Monthly Archives: August 2026

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #690: TV Coaching Thoughts

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While mainly working with radio stations over the last 30 years, I also worked with some television air talent. Spending the bulk of my career in Texas (Dallas and Houston), where they often outshone the major TV networks, I was able to help a few people in those markets. But coaching them helped me even more in dealing with smaller market TV folks.

Example: in Spokane, while I was coaching two radio stations, they also asked me to do some sessions with their TV stations’ news anchors.

They had an incredible, dazzling TV studio, with excellent equipment. And as I sat with the GM watching the 5pm News, a glaring error emerged. They had the robot cameras that moved themselves to different positions. And every time one of the cameras moved to set up the next shot, the anchor, seeing this activity, began to SPEAK LOUDER.

In our first session after the broadcast, I asked him why he did that – and he was totally unaware of it! I reminded him that there was a microphone right above his head, just out of the shot. So screaming at the camera was probably not the best move.
At another station, the staff meteorologist always pointed to the weather ‘map’ with her right hand, though the map was to her left. Reaching across her body, swiveling away from the camera, looked awkward and blocked out her body from the shot.

I once coached a wonderful Sports anchor in Dallas that saying “Right after this” or “when we come back” or “after this commercial break” was, in effect, promoting the commercials. I suggested that instead, he should just plug what was coming up, say “Next,” and then boom; the commercial break would start. (People know that “next” isn’t about the commercials. Things like, “Right after this break” just make people think about grabbing the remote and flipping around.)

Hilariously, he came back to me a couple of days later saying the entire News team was mad at him for shouting “Don’t say ‘When we come back!’” at them repeatedly when they went to a break.

I replied, “I’m…sorry for making you better?”

Radio people, as stubborn as they can be, are still easer to coach then most TV people. TV people tend to look down on radio talent as “lesser”, but that’s certainly not always the case.

The takeaway? Always be in “learning” mode.

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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 #689: Smaller Market Coaching Thoughts

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In 30 years of Talent Coaching all sized markets, I’ve found that the smaller market radio stations often have something that the medium and large markets don’t have – Authenticity.

While their formatics may sometimes be weak by major market standards, they often MEAN more to listeners. The reason is simple: they can be local. So, they can reflect more easily what the majority of their listeners really care about and identify with – and that’s the whole Content ballgame.

If you’re in a small market, you should touch on the most important “big” stories. But even then, make an effort to be as local as possible – or you can easily LOCALIZE that big story. Ask yourself: what does it have to do with you, and your neighbors?

Relevance is King. “Items to talk about” are blah-blah. To connect with your listeners, put yourself in their shoes, see what they see, and reflect their emotions. In the process, share yours – serious or not-so-serious.

These thoughts apply to the most successful personalities in ANY size market, and in any format.

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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 #688: Modern so-called “Positioning” – and What That Means to Coaching

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One of the things that makes it hard to coach people is when their whole on-air position is just a catch phrase. A TV station in my hometown uses “On Your Side” as its ‘positioning’ statement. It’s in all their stupid promos. But it’s meaningless.

“On my side” for what? A lawsuit? A basketball game at the gym? A street fight? My political affiliation? My battle with every restaurant to not put onions or garlic in my food?

Their “position” is actually prone (as in “lying face downward” or “lying flat,” according to the dictionary).

Radio stations are plagued with “Positioning” about things that people don’t really care about anymore. Take music, for example. Those old, outdated claims — “The Best Music, or “The Greatest Hits of the 80s, [song clip] 90s [song clip], and Today [song clip]” (also still used on a station here). So silly. Music is everywhere, people. Sirius/XM, iTunes, Amazon Prime, Spotify, etc. etc.

What’s unique about you, and why does that matter to me? The relevance ship seems to have sailed.

Hint: What do people think about you that’s positive? THAT’s what you should Position.* THEN, it’s valuable to have some coaching on how to live up to that on the air.

*(You might want to do some research, instead of just making something up.)

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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 #687: Presence

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When I listen to the radio, the first thing is – I want to feel a human being there. Not just some quacky-voiced announcer who’s sitting there playing Wordle on their iPhone during the songs. And certainly not someone in the Talk arena who sounds like their every remark is prepared. (BE prepared, but don’t sound too prepared.)

It’s bad enough these days with robotic-sounding voice-trackers and AI voiceovers all over the place. I miss presence.

Relate. Be unique. As I always say, “Crack your chest open and show us what’s in there.”

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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.