Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #685: A Tip from Yogi Berra and MAD Magazine

Posted on July 22, 2026 by tommykramer

New York Yankees’ Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra said a lot of funny things, sometimes malapropisms like “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.”

But he also said, “You can observe a lot by just watching.”

As it applies to radio, you can observe a lot by just listening.
Take an hour and listen to your station. What are your observations? Do you even notice when something becomes stale?

Do you have brainstorming meetings to come up with new ideas?
When you get one, does it have to go to committee before it gets on the air? (Hint. That’s usually too late.)

I’m not saying you should be reckless, but you should definitely be looking to innovate – constantly.

Example: If your morning show uses random music “beds” under their Content, make sure it’s not just generic Production music. While some people think it adds Momentum, it doesn’t. But music that applies specifically to that subject (or that mood) will work better.

As MAD Magazine so eloquently said, “THIMK.”

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Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2026 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #684: Give the People What They Want — Really?

Posted on July 15, 2026 by tommykramer

There’s an old saying, “Give the people what they want.” That was the gospel.

But Volkswagon didn’t agree. People were driving huge cars when the original Beetle came out – but then millions and millions of VW Beetles were sold.

George Lucas didn’t. The sci-fi genre was pretty sparse when “Star Wars” came out. Hollywood moguls said people didn’t want that. They were, uh…wrong.

Apple didn’t. They knew a more intuitive computer was better. And a laptop (or later, an iPad) was a much better choice for millions of people than a giant, heavy desktop computer. Plus, Steve Jobs knew that a sleek, futuristic design for a mobile phone was going to make huge, complicated phones horribly outdated. They CREATED desire.

Give people what they want, sure, but also give them new approaches.

Example: My brilliant partner John Frost consulted a station in Austin, Texas. One of the first things he did was to have them play “The Eyes of Texas” at noon every day. People didn’t know they wanted this, but it set the station’s tone as being a TEXAS station. It was what they wanted, but they may not have known that.

Don’t kid yourself into thinking that a corporate, format-wide 300-song playlist is what people want. I’d like to drive a couple hundred miles WITHOUT hearing the same, beaten-to-death songs on every station in a given format.

I’d like to hear Promos and Production in general that can compete with Hollywood movie trailers.
I’d like to hear disc jockeys that sound like they came from the same region they broadcast to.

I’d like to hear something that SURPRISES me, rather than just “what people want.” And I’ll bet you would, too.

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Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2026 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #683: Humility

Posted on July 8, 2026 by tommykramer

Here’s something to seriously consider: do you have humility?
This is such an endearing trait.

NEVER be afraid of being the butt of the joke. It makes you human. And it creates empathy.

We have a great example of what a lack of humility is like in a certain well-known President. Can’t take a joke. Ever. What a shame. He’d be so much more likable if he could.

Sure, some people succeed in media as a bombastic, aggressive personality. (I’ve coached several over the years.) But I believe that as a radio personality, the more you’re willing to kind of “take it on the chin” once in a while, the more people will like and respect you.

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Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2026 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #682: A Takeaway from the great Lee Abrams

Posted on July 1, 2026 by tommykramer

Among his many accomplishments, my friend Lee Abrams is the guy who started XM radio (now SiriusXM). The idea that most radio people thought would never work is now a giant entity that changed the face of radio for countless people.

Having worked with Lee in Chicago and Cleveland, and watching him do his magic over the decades, let me share something about him that you might want to consider:

Lee always searched for an attitude in his stations. In Chicago, for instance (his hometown), he knew that the traditional AM Top 40 stations in the early seventies had become stale. Same thing in Cleveland. No new ideas. The jingles all sounded typical, the Production elements were predictable, etc.

Lee wanted the slew of stations that he consulted to have several ingredients that stood out: Hipness. Up to date. Young. Idealistic. Not afraid to take chances.

So…do a little “gut check” and listen objectively to your station. Is it those things? Is it ANY of those things?

The great pioneers of modern radio (Gordon McLendon, Todd Storz, Bill Drake, Jack McCoy, and so many more) heard what was already there, and decided to change it.

“Oh, but change is so hard.”

No, it isn’t. Start by taking something that’s been there forever and throwing it away. Then you HAVE to think of something new to replace it with.

Rinse and repeat. Forever.

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Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2026 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #681: A Line From a Song

Posted on June 24, 2026 by tommykramer

A song I wrote a few years ago contains the line, “To refuse to see is the same as being blind.”

This definitely applies to radio, and raises questions:

Do you listen to your own show regularly?
Can you hear the things that you don’t do that well?
If you can, do you work on correcting and upgrading those things?
Do you have a P. D., friend, or talent coach to help you recognize where you can improve, and define what your greatest strengths are?

The point is, you want to eliminate the subpar things, discover what you do really well, then only do those things.

I believe that anyone who wants to become an elite Talent needs that focus.

– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2026 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching tip #680: What Will YOU Say?

Posted on June 17, 2026 by tommykramer

Here’s how careers are made…

When something happens – something that seemingly everyone is buzzing about – and you make a comment, what will you say that no one else would say?

If you can get past that, and own that, and get to where that’s the way your brain works, you will be a major star.

Read. Watch great movies. Listen to great songs. They all have that in common.

– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2026 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #679: Amnesia is a Skill

Posted on June 10, 2026 by tommykramer

The great baseball pitcher and now broadcaster David Cone really caught my ear the other night as I was watching a New York Yankees game.

The day before, the Yankees had led by three runs with two outs in the 9th inning, but ended up losing the game 7-6 in extra innings.
Cone commented, “Amnesia is a skill,” and then went on to explain that no matter how much it hurts to lose a game like that, you have to just put it behind you and move on.

So, if you make a mistake on the air (and you will), just own it, then move forward. People can always tell when you’re flustered or trying to weasel out of an awkward moment. Always.

So just let it go, right the ship, and sail on. Many times in my own on-air career, I flubbed something. It actually got funnier to admit the failure.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #678: Talk Less, Mean More

Posted on June 3, 2026 by tommykramer

It seems like everybody’s “stretching” out conversations to an alarming level these days.

And yet, it’s the shortest statements that have the most meaning. Examples:

“And in the end…the love you take is equal to the love you make.” The Beatles. Add anything else to it, and it becomes watered down.

“Walk softly and carry a big stick.” Theodore Roosevelt. He certainly didn’t need any additions to that statement.

“Jesus wept.” The Bible. The saddest passage, to me. No more words necessary.

The lesson: Try to resist that “one more thought” impulse. You’ll find that talking less equals meaning more.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #677: Something Worth Listening To

Posted on May 27, 2026 by tommykramer

The one Constant that any great air talent or station needs to have:

Every day, every single day, your primary goal is to deliver something that’s worth listening to.

“Memorable Moments” (a Mark Ramsey term) are what put you on the map, and the more of them you consistently have puts the station on the map more prominently.

I hear so much “social media post that I thought up a punch line for” stuff lately that it makes me want to scream.

WORK at it. Try to get better and more consistent each day. All I’m looking for is something worth listening to. If I hear it, I’ll stick with you.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #676: Crayons

Posted on May 20, 2026 by tommykramer

A radio career is like crayons.
You start with the little 8-pack, and boy, is that fun. All the primary colors at your service. Now to find a surface to draw on….

Your handling improves. You work on writing or drawing things. You need more crayons, so you move to the 16-pack. Lots more colors and variations. Can’t WAIT to put that strange turquoise/green/blue one. That’ll look great on the wall. (And you find out that on paper is better, then the paper goes on the wall – or the fridge.)

Your imagination bursts with ideas; things you want to try. Then, true crayon citizenship comes with the 32-box. Oh lord, such colors. Need a bigger backpack for that baby.

And don’t even talk about the 64-box with the sharpener built into the side. You can rule the world with that gigantic assortment. Are trees really fuchsia? They are if you want them to be!

Just like radio. You learn a little bit at a time, you “play” with each “color” that comes to you, and each thing you learn adds another crayon to your performance “box”.

Listen to great air talent. Ask questions. Understand what the backbone of the station is, then color it your way.