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 #27 – Staying SINGULAR

Posted on November 27, 2013 by tommykramer

We’ve all heard about staying “one-on-one” with the Listener, and now it’s more important than ever. Singular terms work (iPhone, iPad, iTunes), because it’s an “I-me-my” world. Each person wants to be treated as an individual. The old “everybody out there in radio land” mentality went the way of the lava lamp and the ‘mood ring’ a long time ago. The connection with the Listener is fragile. Little wording choices make or break it.

So starting today, avoid using ‘plural’ terms like “those of you” or “all of you.” They’re not one-on-one. Those are pretty obvious, but it can get tricky. For instance…

It’s not “some of you might have seen her last night on Letterman.” There aren’t “some of me.” Instead, say “you might have seen her last night on Letterman.”

“We’ll take your phone calls” is another one. WHOSE phone calls? You’re either talking to some faceless “collective” or you apparently expect me to make more than one phone call. Instead, say “You can call now” or just “call now,” which feels like you’re saying it to me, even though you may also be including all those “other” clod….uh, people.

If you have to talk about “people,” talk to me ABOUT “them.”
Example: Instead of addressing “Everyone listening right now” or “all of you listening,” say “You, and everybody else listening right now.”

Stay SINGULAR. Talk to me. ONE person. The listener, not “listeners.” Don’t throw me in the barrel with them. It’s like the great Groucho Marx said, “I don’t want to be a member of any club that would have me as a member.”

– – – – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Radio Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (iPhone)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2013 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #26 – Chasing Rabbits

Posted on November 20, 2013 by tommykramer

My sister mentioned a morning show that she listens to every day, which has recently made a personnel change. In addition to the husband and wife team, the show has now replaced the male Newsperson with a female.

The station is female-targeted, so the added “estrogen factor” can be a strength. The two females in the mix should, theoretically, be able to focus on the Listener’s life and interests even more effectively, and have the added “battle of the sexes” playfulness of ganging up on the male co-host.

But, according to my sister, that’s not what’s happening. She says that they spend too much time “chasing rabbits”—careening away from the subject incrementally, but steadily, to where the original point is lost. THEY’RE having loads of fun, but my sister—a core P1 Listener—is growing restless.

Be clear that just because YOU’RE having fun does NOT necessarily mean that your Listener is having fun. If someone just tuned in to the show, they don’t have TIME to figure out what you’re talking about. So don’t go off “chasing rabbits.” You can take one step away from the subject, but then come back. Taking two steps away is one too many.

Tommy Kramer Tip #25 – The Low Volume Test

Posted on November 14, 2013 by tommykramer

Hopefully, you listen to your show regularly, so you can hear yourself more like the Listener hears you. So take a tip from how a lot of great Production Talents work—listen at a fairly low level, often through a small cue speaker. (Same thing with many recording engineers and Producers.) They may mix at “blast,” but then they’ll play it back at “background” level.

There are good reasons for the Low Volume Test:
• You can really hear the levels, to tell if background music for a break you’re doing—or a spot or a promo—is too loud or too soft. (Or whether it fits the mood and cradles the subject, or it’s just thumpy-thumpy noise.)
• You get a much truer read on whether you sound natural and real, or you’re just another booming, “announcing” radio guy, over-inflecting and “selling” too much.
• You get feedback more at the visceral level about pace and momentum.
• You not only can, but DO instantly decide, subconsciously or even UNconsciously, whether the person you’re hearing is interested in what he’s saying, or is having any FUN.

You want to listen at about half the level most disc jockeys usually listen at. So YOU can feel the momentum, interest level, and fun factors, instead of putting every little thing under a magnifying glass all the time, but not really learning anything about the Voice Acting part of your craft.

Once you hear yourself this way, you’ll never hear the show the same way again.

It’s like being in a room, with a movie playing on the TV in the next room. A bad actor reads lines. A great actor IS that character he’s playing.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #24 — The 5 Subjects: How to choose Content

Posted on November 6, 2013 by tommykramer

No doubt about it; the thing I get asked about the most is Content; what to talk about each day. Choosing the right Content is crucial to doing a great show, no matter what your radio station’s format is.

Some of your Content is provided for you with station promotions and events, contests, special listener “clubs” that give feedback on the music, stuff like that. And in a music format, there’s always stuff about the artists, concert dates (if they apply to your market), and whatever special musical features you provide.

But that’s only about half of what you need.

Here’s a good “default setting” list of The 5 Subjects that will always work:

1. The Economy—specifically Job Stuff. Money is the #1 motivator. Not enough money, you’re unhappy. Plenty of money, you want to protect it and make sure it doesn’t vanish overnight, so you can put your kids through school or have enough to retire someday. So job stuff is always something to pay attention to. And there’s always comparing our jobs to other people’s jobs. Take working at Walmart, for instance; that’s worse than being the President of a bank, but a lot better than being a javelin catcher.

2. Entertainment. We’re an Entertainment-driven nation. Whether it’s “Keeping up with the Kardashians,” hoping Miley Cyrus will have that tongue-shortening operation she so desperately needs, or just paying attention to the movies and TV shows your listener likes the most, the Entertainment world is ripe with stuff you can use. However, stay away from being obvious or salacious with it. And you can’t just read a bunch of stuff from websites. It has to be the same kind of conversation you’d have with a friend over lunch, or at a backyard barbecue.

3. Relationships. It’s all about relationships, really, whether it’s our friends, families, or co-workers. Relationships—good or bad—shape everything we do.

4. “The Buzz.” The thing today that everyone seems to be talking about should ALWAYS be on your radar screen. To not talk about it is to be an ostrich, with your head stuck in the sand, and there’s a real danger in seeming like you’re not aware of it. There’s one exception, however, and that’s if the Value position of your station means that you should avoid talking about it, like maybe something that people wouldn’t want the kids in the car to hear, for instance. In that case, you might want to make a point of saying that you’re NOT going to talk about it—and why.

5. “Things that grow out of the show.” As your career develops, you’ll find things that are unique to you. Use them. For example, one guy I work with, Don Godman, made a wonderful little feature out of his son’s adventures, called “The Gavin Report.” It’s delivered—by Gavin—like a child’s news magazine, with something like going to a museum or the State Fair being an “episode.” It’s the single most remembered thing about Don’s show. His audience feels like they’ve watched his son grow up on the radio.

If what you want to talk about doesn’t fit into one of these categories, I’d strongly recommend that you just toss it. Even Politics should “qualify” by being “the buzz” or looking at how the issues affect people’s lives and relationships.

Tommy Kramer Tip #23 – Further phone bit thoughts

Posted on October 30, 2013 by tommykramer

We hear the “Topics and phone calls” thing WAY too much nowadays, but there are times that it’ll work—like if you want to give something away. I’ve done this a lot over the years. “The best suggestion wins” is a great way to get listeners on the air for a very specific reason, and avoid the typical “please do my show for me” sound of mindless “what do you think?” responses about a lukewarm topic.

So let’s dive into this just a little deeper…

First, a phoner only works when it begins with a real-life story or observation. Otherwise, it just sounds like some generic radio bit.

So if you have something that does get some response, think about these things:

1. Vary your resets. If you get into each call the same way, it gets stale really fast.

Here are two examples I heard just the other day. (The names were changed to protect the stupid):

[1^st break] “KNRL and Sheryl Crow with ‘First Cut is the Deepest,’ it’s 8:15, I’m Seymour Farquad, hi, who’s this?”

[2^nd break] “KNRL with Bruno Mars and ‘When I Was Your Man,’ I’m Seymour Farquad, hi, who’s this?”

When the “opens” are almost identical—either in your wording or in the order of the basic elements—to the person in the car, it’s “been there; heard that” followed by a click. (We never want the click.)

Instead of just rattling off the “basics”, use a different, concise “camera angle” each time, and more people will stay with you.

2. Never carry a phone thing over the top of an hour, into the next hour. Since that’s a likely tune-in place, the listener just tuning in has no idea of why this would come up. Plus, to someone who did hear some of the previous calls, it can seem like you’re just “milking” it, which makes you come across like a one-trick pony. New hour = new material.

3. Always remember the Golden Rule of phone calls: Any call you run better be as good as the best song you play. Otherwise, I’m gone.

– – – – – – –

Tommy Kramer
Radio Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (iPhone)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2013 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Tip #22 – The Rule of the 3rd Call

Posted on October 23, 2013 by tommykramer

We loooovvvvvve to see the phone lines lit up. It seems to validate that the Listener is interested in what you’re doing on the air. (Actually, this can be a false impression, since only a tiny fraction of the audience makes up the entire pool of phone callers. But we’ll go deeper into that another time.)

Here’s how you tell if you have a topic that’s working, or just a bunch of blinking lights on the phone bank. It’s a litmus test that I refer to as “The Rule of the 3^rd Call.”

If the first caller agrees with you, and the second caller disagrees with you, what does the third caller do?

If all the third caller can do is repeat what one of the first two callers said, it’s NOT a Topic. It’s just a poll.

If you want to do a poll, just say that. “We’ll decide this right now. Let’s take a poll. Next 10 callers, yes or no.” Then give the phone number, tally the voting as you go, and proclaim the results to be the absolute gospel truth. (The purpose of a poll is to come to a conclusion.)

One key to really making a Subject work is to avoid putting things on the air that lean toward “yes” or “no” responses.

What you want to elicit are EMOTIONAL responses from callers. Incidents or stories they relate based on what the Subject you’re talking about MEANS in their lives is what truly compelling radio is about.

– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Radio Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (iPhone)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2013 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Tip #21 – Phone calls: 7 fundamentals

Posted on October 16, 2013 by tommykramer

I hear from so many air talents, “How do I get more phone calls?” The first thing I ask them is “Why?”

Yes, phone calls can add a dimension to any show, but only good calls. Unfortunately, most of them are not good. Most phone callers you hear on the air either just kiss up to the deejay, try to be a co-host, or prattle on too long, so the momentum sags. Start with the thought that any call you run had better be as good as your best song.

Now here are the seven basic rules for phone calls (in music formats), and the real secrets of how to solicit and use them on the air.

1. NEVER ask a question to solicit phone calls. “What do you think?” only invites the same caller that you used yesterday to call in again, because most people don’t believe that you really want their input, and/or don’t have time to call in anyway. (It’s a strange phenomenon that asking “What do you think?” only attracts people who DON’T think.) Make STATEMENTS that trigger emotional reaction, instead. Then, if you simply must solicit calls, say “Maybe there’s something I’m missing” or “Maybe you see something here that I don’t” and give the phone number. No “I want to hear from you” or anything else. Your NEEDINESS is NOT a reason for me to call. If you sound like you NEED phone calls, you either won’t get them, or you’ll only get bad ones. Really useful responses have to be driven by emotional reaction to something that’s said, not manufactured “topics” or nebulous “Tell us your story” solicitations.

2. Avoid “regulars.” The minute a caller is identifiable, damage is done. You give off the vibe of being a “closed community” of people that have somehow gotten into an “inner circle” made up of “favorites” that get on the air. This does not welcome in new callers.

3. You don’t need the old-fashioned, “And you had a question…?” lead-in to a call. Set the subject up, then cut to the “meat” of the call. No extra verbiage required. Also to be avoided: “Ginger had a comment…” I don’t know “Ginger.” Her name doesn’t matter. Plus this “narration” doesn’t have an organic feel to it, so it puts the call into the realm of “artificial radio stuff.”

4. Phone calls are NOT conversations. They’re sound bites, used to further the subject and the forward momentum of the show. So you don’t need the gratuitous “politeness” of “Hi, how are you?” “Oh, I’m fine, how are you today?” stuff on the front. Just cut to the POINT of the call. And cut off the “Okay, thanks for calling. Have a nice day” stuff, too. Real life may be about manners, but great Radio is about MOMENTUM.

5. In the “body” of a call, remember that the moment anything is repeated, the call will AUTOMATICALLY sound long, no matter what the actual length is. So anytime you have a bad connection and have to repeat something, or the caller goes off “chasing rabbits” instead of staying on subject, cut that part out.

6. You don’t have to find the perfect beginning point, voiced by the caller, to air a phone call. You can intro it live by giving the subject line, then play the “sound bite” from the call that serves your purpose. Example: You say, “I lost my rental car the other day in the airport parking lot, ‘cause I couldn’t remember what I rented” into a caller saying “I always tie an orange ribbon to the radio antenna so I can see it.”

7. ONE point made per call. The minute you go into a second point with any call, IT’S TOO LONG.

I love good, judicial use of phoners on the air. But like everything, it has to have a useful strategy behind it, and be done well. I promise you that if you use these techniques, the calls you do choose to run will sound noticeably better.

– – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Radio Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (iPhone)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2013 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Tip #20 – News tips

Posted on October 10, 2013 by tommykramer

We’ve all heard the old saying “No news is good news.”

Seems like a lot of radio stations believe that nowadays, but I would remind you that no news is NO NEWS, and unless you’re aware of what’s going on today, Pandora or my iPod is a better choice.

So whether you have newscasts in your shift – or even on your station – at all, you need to be my smart friend who’s keeping an eye on things for me, because a school shooting, a tsunami, or a giant wreck on the freeway could happen at any moment.

Let’s just approach this from a News standpoint, and how it’s not still 1963, so it’s not the Huntley & Brinkley and Walter Cronkite world anymore. Today the newsperson you watch or listen to it the one that seems like a real person who’s into being right up-to-the-moment on what’s going on. If you’re just a jock, not a newsman, hopefully a lot of this will still help you on the air when you have a big story to talk about.

1. Use real words. Words that real people use in everyday conversation. It’s not “Judge C. Arnold Jamison of the 3^rd District court ruled that…” etc. It’s just “the judge said…” etc. It’s not “the alleged robber was apprehended by authorities two blocks away,” it’s “the police caught the guy they think did it.” It’s not “A fire department spokesperson said the blaze will continue for several hours,” it’s “Jim Green, the Fire Chief said it’s still dangerous because not all of the fire is out yet.”

2. Don’t “announce” or “present,” just share the story. Big, deep voices speaking in grave, authoritarian tones just sound like old men lecturing small children. Lighten up. Just talk, like you would to a friend.

3. Rewrite every story for every newscast. It revives YOUR interest in the story to see it from a slightly different “camera angle” each time. One time, it’s about an explosion in a warehouse. The next time, it’s about the guy who got out safely. The next time, it’s about what happened in the neighborhood when the big boom hit. Starting the story a different way each time keeps it from getting stale. And you can take that “other person’s shoes” perspective and follow it to get a whole different take on the event.

4. KNOW the story. Know it well enough to talk about it with some degree of clarity and credibility. Like Will McAvoy on “The Newsroom,” actually learning the facts can set you apart from the people who are just reading news print off the wire.

5. Talk to ONE person. I can’t stand stories with things like “30% of you agree.” Thirty percent of me is just a leg and a forearm. “30% of people agree”—talking to me about those “other” people, is a better way to go.

There’s lots more, in terms of performance, but these points are a good “starter kit” for you. Let’s make News a reason to tune you in, instead of a reason to tune you out.

Tommy Kramer Tip #19 – Great in 9 seconds (or less)

Posted on October 2, 2013 by tommykramer

Let me tell you about my friend Howard Clark. Imagine hearing this nice, big, round voice – not announcerish or pukey, just God-given great “pipes” – saying these things over song intros:

[into ‘Mrs. Robinson’] “The amazing Funkel Brothers, Simon…and Gar”

[into ‘I Remember You’] “Here’s a song about a man and his sheep…” (think about it)

…and especially when he would foul something up: “Every move…carefully planned”

Howard Clark could be great in 9 seconds. Or less. Because he always came across as (1) actually listening to the music, (2) clever, and (3) totally here to have fun.

You had to listen carefully to Howard, or you might miss something that would make you giggle, or make you think. It’s not always about being funny. It’s about being a “must” listen—the person I want with me in the car when I’m driving, or by my desk when I’m working.

If you can’t be great in 9 seconds, if you don’t sound like you’re listening to the songs, and/or if it only seems like you’re just talking about things because you feel like it—regardless of whether or not it means something to me—you may be good, but you’re not great.

But I can show you how. And I think you’ll be amazed at how easy it is. It doesn’t take more work; it just takes knowing exactly what to work on.

Tommy Kramer Tip #18 – Don’t tell me what to think

Posted on September 25, 2013 by tommykramer

Nothing is more annoying than being told what to think. You’ve seen those promos for new TV shows or movie trailers that say things like “This fall’s brightest new comedy” or “The first great action movie of the Summer.” But we never believe that.

Look, America is a “Not me” country. Always has been, since the first settlers came over from Europe.
“You will pay a tax on tea.” (Not me. Let’s dump the tea into the harbor.)
“You will worship at this church” (No, I will worship wherever or whatever I want. Maybe like George Carlin, I might just want to pray to Joe Pesci. He seems like a guy who can get things done.)
“You will live on the East Coast.” (Nope, heading to California now. Hope the wagon wheel doesn’t break, or I’ll be stuck in Oklahoma.)

Now think of how many times you’ve heard a deejay say “Here’s a new one you’ll really like.” (Not me. It’s putrid.)
Or “You told us what songs you wanted to hear.” (I didn’t. No one ever contacted me, or you’d be playing a lot more Mark Knopfler or Kenny Wayne Shepherd.)
“Your Favorites from the 80’s, 90’s, and today” or “Today’s best bongo music, and your all-time favorites.” (Seems like this is always followed with a song I can’t stand by an artist I’d like to hit with my car and leave lying in the road.)
“This song just makes you feel good.” (No, this song was my ex-girlfriend’s favorite song. Now, it just reminds me of when she dumped me.)

It’s not just in promos or Imaging, either. I hear it in Content, too. Just the other day, I heard a jock talking about a giveaway, and he said “So you’re thinking ‘I’d like to win that’…”
No, I was thinking “Why would anyone want to win that?”

So here’s the deal. You can tell me what YOU think, but you can’t tell me what I think.
Example:
“I think that’s a great movie” says something about you. Whether I agree with you or not, I’ve learned a little about you. You’re a little more familiar now. There’s another thread of connection between us.

And THAT works.

Tommy Kramer

Radio Talent Coach & Voiceover/Imaging Actor and Writer

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