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.
Frost Advisory #747 – The Beauty Of Christmas, Through The Lens Of Our Format
The Christmas season brings out the best in our format. More people tune to our stations than at any other time of the year, some stations topping a million listeners per week, once unthinkable in our format.
Many stations do their best job of connecting on common values with stories of hope, forgiveness, and fresh beginnings. Over the last several weeks I have heard some amazing stories and songs.
Continue readingTommy Kramer Coaching Tip #602: We All Sound Alike…Until We Don’t
It’s always been an issue, but it’s even more pronounced today, with “cookie cutter” formats so prevalent.
The sad truth is that to most people, most air talents sound pretty much alike. A bit loud, a lot of gab, sort of “announcer-ish,” usually just pretty much what we’ve always heard and gotten used to.
Frost Advisory #746 – My Favorite Christmas Present And Your Radio Station
I can’t walk through our kitchen without stopping and smiling.
Last Christmas our daughters gave us a Frameo. It’s a rectangular picture frame that can display digital photos from your smart phone.
Continue readingTommy Kramer Coaching Tip #601: Stop Promoting the Commercials
This is primarily a Talk Radio format tip, but also a tip that I’ve given many times to TV talent.
I keep hearing things like this… Continue reading
Frost Advisory #745 – A New Listener’s Perspective During Christmas
At church yesterday I sat next to Warren. Warren is 50 years old and had never been to our church. In fact, Warren had never been to church.
I learned that Warren is a recovering drug addict and alcoholic and now has sclerosis of the liver. He was sitting next to his mother Maggie who had prayed for him for many, many years. Maggie held Warren’s hand like I imagined she did when he was a little boy.
Sitting next to Warren gave me a fresh perspective of a place so very familiar to me – my own church – for twenty years. I am on the inside getting a glimpse of what it looks like from the outside.
Continue readingFrost Advisory #744 – Sharing Your Station’s WHY This Christmas
Every Christmas for the last several years I’ve thrown a few coins into the Salvation Army bucket down the street at Hillcrest Food Market. But not this year. Nope. They’ve changed their bell ringer. The guy standing outside the store ringing the bell is different this season, and I’m upset!
Ludicrous, isn’t it? Obviously, no one would stop donating to the Salvation Army because Fred replaced Ted at the bucket. That’s because…
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