Tommy Kramer Tip #45 – Be about the Listener, not just about You

The Bible says “Love your brother as yourself.”
Radio stations (and you, as a Talent) should think “Be about the listener AT LEAST as much as about yourself.”

Most stations/jocks I hear these days seem to not really care about the listener at all. Part of this is liner-card and “promotion-driven” Programming, as if I really give a crap when your next remote broadcast is, or that if I want to drive ten miles out of my way, I can pick up a free station bumper sticker that I can use to deface my car, or a 29-cent koozie.

Some of the blame should be put on the misreading of (and trying to pander to) PPM, as if constantly being told what’s coming up on your station is going to make up for your being boring NOW. (It won’t.) But the main thing is that we’re constantly trying to draw attention to ourselves, rather than simply being Interesting, being Entertaining, or being of Service.

The bottom line is that if it seems like you care about me, I’ll be more likely to care about you.