Tommy Kramer Tip #23 – Further phone bit thoughts

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):

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

[2nd 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

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 3rd 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

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

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 3rd 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
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 #19 – Great in 9 seconds (or less)

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
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.