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 #7 – You SECOND

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The most important part of any Content is how you begin it. There’s a Grand Canyon-sized gulf between “I love it when he shares stories about his life” (which is good) or “All he ever does is talk about himself” (which is bad…very bad). Like almost everything in radio, it’s all about the language you use.

If you want to engage the listener right from the get-go, take the words “I” and “me” and “my” out of your vocabulary in that opening sentence, and do one of these two things:

1. Start by referencing the Listener in some way, THEN talk about whatever it is or tell your story. Or…

2. Start with the Subject, THEN serve up your thoughts about it.

Subject or Listener first. You…SECOND.

Yes, this is different from real life, where we often begin by talking about ourselves. But that’s because in real life, we’re talking to friends, family, or acquaintances. It’s a little different in radio, because you have to assume that someone just hit the “scan” button and landed on your station—someone who doesn’t know you. If the perception is that you’re only capable of seeing the world in terms of how it affects you, that’s not going to be nearly as powerful as the “connective tissue” of putting the Subject first or referencing the Listener first. You want to “pull up a chair” for the listener, then reveal your thoughts.

For example, let’s use the Aaron Hernandez story, the former NFL star accused of orchestrating a murder…

  • “I was thinking about this Aaron Hernandez story…” is just you talking about you.
  • But “If you’ve been keeping up with that Aaron Hernandez story” is about ME (the listener). Now go on ahead and give me your “take” on it.
  • Or “The Aaron Hernandez story is getting stranger every day…” is about the Subject. Now that it’s “on the table,” tell me what you think about it.

It’s counter-intuitive, I know, but man, it works like a charm. And your show doesn’t sound like “Now I’d like to talk about me” every time you open the mike.

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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 #6 – How tall is King Kong?

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TK Tip 6 – How tall is King Kong (click to hear mp3 version)

In the wonderful 1980 movie “The Stunt Man,” where a fugitive stumbles onto a movie set just when they need a new stunt guy, the kid keeps getting surprised by how different the movie world and its special effects make things appear onscreen that don’t exist at all in real life. The wonderful Peter O’Toole, as the Director, keeps asking the new stunt man, “How tall is King Kong?”…the point being that the model of the “giant” ape in the original movie was only three and a half feet tall, but we were made to believe that Kong was SIXTY feet tall.

It’s the same in radio. Our “King Kong,” whatever that may be—a contest, a station event, a Promotion of some sort online—is, to us, only three and a half-feet tall. It’s OUR JOB to make it sound larger than life to the Listener.

I hear jocks every day that take contests and Promotions for granted, and sound less than enthusiastic or even bored as they talk about them.

But if you’re not really interested in it, why should I be, as a listener? I’ve even heard Talents put these things down! They’re “too hip for the room,” and have lost sight of the fact that for the listener, winning something or going to some event is a BIG DEAL.

This is all part of my “Camera Angles” technique (Tip #2 in this series). If you can’t find a way to make that contest or station event sound as tall as King Kong—the 60-foot version—you might want to find a big box to empty the contents of your desk into, because you’re going to be leaving soon. (“I’ll bet you make THAT sound big when you talk to your friends about getting fired.)

: >

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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 #5: 2 words – 2 words – 2 words

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TK Tip 5 – 2 words – 2 words -2 words (click to hear mp3 version)

I’m big on giving air talents specific tools to use, not just talking about “pie in the sky” aspirations.

We hear about “telling stories” every day, but exactly HOW to do that is usually never really explained; only “critiqued.” This is like learning about heat by putting your hand down on a hot stove. That’s not Coaching.

Here’s a foolproof method for laying out any break:

  • Write down 2 or 3 words for the “open.”
  • Under those, write down a couple more words for the next “copy point.”
  • “Rinse and repeat” with the “2 words” mechanic.
  • Then write down a couple of words for your “exit.”

So let’s take a story and “workshop” it:

Having a baby.

Planning birth.

Baby comes NOW.

Pictures.

It comes out like this…

“If you’re a parent, or about to become one, here’s what you go through…you plan everything, from packing a suitcase ahead of time to putting the doctor’s number in your phone to laying out the quickest route to the hospital. This woman in West Boca Raton, Florida, Amy Beth Cavaretta, did all of that, but then she gave birth in front of the hospital! (Oops.) Oh, and on top of that, her husband is a photojournalist for a Miami newspaper! Ewww. Pictures of the birth are not something that guys want to see. Now if you had pictures of how the baby was made…”

The “2 words, 2 words” way of laying out a break keeps you concise. (Always a good thing.)

– – – – – – –
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 #4 – The 4 Requirements of a great Air Talent

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TK Tip 4 – The 4 Requirements of a great Air Talent (click to hear mp3 version)

There are four fundamental requirements of a truly good air talent:

(1) Be a good ambassador of the format. Each format has its unique qualities. Country is different from Album Rock. Contemporary Christian is different from Smooth Jazz. HOW they’re different is part of what you’re here to show. Consider the difference between Classic Rock and Oldies. They’re NOT the same.

(2) Be a good “tour guide” for the station—its features, artist pool, website stuff, Promotions, Contests…all that it has to offer.

(3) Be a good deejay (in music formats). That means [A] being patient, not trying to cram too much in, or doing more than one main subject in each break; [B] “riding the wave” of the music by matching each song’s tempo and emotional vibe; and [C] fitting each song, which means not trying to do ultra-serious Content over a “happy” song, or sounding like the music doesn’t matter to you, or like you’ve just been waiting impatiently for the song to end, so you can talk.

(4) I have to learn something about you, and not just what you think. I also want to know how you FEEL; what’s in your heart.

Now ask yourself if you’re doing these things every day. If you’re not, maybe you need some help.

– – – – – – –
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 #3 – The First Exit

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TK Tip 3 – The First Exit (click to hear mp3 version)

Okay, so you’ve gotten the hang of being “the Moon” instead of trying to “be the Sun.” And you’re really working hard at coming up with “camera angles” that set you apart from everyone else. That’s great! BUT THAT’S NOT ALL.

The biggest step is still in front of you: Taking the “First Exit” out of things.

Simply put, it’s the first line of “resolution” as you do a break. Not the first “funny” line, necessarily, because some Content isn’t funny. And, of course, you don’t want to get out before your point is made. (I believe the Latin term for that would be subjectus interruptus.)

Face it, most air talents just beat things to death. They get to laughing about something in the Control Room, “riffing” and throwing in more stuff, until it all just turns into a big bag of mush. There’s no Momentum in that. It’s like buying a ticket to see someone, then they lock the doors so you can’t leave the theater.

The first line or remark that gives “punctuation” or “resolution” to the break, GO! Just hit the button, go into the next element, and STOP TALKING. Don’t go on to make another point, or “wrap up” or “summarize.” Don’t throw in the call letters again, or give a time check, or do a tease, or play some recorded “bumper” that says your name, or in any way do anything that impedes the progress. Just GO FORWARD. RIGHT NOW.

If the ending you planned (but didn’t get to) is really great, simply reset the subject later, and do that line. But 99% of the time the FIRST exit is the BEST exit, because it adds an element of surprise to the show.

Being less predictable is the best thing you can give the listener.

– – – – – – –
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 #2 – Camera Angles

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TK Tip 2 – Camera Angles (click to hear mp3 version)

In the previous tip, we talked about how to “be the Moon, not the Sun” and choose only what matters most to the listener today to talk about in your show Content. (Of course, there are the formatic elements, and the various aspects of the station—events, contests, promotions, etc. But this is about the real-life stuff that reveals who you are and bonds you and the listener together.)

The real game is selecting the right “camera angle,” just like the process a movie director goes through in rehearsal, or putting together a “storyboard” of each shot he’ll use. Where he puts the camera decides how the story will be told. That’s why a Steven Spielberg or James Cameron is so successful. They use that camera to show—through their eyes—what they believe to be the most compelling view of what’s happening in the scene. And with the great directors, it’s never exactly like anyone else’s.

Let’s take an obvious example, the Oklahoma tornadoes. Is that about the loss of life, the damaged or destroyed buildings, how much it will cost to rebuild, or what the government is going to do about it? Or is it about the amazing stories of people surviving under tons of rubble, or the tireless sacrifices of the first responders, or how WE can help?

How you choose to talk about it – where you put your “camera” – determines whether or not you’re just another radio quacking noise, or you’re someone whose opinion and perspective I want to hear. Choose carefully, or risk “death by button.” (One of the other buttons on my radio, or apps on my iPhone.)

Note: There’s more. Each time you talk about a given subject, you should choose a different camera angle, so it’s not just a repeat of what you said before. It’s an ART, not just a skill.

– – – – – – –
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 #1 – Be the Moon, not the Sun

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TK Tip 1 – Be the Moon, not the Sun (click to hear the mp3 version)

This may sound simple, but it’s the first—and most important—step in being different from everyone else on the air.

Picture the Sun. It’s a big yellow ball of fire—the  source of heat, light, and energy for our world. Now picture the Moon. It’s a dead, lifeless rock. All the Moon does is reflect the light of the Sun.

Almost every air talent I’ve ever met wants to be the Sun, and “beam out” to his listeners what he thinks they should hear.

BUT THAT’S NOT THE JOB.

Your job is to be the Moon, and simply reflect back to the listener what he or she already cares about—today—filtered through your experiences, observations, and opinions.

Once you realize this, show prep gets SO much easier. Choose what’s top of mind and relevant, then talk about it. Take your agenda out of the picture. If it doesn’t connect with the listener, it doesn’t matter.

Be the Moon. Let everyone else try to be the Sun.

– – – – – – –
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.