A decade ago friends and former co-workers joined together to celebrate the life of the greatest leader I’ve ever known. If you’ve every hung around me or Alan Mason or Tommy Kramer for very long you’ve heard us bring up the name of Bud Paxson. There’s a reason for that.
Continue readingTommy Kramer Coaching Tip #607: The Main Reason (besides the Music) that People Listen to You
If you play a song I love, I’ll listen.
But, when you get into Content, if you can’t reveal something that you and I have in common, I’m not going to listen to you very long.
It’s sort of like dating someone you’re head-over-heels for, but they just kind of like you. That’s not the basis for a great relationship.
Frost Advisory #751 – What We Can Learn From The Gulf Of America
Oh, the irony! In a format all about belief, few CCM stations ever declare what they believe.
As a result most stations are simply a commodity rather than a distinctive brand.
If your station is known simply for the characteristics inherent in the music you play, you don’t have a brand. Your station is not distinct from nor preferable to other stations that play the same music.
Continue readingTommy Kramer Coaching Tip #606: The Howard Clark Litmus Test
Early in my career, I lucked into having a tremendous mentor in the great Howard Clark.
My early, feeble attempts to “entertain” were a litany of way-too-long setups for what usually proved to be pretty lame punch lines.
Frost Advisory #750 – Look For The Heroes
Having spent more than twenty years working with radio stations in Southern California it is frightening to watch the wildfires destroy homes, neighborhoods, and lives. From Santa Monica to Pacific Palisades to the beautiful drive up through Malibu on the Pacific Coast Highway I react with the perspective that I’ve been there and have friends there.
A reminder: the recent wildfires in Southern California show us that with every event heroes emerge.
Continue readingTommy Kramer Coaching Tip #605: A Challenge for You in 2025
Okay, we’ve gotten Christmas and New Year’s over with, we’re all going to try to lose 10 pounds, and now we have to settle down and go to work.
So here’s a challenge for you in this next year: Try something different; something you’ve never done before. Continue reading
Frost Advisory #749 – Kicking The New Year Off Right!
I reckon’ the most common New Year’s resolutions are about losing weight, quitting smoking, and getting more exercise.
What if we took those three ideas and applied them to our radio stations?
Continue readingTommy Kramer Coaching Tip #604: How to Find What Really Works for You
For any young air talent, the key to a successful career is simply how to find out what really works for you, so you don’t (1) sound like everybody else, and (2) you’re not predictable.
So how do you accomplish this? Pretty simple, actually: Try stuff.
Frost Advisory #748 – The “Best Of” 2024
Since everything from Time Magazine to Rotten Tomatoes to Rolling Stone compile their own “best of” list for the year, I figured I might as lob a pitch in that direction. Plus it will give me another week to contemplate my new year’s resolutions for Frost Advisory #749. (That’s a tease).
Continue readingTommy Kramer Coaching Tip #603: Don’t Confuse “the Buzz” with What MATTERS
It’s easy to settle for the low-hanging fruit, in terms of Content. What “the Buzz” is may be the 34th most important thing today to your audience.
Don’t ever confuse “the Buzz” with what actually matters. Resist the easy path. Don’t ever let the headlines, or some Buzzfeed article keep you from seeing what’s top of mind – TODAY – to your listeners.