on the exact same note, and it almost always goes down in pitch.”

He was surprised by this, and said he had never noticed that before.

Going down in pitch repeatedly can make you sound predictable, or even bored.  You should (of course) VARY your deliveries.  And I also believe that thinking about it in a musical context can add a dimension.

Tip: I always picture the person – the ONE person – that I’m talking to.  That seems to ‘shape’ the delivery, and helps avoid the “same note” thing.

It’s called Voice ACTING for a reason.

John Lennon once said, “When I was five years old, my mother told me happiness was the key to life. When I went to school they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment. And I told them they didn’t understand life.”

So, with that in mind, do you sound happy on the air? You know, like you actually enjoy your job? Or are you just going through the motions, plodding along doing “fluff” Content or reading stuff off a computer screen?

If you’re not happy doing radio, please get out of it. Life’s too short to listen to someone who’s just “filling breaks”, and there are many people who’d love to have your job. This may sound corny, but we’re here to RELIEVE people of sad feelings or boredom, not add to them. Radio isn’t dying, but some people make it sound like it is.

If this is too “pie in the sky” to you, I quote John Lennon again: “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”

– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2023 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Each break you do is an “egg”. But ALL the breaks during an hour (or your show as a whole) are an omelet.

The point is, this break should stand as a break, but it should also be part of some sense of what today is like. A mood, if nothing else.

If you’re just doing isolated breaks, there’s no “story” that day. To be great, your show should be an ongoing saga of your experiences with things that are also part of the listener’s life. Who wouldn’t rather have an omelet than just one tired little egg?

– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2023 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

If you concentrate so much on the “big” things, but you don’t get really good at the little things, it’s not gonna work as well.

You need to be well-rounded.  It’s nice if you have “big” moments, but don’t have any “empty” moments.  Be right here, right now, even just doing the weather or promoting something.

It’s like baseball – it’s great to hit home runs, but strikeouts kill.  They’re wasted times at bat.  No fielders have to move; no runners advance.  You might as well have just gone up to the plate without a bat.

The “little things” MATTER.

Imagine going to a fancy restaurant where the server is just perfect.  He’s taking your order, but he’s also helping you with a little opinion, making sure you get the dressing you like on your salad… whatever.

And then all of a sudden, the floor show comes on, and he goes down and he’s the performer!  He makes you laugh and do stuff, and he’s interesting.  It’s the same guy.

That’s your job.  (In a team show, it’s easy.  One’s the server; the other’s the performer.  And those roles can switch.)

That’s what you are.  Whether as a solo or part of a team, we need to serve the needs of the listener AND entertain him/her.

It’s really boring to hear shows where only one of those roles is present.

A pet peeve of mine is when someone starts with “I – me – my” verbiage instead of starting with the Subject or the Listener, THEN talk about you.

One of the advantages of a team show is that it gives you the opportunity to get into Content without starting by talking about yourself.  Your partner can talk about you.

“Well, Rick was only ten minutes late this morning” leads to a story.  Instead of you talking to me about you, you’re talking to me about him.

This ‘indirect’ way of beginning a Content break is not only really effective, but it creates an “insider” vibe – always a good thing.

But remember, this is only an advantage if you use it.

Great artists will see one thing in the corner of the picture that stands out.  It’s like their eyes are magnifying glasses.

So when you’re going through your process, you don’t want to just pick out an approach, or just start to tell a story and hope it works.  You should be alert to what “caught your eye” about it. Continue reading →

Recently, I listened to a morning show host do the News.  I’m not a big fan of this, but in this case it’s necessary; a budget issue.

The stories were okay, but because News is so “left brain” informational, it came out in almost a dead monotone.  Here’s what I said in our next session:

I know things get busy, and it’s easy to get focused on story count, pronunciations, and time.  But you should avoid letting anything keep you from sounding as conversational as possible.  If you sound interested in what you’re saying, chances are the listener will be, too. Continue reading →

Years ago, my first two tips about Content were “The 5 Subjects,” which was about simplifying your show prep, and “The 3 Questions,” a sifting exercise that helps you refine your on-air performance.

“The 5 Subjects” tip was updated last week, and here, in 2023, is an updated edition of the companion piece.  (The 3rd question is different from the original.  Times change.)

The 3 Questions to ask yourself about your Content choices:

1. Why is it on?
   This is about what matters most to the Listener today.  Don’t settle for less.  If it’s the 20th most important thing on the list of what he or she cares about, toss it.  Generic “any day” or “rainy day” Content is lame.  Today’ show should be about today.
2. Where are you going with it?
   This is about planning an ending.  You want to have one, even if taking the “First Exit” means you don’t use it.  (That technique is Tip #4 on my website.)
3. What’s the Emotion at its core?  (Great storytelling is always about some sort of emotional “reveal.”  This is the secret to having a real connection with the Listener.)