Last week I confessed. For the first time in my 692 Frost Advisories, I left out the most important part. On purpose.
Last week I shared the brilliant campaign from The Foundation for a Better Life at PassItOn.com:
They shared…
Continue readingTommy Kramer Coaching Tip #545: You’re Not the Expert
You hear this all the time – an air talent weighing in on something, drawing conclusions or espousing opinions without any clinical background.
Here’s a message for you: Stay in your lane. You’re a deejay (or Talk show host), not a psychologist or a psychiatrist. The EXPERT is the expert. You’re the conduit for putting the Subject on the air.
Don’t try to be what you’re not. Try to be the best at what you are.
Frost Advisory #692 – A Really Nifty Way To Communicate: The Rule Of 3
I don’t remember very much that I learned from my first two radio gigs. After all, I was a teenager and my face hadn’t cleared up yet*.
But I do remember learning the Rule of 3 in promos from an early programming mentor Howard Clark. (He had actually worked for several really big radio stations in places like New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. I, however, had only driven by really big stations).
- Tell them what you’re going to tell them. (That’s a tease, don’tcha know!)
- Tell them.
- Tell them what you told them.
Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #544: Topics – The Deeper End of the Pool
Geez, I hate the word “topic.” It sounds so cold and formal. (I use “subject” in coaching.)
Here’s why – nothing is a “topic” in or by itself. The deeper end of the pool in the search for on-air Content is when you add YOUR FEELINGS (or story), so you’re not just reading a social media posting, then asking for people to call in and do your show for you.
When it becomes personal, that’s when it’s actual Content. Without that, it’s just noise.
Frost Advisory #691 – What’s Our Format’s Biggest Problem? The Answer Is…
I’ve heard Alex Trebek, the most famous host of “Jeopardy,” say that the show’s biggest problem was convincing people that a question could also be the answer.
So… let me ask a question….
What’s our format’s biggest problem?
Continue readingTommy Kramer Coaching Tip #543: Respecting the Music – A Subtle Way to Stand Out
Some radio stations make it kind of hard to listen to your favorite songs. A few examples of how that can happen:
Cue tones that fire too early, so that nice soft ending is CRASHED into by an Imaging piece or the next song.
Air talent that comes in too early on the end of a song. (Do we EVER get to hear a song end?) There’s a “last, logical place” to come in or for the next element to fire. On every single song.
Deejays that talk really fast over a slow-paced song. This comes across like you’re not listening to the music at all.
The “talk right up to the vocal” disease. Ugh. Say what you have to say. Then shut up.
Or someone finishes a Content break, then a dreadfully slow and/or low-level song plays.
You may think these things don’t matter much, but if you don’t respect the music, or you’re not sensitive to it, that shows. And some people sound like they’re just waiting for the song to end so they can talk, like the song is some sort of minor annoyance. (Actually, YOU are the annoyance.)
Keep in mind that with all the streaming services available today, I can hear every single song you play – without you.
Stations that have some sort of sensibility to the music just resonate better with the listener. It’s subtle, but it’s true. When you’re that station, people notice. It may be subconscious, but it makes a tangible difference.
– – – – – – –
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.
Frost Advisory #690 – A View From Inside The Bottle
I’m a small town boy. And grateful for it.
For one I was able to get into radio at a remarkably young age. Before my face cleared up, don’t cha know. I doubt a radio station in Dallas or Chicago or New York would have let me hang around at the age of 15.
I also grew up in the same small town where my mom and dad both grew up. I spent a dozen years of my life in the home my grandfather built in 1939. I went to the same high school both my parents went to. Even had some of the same teachers they had.
Why is this the topic of another Frost Advisory?
Continue readingTommy Kramer Coaching Tip #542: A Tip for Anyone Who’s New to a Market
New to a market? Here’s a great tip:
Take a different route to work each day. You’ll see where construction is going on, what stores are opening (or closing), etc.
It’s easy. Just turn one street sooner, or one street later from your normal route. Learn the neighborhood, then learn the city. It’s much better to see and feel the vibe than it is to just be given some claptrap about who the “average” listener is.
Dallas radio legend Ron Chapman was a great example. One day, he was plugging a station event, and instead of just giving the name of the location or street address, he added, “You know … it used to be the bank building, and before that it was the Mexican restaurant ….”
Genius. Immediately, you know that he’s the guy from HERE, and everybody else ISN’T.
You could be that guy, too. It just takes a little exploring.
Frost Advisory #689 – The Good Thing About Being Wrong: Confessions Of A Learner
A couple of weeks ago I shared the upside of being wrong.
“The good thing about being wrong is that you don’t have to be wrong anymore. When you learn a better solution you can leave the old concepts behind.”
I promised then to share some things about programming that I’ve been wrong about. But I don’t have to be wrong anymore.
Continue readingTommy Kramer Coaching Tip #541: Think Like an Artist
You may not think of it this way, but radio IS performance art. It’s not an “exercise,” it’s not just about mechanics. Yes, you want to play the right songs, the right number of them, and a solid rotation… blah blah-blah blah-blah.
But it’s really all just about connecting with the Listener.