TJ's Take

Take 4 – Momentum

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It was either Sir Isaac Newton or Isaac Hayes who presented the “3 Laws of Motion” in this “Principia Mathematica Philosophiae Naturalis.”  The other Isaac sang the theme to “Shaft.”  His second law deals with momentum, the force gained by a moving object.

I’m not going to pretend to know what this means, but it is the scientific formula of momentum:  p = mv

Many of us will be attending the Christian Music Broadcasters “Momentum” in Orlando this week.  My hope is there won’t be a lot of physics involved, but it always presents a fantastic opportunity to become a driving force from what we learned.

Momentum plays a role in all phases of successful stations.
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Mason Morning Minute

Good and Bad Leadership

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“Competence, like truth, beauty, and contact lenses, is in the eye of the beholder.”

Laurence J. Peter

Leadership is the most difficult role anyone can take.  Leaders step up, make decisions, and do the hard things – which not everyone understands.  Not so tough for managers who keep the status quo under control.

I hear a lot of comments about “good leaders” and “bad leaders,” and while there are some that fit those definitions, we have to be sure we’re not labeling people through the lens of how we see ourselves. Continue reading →

Tommy Kramer Tip

Tommy Kramer Tip #221 – Another Seinfeld Content Tip

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Cruising around YouTube yesterday, I saw an interview with Jerry Seinfeld by Norm MacDonald.

Norm brought up a hypothetical scene: Two people go to a bowling alley and… what happens next?

If you’ve seen Seinfeld much at all, you know about his ‘internal radar’ as to what makes something funny – or not.  So he interrupted MacDonald at that point and said “Why are they in the bowling alley?”
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Mason Morning Minute

When Less Really Is More

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When my friend, Kevin Metheny, was programming a small-signal station in San Diego he chose the strategy of creating his own universe to compete in.  The world outside the signal didn’t exist.  He put all his effort, from music research to community involvement (called remotes in those days) into this smaller definition.  He wound up taking the station to the top of the ratings by focusing on where he was, instead of where he wasn’t.
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Tommy Kramer Tip

Tommy Kramer Tip #220 – Dead Streaming

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Here’s a question that takes some actual hands-on experience to answer: Is your live streaming even worth listening to?

As someone who has to tape streaming audio often (because of different time zones) in order to do coaching sessions, I can tell you that most live streaming is dead in the water.  Constant cutting out, horribly over-modulated audio (or a stream that’s so low I need a hearing aid to listen to it), too many steps to finally get the audio up, incessant “introductory ads” that we have to sit through before – finally – hearing the station… they’re all symptomatic of just assuming because you buy into a streaming service, your audio is being carried the right way.

And the weird thing is, we promote this ‘feature’ all the time, often without ever checking it out ourselves.

So today – now, while you’re thinking of it – get on your computer, iPad, or smart phone and check your live stream for an hour or so. You may be shocked at how poor it sounds… or you could really pleased with it – until it inexplicably just shuts off after a few minutes.  (Aaaarrrrgh.)

Tommy Kramer Tip

Tommy Kramer Tip #219 – The Listener is NOT Stupid

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It’s my mission to make you the most interesting and entertaining person your listener ever hears.  I want you to have a job you love to go into each day, for you to have a successful career, and for you to have a happy life as a result.

But once in a while, as part of the process, I have to deal with things that may not be all rainbows and pixie dust in an effort to get you to be the best version of yourself on the air.  Here’s one of the potholes…

A lot of radio people apparently think the Listener is stupid.  Some examples:
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Frost Advisory

Frost Advisory #374 – It’s Back To School Time!

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Back to school time is everywhere.  In the stores with sales.  On the highways with school buses.  There are even tax free days for Back to School.

It’s not an official holiday like Christmas, Ground Hog Day, or Millard Fillmore’s birthday, but it is just as evident.  Back to school affects everyone’s schedule, even those that don’t go to school.  (Can’t say that about ole Millard’s birthday.)

“The difference between school and life?  In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test.  In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson.”
~Tom Bodett

My friend Tim McDermott of KSBJ recently introduced me to the book, “The One Thing” by Gary Keller, where he shares “the ability to dismiss distractions and concentrate on your ONE Thing stands between you and your goals.”

So, let’s go back to school and discuss the one thing that can transform programming.
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Tommy Kramer Tip

Tommy Kramer Tip #218 – The Real Nature of Personality

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“Personality” is one of those words that’s used constantly, but is vague in its meaning.

I had a session with a veteran talent recently in which the issue was his talking about things on the air, but without any real investment into making it something other than just bullet points being read to the listener.

So I reminded him to just keep on relaxing into it, and to “color” those things (a local Civil War photography show, a regional agricultural “festival”) with personal comments and ‘takes’ on what those EXPERIENCES – not just events on a page – might be like.

Here’s how I summarized it:

Even just a small “aside” like you said today about the rain in the forecast, “We need it for the cherry tomatoes,” brings the listener a step closer to you.

“Personality” isn’t just about being funny; it’s about how personally the listener gets to know you.