Monthly Archives: May 2026

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #677: Something Worth Listening To

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The one Constant that any great air talent or station needs to have:

Every day, every single day, your primary goal is to deliver something that’s worth listening to.

“Memorable Moments” (a Mark Ramsey term) are what put you on the map, and the more of them you consistently have puts the station on the map more prominently.

I hear so much “social media post that I thought up a punch line for” stuff lately that it makes me want to scream.

WORK at it. Try to get better and more consistent each day. All I’m looking for is something worth listening to. If I hear it, I’ll stick with you.

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Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2026 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #676: Crayons

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A radio career is like crayons.
You start with the little 8-pack, and boy, is that fun. All the primary colors at your service. Now to find a surface to draw on….

Your handling improves. You work on writing or drawing things. You need more crayons, so you move to the 16-pack. Lots more colors and variations. Can’t WAIT to put that strange turquoise/green/blue one. That’ll look great on the wall. (And you find out that on paper is better, then the paper goes on the wall – or the fridge.)

Your imagination bursts with ideas; things you want to try. Then, true crayon citizenship comes with the 32-box. Oh lord, such colors. Need a bigger backpack for that baby.

And don’t even talk about the 64-box with the sharpener built into the side. You can rule the world with that gigantic assortment. Are trees really fuchsia? They are if you want them to be!

Just like radio. You learn a little bit at a time, you “play” with each “color” that comes to you, and each thing you learn adds another crayon to your performance “box”.

Listen to great air talent. Ask questions. Understand what the backbone of the station is, then color it your way.

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Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2026 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #675: You Need to Know Them

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This is the starting place – especially when you’re new to a station:

People don’t need to know you. You need to know them.

Streets have names that are pronounced differently than you would have thought.
Food tastes are different. (I once went to a corporate meeting in York, Pennsylvania. EVERY store and every restaurant I went into had candy machines in the entrance. Dentists must love that place.)

The point is, the culture of the market is your guide to meaningful Content, so observe, listen, experience, and soak in the little things that make up the fabric of your market. Then, connect the dots TO the listener.

You learn about them. THEN they learn about you.

That’s how it works. You’re either going to be a new neighbor, or just another voice saying words.

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Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2026 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #674: The Aircheck Swap Meet

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Here’s something you can do to both improve your on-air performance and bond the station together a bit.

Years ago, my friend and fellow Texas Radio Hall of Fame member Bruce Gilbert each Programmed a station in the same cluster – mine was a Talk station, Bruce’s was a Sports-talk station.

We went to a hotel in downtown Dallas – away from the constant interruptions of the office environment, and listened to each other’s station. In separate rooms. For several hours. Taking notes about what we heard that we liked, and what might need a little help.

Then we went to lunch, and just chatted about normal stuff.
Following that, we went back to the hotel and shared our notes with each other. SO healthy. Truly eye-opening at times.

When you see your work through someone else’s eyes (or ears, in our case), you get a fresh perspective. Try it with a friend on the staff. It doesn’t have to be “formal”. Just “you listen to me, and I’ll listen to you,” then share with each other honestly, with no offense taken.

Ideas always seem to erupt spontaneously on something to DO. (Which is the first mandate: Do something.)

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Tommy Kramer
Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (mobile)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2026 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.