Tommy Kramer Tip

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #426: A Quick Phone Call Guide

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Three simple rules for great phone calls in music radio:

  1. Have a clear ending in mind.  ‘Real’ people can be entertaining… but not all that often. 😄
  2. Let the caller finish his sentence before you jump in.  If two people are both talking at the same time, it’s hard to make out what either one of them says.  You’re going to edit the call anyway, so be patient.  That makes for good audio.  (If you’re taking live calls, that’s like rolling a grenade into the room.)
  3. Remember that to the listener, it’s a conversation.  But to us, it’s a sound bite.  Do a nice, compact setup (or reset), hit the call, take the “out.”
Frost Advisory

Frost Advisory #572 – If Our Format Can Be Life-changing, Why Are Our Stations So Ordinary? Part Three

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If you’ve been following this storyline the last couple of weeks (Part 1, Part 2) you know I’ve brought up an idea that I believe is transformative for our format.

Let me review for those just tuning in.

If all stations begin with the same general stack of tools (music, deejays, etc.), why are most stations in our format ordinary while only a few are transformational?

We radio folks are somewhat good at thinking about WHAT we do but far less good in thinking WHY we do it. Perhaps we should ask…

“What do we want our listeners to say when they listen?”

What if we design those elements with intentionality, understanding that our stations have the potential to be transformational?

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Tommy Kramer Tip

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #425: The Condensed Version

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My friend and associate John Frost says I’m the only one he knows who can talk for an hour about editing, so I’ll try to keep this short: Keep things short.

Condense.  The fewer words you can use, the easier it is to follow.  You don’t have to feel restricted, but as you put a break together, throw out words that aren’t really necessary.  That makes what you leave in stand out more.

Think about it; very few long quotes ever get cited by anyone.  It’s usually the short, most direct one that gets remembered and repeated.

Note for Talk Radio: this does apply.  It’s amazing how short, impactful sentences get the best response.  Longer, wordier diatribes tend to get more placid response… or the same person who called yesterday with the same type of comment he’s making today.  Three short sentences get better reaction than one sentence three times as long.

Frost Advisory

Frost Advisory #571 – If Our Format Can Be Life-changing, Why Are Our Stations So Ordinary? Part Two

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On last week’s show I asked… so if radio stations in our format all begin with the same general stack of tools (music, deejays, etc.), why are most stations ordinary while only a few are transformational?

Last week I shared how my friend Joe Battaglia and I partnered with Ken Blanchard, author of the best-selling “One Minute Manager” series, to develop the national radio campaign for “Lead Like Jesus.” As we brainstormed ideas, Ken shared his experience of training the ballpark staff of the Padres’ Petco Park in San Diego.

They began with the end in mind:

What do we want fans to say when they are leaving the ballpark?

After several hours of discussion, it was transformed to this specific idea…

“I want to come back and I want to bring a friend.”

That one sentence crystalized their definition of success. The staff then went to work on creating a ballpark experience that could influence the conversation toward that response.

We radio folks are somewhat good at thinking about WHAT we do but far less good in thinking WHY we do it. Perhaps we should ask…

“What do we want our listeners to say when they listen?”

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Tommy Kramer Tip

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #424: Two Questions to Ask Yourself

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I don’t like asking questions, but here are two that you should ask yourself, whether you’re an air talent, Programmer, or GM:

  1. What do you have that I can’t get everywhere else?
    In the current era of “cookie cutter” formats, this is crucial.  If all you are is a corporate playlist and people reading liners and crap from the internet, the answer to that question is “nothing.”
  2. What do you have that I can’t get ANYWHERE else?
    And remember, it has to be relevant.  Just being “different” isn’t enough.

The answers to these two questions will decide your future.  There are too many entertainment alternatives available today for you to expect people to waste their time listening to boring radio.  Do SOMETHING… rather than do nothing.

Frost Advisory

Frost Advisory #570 – If Our Format Can Be Life-changing, Why Are Our Stations So Ordinary?

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Every Christian music radio station starts with the same set of tools. There is a stack of tunes, access to a varied list of air talent, some highly trained and some just sticking their heads out of the egg, a laundry list of promotions, and marketing resources ranging from billboards and bumper stickers all over town to your city’s best-kept secret.

So, if we all start with the same set of tools, what makes some stations ordinary while others are transformational?

In my almost 50 years of broadcasting (hey, I started when I was a wee little child) one of the things that has made our format my all-time favorite to program is that every day it has the potential to be transformational. We certainly know that is true from a spiritual perspective in the remarkable music we play and the messages that are crafted to touch the soul, but there is another way our format can be transformational.

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Tommy Kramer Tip

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #423: What Makes You Matter

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So in a nutshell, here’s the biggest thing about Content:

You will not matter to anyone unless you talk about something that matters to that person.

I know – this sounds so simple, so the question is, “Why do so many stations fill the air with things that don’t matter to the listener?”

My theory is that they just don’t know yet what the whole purpose of radio is.  Or they’re ego-driven, which is the wrong road.

Let’s be clear – nobody cares about what you want, or what the board of directors’ goals are.  They care only about what you do that entertains them, or informs them about something they might need to know, but maybe they haven’t heard yet.

Frost Advisory

Frost Advisory #569 – The Password Is… Welcome Back

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As your listeners and your town get back to living post-pandemic how is that being reflected on your radio station? “Live and local” is often cited by many in our industry as a panacea for what’s ailing us. While there is nothing wrong with giving time checks and pronouncing the street names correctly, it doesn’t have the transformative power of creating shared community.

“Content that is perceived as helpful always addresses a felt need. Content that doesn’t address a felt need is perceive as irrelevant. Notice I said perceived. It may be the most relevant information an audience has ever heard. But if an audience doesn’t understand how content interfaces with their lives, it’s just not all that interesting.”

Andy Stanley, “Deep and Wide”
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Tommy Kramer Tip

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #422: Inside Out, Outside In

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There are basically two styles – Inside out, or Outside in.

“Inside out” shows are first fueled by the people in the Control Room thinking “What interests us will interest the Listener.”  Maybe, but these shows are often asleep at the wheel in terms of welcoming in new listeners.

“Outside in” shows are a bit more interactive in terms of listener participation (getting more phone calls, social media response, etc.), but you’d better make sure that you engage people emotionally.  As a listener, a “topic” that doesn’t touch my life is a waste of my time.

Either philosophy can work, but either type can fail, too.  The key?  Content choices, of course.  It might help you to remember that merely “interesting” is never the same as Compelling.

Frost Advisory

Frost Advisory #568 – A Declaration Of Independence … From Mediocrity

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245 years ago our country was born with a Declaration of Independence and a subsequent Bill of Rights for all citizens for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But as Believers, we know that with those rights comes responsibility.

Your radio station has the right to do anything you want. Even the right to be mediocre if you so choose.

Many Christian stations are just that … a result of a mishmash programming schedule comprised largely by songs people don’t know by artists they’ve never heard of.

But with every right comes a responsibility.

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