Tommy Kramer Tip

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #699: A Dual-Purpose Tip

This is kind of a two-fer tip – a reminder, or 10,000 mile checkup:

First, forget about your voice. Trying to have a deep voice, or anything forced, is not fun to listen to. Be you. Thousands of air talents have been wildly successful with no “radio voice”.

Second, talk to a specific person. Ideally, you should have a listener profile that “draws the picture” of who that target listener is. You probably know someone who matches that. (For me, it was simple. When I was in a male-targeted format, I talked to my cousin Ricky, who was more like a brother/best friend to me. When I was doing a female-targeted format, I just talked to my wife.) Note that this is singular. Talk to ONE person, not “listeners”.

I’ve had dozens of stations put a picture of a specific person in the Control Room, on the back of a chair or somewhere you can SEE him or her. If not a photo, visualize that target listener. The minute you talk to “people”, you’re not just talking to me anymore. The intimacy is gone.

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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 Tip

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #698: The Radiactive Half-life

In nuclear physics, there’s a principle called the radioactive half-life. It’s defined as “the time required for a quantity to reduce to half of its initial value.”

Let’s think about this for a moment. If you’re in the Talk arena, pay attention to where this half-life is. Breaking into a lot of math/data, for example. Make it simple; make it brief, before someone zones out and plows into the display of pumpkins outside the grocery store.

In the music-radio arena, know where you’re going, go there, then move on. Trying to extend something is often fruitless. When you hit that downslope, the momentum (and interest) will fade.

Self-policing just a little bit can really add some ‘snap’ to your show.

Frost Advisory

Frost Advisory #844 – The Answer Is ‘YES’

I’m often asked, “Which is more important? Creativity or discipline?”

The answer is ‘yes.’

I was 21 when I was first bestowed with the title Program Director. I obviously didn’t know much about programming at that age, but I had the lowest voice on the air staff, had my own car, and laughed at the boss’ jokes.

In the decades since I’ve coached a few air talent, trained a couple of program directors, and taught up to a few general managers that thought they could program a radio station.

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Frost Advisory

Frost Advisory #843 – What The Weather Channel Can Teach Us About Programming

Having lived in Florida for over 30 years I’ve learned that there four seasons: summer, summer, summer, and hurricane season.

In what has been a rather uneventful hurricane season (no hurricanes developed in the Atlantic before October 1), recently Isaias snuck into the Florida panhandle and southeast as a reminder to keep The Weather Channel at arm’s length.

After all, we might learn something.

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Tommy Kramer Tip

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #696: Get Your Jerky Treat

I thought this was killed off years ago, but no…I heard it on a local station today.

They had a little contest, got a winner, and then at the end of the short conversation, the deejay said, “And what station made you a winner?” – to which the caller/winner said “K-TOY 98!”

Don’t. Just…don’t. This is like telling your dog to sit, then when it does, you give it a treat.

I’d recommend treating your listeners better than dogs. “C’mon, say our name. Get your jerky treat” feels like crass manipulation to SO many of your listeners.” Just celebrate the winner, and leave your idiotic “branding” effort out.

We have to treat our listeners like they’re AT LEAST as smart as we are.

Frost Advisory

Frost Advisory #842 – What Is Your Radio Station FOR?

Maybe you’ve heard someone say that the church is known more for what it is against than what it is for.

“A business is no longer what it tells customers it is. A business is what customers tell other customers it is.”

In his remarkable book “Know What You’re For”, Jeff Henderson recommends that you consider the gap between these two questions:

What do you want to be known for?

What are you known for?
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Tommy Kramer Tip

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #695: The Two Questions You Should Answer

If you’re new to a station, there are two questions in the listener’s mind you need to answer:

  1. Who are you?
  2. And why are you that way?

That’s what works. I had a morning show partner in Dallas who resisted this at first, clinging to being funny as his identity. But it was “punch line” funny.

When we got into cracking his chest open and seeing what was in there and what drove his real humor, the show clicked.

People don’t usually buy your act. They buy you, warts and all.

Frost Advisory

Frost Advisory #841 – Make Big Things Little and Little Things Big

With another concert season at hand I thought we could learn something from a teenager named Isaac and his new friend Matthew. I’ve never met Isaac but I did get to witness what is likely one of the highlights of his life.

Awhile back Isaac was able to meet Matthew West prior to a concert and shared his dream of singing on stage with Matthew. While some might have viewed that as small talk with an artist, Matthew saw it as another opportunity to share a fan’s story. A few hours later Isaac was on stage singing, “Truth Be Told” with Matthew West.

In his showcasing a fan Matthew demonstrated a technique that I refer to as making big things little and little things big.

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