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.
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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.
Frost Advisory #688 – It’s Worthless If It Sits On The Shelf
This weekend I saw a display at a sporting goods store in Texas designed to move inventory RIGHT HERE/RIGHT NOW. If not, the merchandise would be out of date.
Or to be blunt, the merchandise would be worthless if it sat on the shelf.
Continue readingTommy Kramer Coaching Tip #540: Why “Happy Accidents” Happen
The great movie director Arthur Penn (Bonnie & Clyde, Little Big Man, The Missouri Breaks, etc.) often spoke of what he called ‘happy accidents’ occurring during the filming. Little movements or reactions or lines that weren’t in the script, but were magical.
I see the same thing in radio – breaks that just “appear” out of nowhere and crack people up.
Frost Advisory #687 – Getting Beyond The Ordinary Anytime-Anywhere-Any Day
This Frost Advisory is intended for programmers and air talent that are far beyond the basics. It is for those who understand why their radio station exists, who they are talking to, and how to develop content that is meaningful and enhances the station’s appeal.
Once you get that stuff, how do you, as an air talent or program director who coaches talent, take it to the next level?
There is a predictable process the growing stations go through. I said GROWING stations.
Continue readingTommy Kramer Coaching Tip #539: A Lesson from Derek Jeter
New York Yankees Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter recently played in his first “Oldtimers Game.” At one point he was asked about the current Yankees team bringing up some young players, and how to handle the pressure of playing in New York.
I think it resonates to anyone in radio who’s looking to move up to a larger market.
He said, “It’s the same game, there are just more people in the stands. I think sometimes when you get up to this level you try to do things a little bit differently, but you have to be yourself. Don’t try to do something that you’re not accustomed to. You have to enjoy yourself, and try to improve each and every day. The bottom line here is you gotta win.”
Amen.