Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #582: What Makes a Benchmark

Pretty much every air talent tries to establish “benchmark” material. But what, exactly, makes something a “must hear” feature?

Well, first of all, it’s about the idea itself. Back when the huge box office sci-fi movies were just becoming all the rage, my morning show partner in Houston, Fred Kennedy and I came up with a thing we called “Star Fake”. It was the cast of Star Trek, but the plot of Star Wars. (With one exception: We did keep the Princess. Kind of essential.) Each episode was highly produced and campy, with a discernible ‘soundtrack’ and at times dozens of character voices, all done by Fred and me.

We tried it out for a few weeks, one episode per week. By the third episode, we had a LOT of people commenting on it and requesting more episodes. We ended up doing 49 episodes in all. We actually had to re-run them several few months later, that time running two episodes per week.

One of the keys was that even with those familiar “cast members”, there was always something LOCAL. We purposely fit local celebrities and political figures into the plotlines.

If you can keep it fresh, add a local flavor, and people like it, it’s a benchmark. Otherwise, it’s just something that’s ‘regularly scheduled’.

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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 #581: The Formula for Doing It Well

One of the things that comes up in coaching sessions with any music radio air talent is not just doing it, but “doing it well.”

It’s easy to wonder what key ingredients add up to accomplishing that. So here’s how it works:

Keep things short. This isn’t about a word count or how many seconds something takes. It’s about not adding words to sound more important.

Keep things simple. Make it easy to follow. Too many details, or parenthetical phrases will inevitably add up to unnecessary “side roads” in your Content. Always imagine the listener in the car, with his or her head on a swivel trying not to get crashed into by some distracted driver. The last thing anyone needs is something that takes too much time to follow.

Keep it short + Keep it simple = Doing it well.

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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 #580: IT versus US

Most air talents talk about “it”. A great air talent talks about us, and how “it” affects us.

Many air talents struggle for Content, but you can see Content pretty much everywhere if you think about how to make “it” about us, and if you do it the right way.

And the right way….is always to tell stories that paint pictures.

This doesn’t just apply to obvious “do Content here” breaks. Painting a picture can actually be done in a very few seconds.
Example, from comedian Rodney Dangerfield – “I told my dentist my teeth were getting yellow. He told me to wear a brown tie.”

Without diving deep into these two areas, you can be good, but you’ll never be great. Skills are one thing; nuance is a different thing altogether. It takes a little brain work. Forget about your voice; forget about trying to force a punch line in, and explore how to pull people toward you (in as few words as possible; we’re busy).

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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 #579: Observational or Experiential

There are only two basic types of Content: it’s either observational (you saw it or read it), or it’s experiential (you actually did it).

So…your initial camera angle will be either Observational or Experiential, and either way will work. It’s your choice.

But remember this: no matter which path you choose, some of YOU – what you think or feel about it – HAS to be in there, or it’s just quacking into the wind.

Side bar: This is the great mistake that people make by thinking that social media posts are “Grade A” Content. If you haven’t actually seen it or experienced it, you have no way to connect with the listener. Be wary of the “click bait” disease. Just because there’s a posting about it, and a bunch of people with a lot of time on their hands commented on it, does NOT mean that it’ll automatically work on the air.

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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 #578: The Two Goals When You Open the Mic

It’s very possible to become overwhelmed by what you’re required to do by the higher-ups. Research studies, guidelines for Content, listener profiles that only provide one side of the equation, etc. can hamstring an air talent to the point that you can feel like there’s nothing you can say. Or you second-guess things, wondering if you’re meeting the sometimes lofty guidelines that are presented to you.

So, let me simplify things for you.

Everything we say on the air should either [A] reinforce what the station is all about, or [B] be about what we have in common with the listener.
There is nothing else.

The brilliant PD’s know this, and don’t get sidetracked with too many thoughts in mind.

Who are you? Why should I listen to you? How are you like me? Those are the unspoken questions in the listener’s mind.

Simple. Have a great day!

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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.