Monthly Archives: July 2026

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #686: The Filter

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A foundational tip of mine is: Never assume that people want to hear what you have to say.

You have to earn the listener’s attention every time you open the mic – even if you’re just doing something simple like intro’ing a song (in a music format), or adding “colorful” details to a story (in any format). Your “interesting sidebar” may indeed add something – but not always.

So…run what you say, or what you want to say, through the “Does the listener care?” filter first. Then, you don’t have to try to make it matter.

We all try too hard at first. Early in my own career, I tried too hard to be funny. I’m sure it probably came across as insecure, or even flippant sometimes. Two of my mentors — Lee Abrams in Chicago, and Bill Young in Houston – helped me get away from that. (Thank goodness.)

Now I’m passing this thought on to you. Sound your best. I love to hear people do it right.

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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 #685: A Tip from Yogi Berra and MAD Magazine

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New York Yankees’ Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra said a lot of funny things, sometimes malapropisms like “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.”

But he also said, “You can observe a lot by just watching.”

As it applies to radio, you can observe a lot by just listening.
Take an hour and listen to your station. What are your observations? Do you even notice when something becomes stale?

Do you have brainstorming meetings to come up with new ideas?
When you get one, does it have to go to committee before it gets on the air? (Hint. That’s usually too late.)

I’m not saying you should be reckless, but you should definitely be looking to innovate – constantly.

Example: If your morning show uses random music “beds” under their Content, make sure it’s not just generic Production music. While some people think it adds Momentum, it doesn’t. But music that applies specifically to that subject (or that mood) will work better.

As MAD Magazine so eloquently said, “THIMK.”

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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 #684: Give the People What They Want — Really?

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There’s an old saying, “Give the people what they want.” That was the gospel.

But Volkswagon didn’t agree. People were driving huge cars when the original Beetle came out – but then millions and millions of VW Beetles were sold.

George Lucas didn’t. The sci-fi genre was pretty sparse when “Star Wars” came out. Hollywood moguls said people didn’t want that. They were, uh…wrong.

Apple didn’t. They knew a more intuitive computer was better. And a laptop (or later, an iPad) was a much better choice for millions of people than a giant, heavy desktop computer. Plus, Steve Jobs knew that a sleek, futuristic design for a mobile phone was going to make huge, complicated phones horribly outdated. They CREATED desire.

Give people what they want, sure, but also give them new approaches.

Example: My brilliant partner John Frost consulted a station in Austin, Texas. One of the first things he did was to have them play “The Eyes of Texas” at noon every day. People didn’t know they wanted this, but it set the station’s tone as being a TEXAS station. It was what they wanted, but they may not have known that.

Don’t kid yourself into thinking that a corporate, format-wide 300-song playlist is what people want. I’d like to drive a couple hundred miles WITHOUT hearing the same, beaten-to-death songs on every station in a given format.

I’d like to hear Promos and Production in general that can compete with Hollywood movie trailers.
I’d like to hear disc jockeys that sound like they came from the same region they broadcast to.

I’d like to hear something that SURPRISES me, rather than just “what people want.” And I’ll bet you would, too.

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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 #683: Humility

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Here’s something to seriously consider: do you have humility?
This is such an endearing trait.

NEVER be afraid of being the butt of the joke. It makes you human. And it creates empathy.

We have a great example of what a lack of humility is like in a certain well-known President. Can’t take a joke. Ever. What a shame. He’d be so much more likable if he could.

Sure, some people succeed in media as a bombastic, aggressive personality. (I’ve coached several over the years.) But I believe that as a radio personality, the more you’re willing to kind of “take it on the chin” once in a while, the more people will like and respect 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 #682: A Takeaway from the great Lee Abrams

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Among his many accomplishments, my friend Lee Abrams is the guy who started XM radio (now SiriusXM). The idea that most radio people thought would never work is now a giant entity that changed the face of radio for countless people.

Having worked with Lee in Chicago and Cleveland, and watching him do his magic over the decades, let me share something about him that you might want to consider:

Lee always searched for an attitude in his stations. In Chicago, for instance (his hometown), he knew that the traditional AM Top 40 stations in the early seventies had become stale. Same thing in Cleveland. No new ideas. The jingles all sounded typical, the Production elements were predictable, etc.

Lee wanted the slew of stations that he consulted to have several ingredients that stood out: Hipness. Up to date. Young. Idealistic. Not afraid to take chances.

So…do a little “gut check” and listen objectively to your station. Is it those things? Is it ANY of those things?

The great pioneers of modern radio (Gordon McLendon, Todd Storz, Bill Drake, Jack McCoy, and so many more) heard what was already there, and decided to change it.

“Oh, but change is so hard.”

No, it isn’t. Start by taking something that’s been there forever and throwing it away. Then you HAVE to think of something new to replace it with.

Rinse and repeat. Forever.

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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.