Author Archives: tommykramer

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 #624: Options to “If you…”

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“Maybe you (did this)” also brings in the opposite – “Maybe NOT.” I’ve written about this before. “If you…” doesn’t have a downside. (“If” is the magic word that makes all things seem possible. “Maybe” isn’t.)

But you also don’t want to constantly use “If you…”

There are other options:

“You’ve probably seen this…”
“Bet you’ve done this before, too…”
“You’ve probably felt this before…”
“So, imagine that you…”
“Think about this…”
“Say that you (did..whatever)…”

There are always options in how to plop the Listener into whatever scenario you want. Just don’t do “Maybe…” It’s weak.

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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 #623: Whenever Another Voice Overlaps Yours…

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This is primarily a team show tip and Talk show tip – but for anyone on the air who has a partner, or interviews a guest.

Whenever another voice overlaps yours…you stop talking.
The worst thing on the listener’s end of the radio is two people (or more) talking at the same time.

So here’s how it works: when the other person interrupts you, STOP…….for a moment, then go on. You’ll never talk over each other (or a guest) for more than a word or so, and for a team show, this will lead to getting REALLY well-coordinated – fast.

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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 #622: Zeroing in How to Reach your Target Listener

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Note: This is subjective!

It’s said that “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

But I believe that the way to a woman’s heart is through her children.

Men will talk about their kids, but it seems to me that it’s usually to brag about them in some way. However, it’s my experience that a woman will talk about her kids because she wants to share why they’re unique.

Choose wisely the path you take, because it’s easy to just travel down the wrong road and BANG!…the listener tunes out.

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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 #621: Send People to a Different Medium

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Way too often, I hear an air talent send someone to their Facebook page (or some other social media entity). I have to ask, “Why?”

If you’re doing your show on Facebook Live, for instance, that’s fine. Otherwise, don’t SEND them to whatever social media site you follow.

If someone is listening to you on the radio, chances are that even if they are checking their social site, they’re doing that mindlessly. If they’re really engaged with social media, they’re not actually listening to you.

We’re first. RADIO. Radio is BY FAR the biggest “social media” entity. Over 90% of people in the United States listen to the radio EVERY day.

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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 #620: Trying Too Hard

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Trying too hard is something that every good air talent goes through. Getting past it takes a bit of self-realization.

Looking at it in acting terms (because we are all voice actors to a degree), “reaching out” to the camera (the viewer) is the wrong perspective.

Let the camera (or in our case, the Listener) reach out to you. Overperforming is a drag. When you “reach”, it’s exaggerated.

Just settle down. Simply be there and be what you are, and let the Listener reach out to you.

– – – – – – –
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 #619: Opinions versus Emotions

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Opinions are easy. Emotions are…more difficult. These two things are related, but they’re not the same.

The revealing of an Opinion is fine, but the revealing of an Emotion tops that.
An Opinion is subjective. An Emotion is clear and undeniable.

So sure, let’s hear what you think. But let’s also hear what you FEEL.

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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 #618: The Experience, not the Ingredients

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My associate John Frost quoted this recently:

“The essence of branding and being worth consuming is that experience, not the ingredients which make it up.” – Mark Ramsey

If you’ve read any of these coaching tips, you know that I always think about what it’s like on the listener’s end of the radio first. So, here’s the coaching perspective…

Realize first that Experiences are emotional. “Right brain”. Non-analytical.
Mere information is pretty much just “left brain”, analytical. Not much emotion there. (Storytelling uses information – the Ingredients – of course, but only to reach the emotion at the core of the story that creates an Experience.)

You definitely should want your show/your station to be an experience.

So, ask yourself this: What will I do today on the air that people will remember as an experience?

Some examples:
• A contest, so someone wins something. (I once gave away $25,000 to an 8-year old girl in Honolulu. She and her family never forgot that experience.)
• A station promotion that would be fun for my whole family. (Dallas’s legendary KLTY’s Freedom Fest, for example.)
• Even just a thoughtful comment made about an artist or a song can be an experience, if you do it the right way.

John Frost had his Country station in Austin play “The Eyes of Texas” every day at noon. What could be more Texan?

In Shreveport once, I edited together a version of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” for our minor league baseball club’s Opening Day game – with each line sung by a different little kid. (Those kids – and their parents – and the listeners – had an experience.)

My pal Johnjay Van Es (of the “Johnjay & Rich” show) with his “Love Pup” thing, which led to getting lots and lots of dogs adopted. Brilliant. And an experience to listen to.

What will you do? THINK OF SOMETHING.

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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 #617: What Sounding Great is All About

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Everyone should want to be really good at what they do. Really, really good.
But not everyone knows how to get there. Let me make it simple for you:

Sounding great is about being prepared, and then just relaxing into it when you get on the air — but not using more words than you need.

No one can get to the next level as a Talent until they master Editing and Brevity. These are essential skills.

The most remembered songs, speeches, Proverbs, etc. are all SHORT. Make your point, then move on. People will thank you for it – by listening to you more.

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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 #616: The Death of Asking Questions

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It seems like I’ve had to explain countless times over the years why questions – especially little rhetorical questions, like “Right?” – are ineffective today.

There was a time – about 25 or 30 years ago – when Questions were in vogue. (The “Where’s the meat?” campaign is a good example. You can look up the ads on You Tube.) It was thought then that Questions produced interest in the product.

But in today’s ten-second-attention-span world, they don’t hold water anymore.

I was asked by a GM of one of my stations about this recently. Here was my reply:

Questions are the death of radio. And the death of ads. Henrik Hagtvedt, a Ph.D marketing professor at Boston College, said, “A simple declarative statement is best. Consumers don’t want to think about it; they just want simple information that they can act on. Consumers tend to experience questions as less clear communication than a statement. Hence, they have an adverse reaction.”

So, if you’re shooting for an adverse reaction, a question will get it. But, obviously, no one should want that.

Make Statements instead. They’re stronger.

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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 #615: Why Using Fewer Words Works Better

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After hearing a couple of overly long breaks the other day on a music station I work with, this came up in the next coaching session:

Use fewer words.

There’s a reason that most famous quotes are short. Usually, the more words a person uses, the less impact it makes. (A lot of people disagree when I say that, but they’re wrong. In today’s jump-cut, hummingbird-attention-span world, being longwinded makes you sound OLD.)

So, just try to cut down the NUMBER of words it takes you to talk about something.

EVEN IN TALK RADIO shows, fewer words about each point will make more impact than just beating one point to death. And by being briefer, you’ll be able to get more Subjects into the show. The overall “bump” is that you’ll be more thorough – without being 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.