About tommykramer

Tommy Kramer has spent over 35 years in radio as an on-air talent, Programmer, and Talent Coach, and has worked with over 300 stations in all formats, specializing in coaching morning team shows, but also working with entire staffs. In addition, he works with many premium voice actors that you hear every day on Imaging, Radio and TV commercials, and Hollywood Movie Trailers. Tommy was elected to the Texas Radio Hall of Fame in 2003. Call Tommy @ 214-632-3090 (iPhone), or email coachtommykramer@gmail.com

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #609: The Emotional Void

In the last tip, I (again) addressed why your Content should tap into an Emotion. This is basic “What’s my motivation?” acting stuff.

But here’s the deal: Over the years, I’ve had a surprising number of air talents tell me that they don’t really HAVE an Emotion about a given subject.

So here’s another tip: If you don’t automatically tap into an Emotion, FIND ONE.

You have to dig into how you feel, then transmit that through your wording, your inflection, even just the general tone of your voice. Trust me, when you do, people can’t help but respond. And you’ll reach a whole different level in how you connect with the Listener.

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Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2025 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #608: WHY Revealing an Emotion Works

A LOT of time is spent in my coaching sessions dwelling on the Emotion behind what the Talent says, rather than what the subject matter is.

Here’s why:
Emotion is the only thing that people respond to without conscious thought.

Please read that last sentence again.
Now think about your air work. Are you just passing out information? If you do give an opinion, are you showing what you FEEL in addition to what you think?
(Remember that revealing an emotion doesn’t really take a whole lot of effort. It can be done with just the tone of your voice, or a change in volume.)

We hear the word “authenticity” being thrown around a lot these days. Well, Emotion is at the core of that, because to really connect with the listener (which is the whole point of broadcasting), you need to have the Listener FEEL something when you talk.

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Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2025 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #607: The Main Reason (besides the Music) that People Listen to You

If you play a song I love, I’ll listen.

But, when you get into Content, if you can’t reveal something that you and I have in common, I’m not going to listen to you very long.

It’s sort of like dating someone you’re head-over-heels for, but they just kind of like you. That’s not the basis for a great relationship.

Here’s how we bond:

What do you feel about something that’s on my mind, too?

If there’s some sort of “secret” to being great on the air, that’s it. It sounds simple, and it is, to a degree. But of course, the next step is how you put that Content on the air.

That’s why I keep sharing these tips, to lead you through this ongoing challenge. If nothing else, maybe you’ll put just a little more thought into what you’re doing. And that’ll be good for both you and the listener.

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Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2025 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #606: The Howard Clark Litmus Test

Early in my career, I lucked into having a tremendous mentor in the great Howard Clark.

My early, feeble attempts to “entertain” were a litany of way-too-long setups for what usually proved to be pretty lame punch lines.

I’ve written about Howard before. He was a brilliant talent who could just drop in a comment over a song intro that could make you laugh out loud in less than ten seconds. He was the best, most concisely funny person I ever heard on the air.

Howard embodied what I consider to be the definition of greatness: He made you turn the radio UP when he spoke.

If you’ve got that, you don’t have to worry about your ratings.

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Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2025 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #605: A Challenge for You in 2025

Okay, we’ve gotten Christmas and New Year’s over with, we’re all going to try to lose 10 pounds, and now we have to settle down and go to work.

So here’s a challenge for you in this next year: Try something different; something you’ve never done before.

I don’t mean skydiving or spelunking. I mean try something different on the air.
Maybe it’s creating a little feature in the Production room – a parody commercial, or a parody song, or a parody of your own show. SOMETHING that isn’t the same old stuff you have in your bag of tricks.

It could also be something you do in a different (or adjacent) format, like a blog or a podcast. STRETCH. LEARN. Take a chance, for Pete’s sake.

If you never try anything new, you’re already a Brontosaurus.

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Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2025 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy 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.
Some of it may bomb. That’s okay. That’s how we learn. If something tanks, just put that in the “trash” bin, and try something else. If you have the courage to get out of the “box” that most air talents fit into, you’ll eventually find something that “clicks”. Then, add to that by trying something different. Again.

A great example for you is The Wally Show on Contemporary Christian radio giant WAY-FM, based in Nashville.

I’ve worked with Wally on and off for almost 25 years in several different formats, and I still haven’t seen anyone who comes up with more stuff than he does. He’s an idea MACHINE. And yes, he learned what worked for him by just taking chances and trying things that came out of his unique sense of humor. But he didn’t stop there. When he does something really serious, that works, too. (This was a big step in his career. No one can be funny all the time, and you need a changeup to go with your fastball.)

But as the wonderful Talk Radio coach (and my dear friend) Valerie Geller says, “Never be boring.”

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Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2025 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy 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.

I assure you, people have other things that they’re far more interested in than what some prep sheet or news website might lead you to believe. (And don’t even start with me about the Political channels or websites. That little world that seems so big doesn’t matter AT ALL if your kid or your best friend needs help.)

When you weigh in on what your listener actually cares about each day, you’re way ahead of 99% of your competitors.

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Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2024 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy 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.

Digest this thought, please. We all sound alike – until we don’t.
Here’s the question: What makes you different?

If you don’t know, find out. If you can’t hear that you sound typical, get a coach. Remember that the point is to be YOURSELF, not just another “voice saying words.”

NO ONE will notice you until you do.

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Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2024 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy 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…

“We’ll be right back, after these commercial messages.” (The worst, and most outdated “go-away” there is.)

“We’ll step aside now, for this commercial break. (Step aside? Where? Why? Do you have to make room for it?)

“More, after this…” (“More” is fine, but there’s still that “after this…”)

“Stay tuned. We’ll be right back.” (First, don’t tell me what to do. And second, where are you going?)

“On the other side…” (Of what? Some railroad tracks?)

All of these silly ways of going to a break only POINT OUT that a bunch of commercials are going to play. Why would anyone want to put the spotlight on the most boring part of the broadcast?

Instead, just say “Next.” As in, “We’ll check out the Sports scores, next…”
Or “Back to the phones, next…”

You get the idea. Everyone knows that they’re going to hear (and/or watch) commercials. Many people just go to the bathroom, or whatever else they need to do, or whatever will kill time – usually with the sound down, if this happens on TV.

So, to borrow from Nancy Reagan’s “Just say ‘no’” slogan, “Just say ‘next’” instead of pointing a big red finger at the biggest negative on the station.

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Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2024 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #600: Planning the Show Each Day

Show prep is SO important. I’ve seen hundreds of people I’ve worked with who had no real plan, or a partial “subject list” type of prep, thinking that this is enough.

It’s not. If you want to win, and become a well-oiled machine, don’t just plan what you’d like to do. LAY OUT where each thing will go.

Pay attention to the normal amount of station “business” and promotions, contests if you have one, and interview time if you have a guest. I’d slot those in FIRST, then look at where your Content goes.
In the Talk arena, this is ultra-important. The late Pat Williams, former manager, then V.P. of the NBA Orlando Magic, used to do a show once a week on a Sports station I programmed in Orlando. He would come in with a list of every single question he wanted to ask a guest, in order, and if some interesting “side road” developed, he’d go with that, then immediately return to the questions list. He was smooth as silk on the air and did consistently amazing interviews, and he personified show prep – and he wasn’t even a full-time radio guy!

Let’s close with this: There are reasons that jet pilots don’t just fly by the seat of their pants. It’s because (1) they want to consistently be at their best, and (2) they like to avoid things like flying into a mountain.

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Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2024 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.