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Tommy Kramer has spent over 35 years in radio as an on-air talent, Programmer, and Talent Coach, and has worked with over 100 stations in all formats, specializing in coaching morning team shows. He was elected to the Texas Radio Hall of Fame in 2003. Contact
Tommy Kramer Coaching Tips The oddest thing seems to be happening both on TV and in radio these days. The phony, insincere, pukey deejay delivery is rearing its ugly head ... (read more - Tip #1) A lot of Program Directors, in trying to coach an Air Talent, jump too quickly to the second phase of coaching -- getting an aircheck, playing samples of "things done wrong," and making the process an uneasy one for the Talent right off the bat. No "foreplay." (read more - Tip #2) Think of how many times you’ve heard an Air Talent say--more often than not, with the sound of rustling paper or a page turning in the background--"I was reading an article in this magazine yesterday," or "I saw in the paper this morning that...." My problem with this sort of thing is ... (read more - Tip #3)
I once put up a
sign on the Control Room door that said: "I just got into
town. I got into the car, turned the radio on, and hit the 'scan'
button. It landed on your station. I don't know what station it is,
what the format is, what the dial position is, or who you
are. You have thirty seconds." I base everything I
coach on "first time" listening (read
more - Tip #4) You hear often that someone is "funny." "He's so funny." "I love to listen to his show because it's funny." But is it "funny," or is it "fun" that we're talking about? There is a difference, from a performance and planning point of view. "Funny" is certainly "fun," but "fun" doesn't necessarily have to be "funny." The Andy Griffith Show was a great example of being both (read more - Tip #5) Think about how many Morning Teams you’ve heard that have a decent energy level, but they just don’t seem to move very efficiently. Frankly, in many situations, the decision to have a Team Show in the morning overrides whether or not a qualified team is available, or whether the PD has the proper techniques for coaching them. If you find yourself thinking, “They just take too long” or “They’re good, but they just talk too much,” here’s a tip to help coordinate them fast: When the subject changes, the person speaking changes (read more - Tip #6) If you want to talk about something that isn’t local, unless it’s a giant national headline, it’s likely that you’ll get a “who cares?” reaction in the mind of the Listener. Whenever I hear a Talent struggle with this, I ask, “How do I get there from here?” (read more - Tip #7) Many air talents, even experienced ones, BROADcast. They speak too loudly, get overly exaggerated, and can’t seem to sound conversational without losing energy or enthusiasm. Usually, it’s just what they picture in their heads—the microphone as a megaphone, a device used to talk to the listener, somewhere in the distance. It’s the same sort of principle that makes many stage actors, who are used to broad, exaggerated movements, have to rein that impulse in to not appear to be chewing the scenery and over-acting when they do film work (read more - Tip #8)
Too often, an Air Talent wants to do
something on the air for one of the following reasons: |
"Do the Maintenance" Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #10 (click here to listen to the audio version) If you're going to get really proficient at anything, you have to practice every day. Eric Clapton is nicknamed “Slowhand” because he makes those incendiary guitar licks look so easy. Tiger Woods and other pro golfers make the game look effortless (indeed, even boringly easy) and crush the ball into orbit repeatedly because they hit thousands of balls every month to get that way. Every basketball player in the NBA can do a “whirlybird” dunk; I try it, and I find out that (1) my vertical leap is about three inches, and (2) I may need a liver transplant. I’ve often coached Air Talents, particularly in Morning Shows, who just don't want to do the MAINTENANCE. Instead, they want to "wing it," and rely on their ability to just "come up with something" instead of PLANNING a show. So they're inconsistent, on fire one day and lukewarm-to-cold on another. And the real tragedy is that since they abandoned the good work habits (or never developed them in the first place), they don't know how to correct the inevitable slide when it comes. Something as simple as giving each other hand signals to make sure that you don't both talk at the same time gets taken for granted, or not used because "we have a good feel for each other." So sooner or later, things get all clogged up and all of a sudden, all the Listener hears is two voices speaking at the same time--not a very compelling "listen." Solid basics include: · Know how you're going to start. Who’s going to say WHAT? In what order? · Know where you're GOING. · Then, if something good happens before you get where you planned on going, have the discipline to get OUT.....NOW! (You can always come back to it in another break and go where you planned in the first place.) · Do as much as you can TODAY to organize TOMORROW’S show. For team shows, if your partner needs a copy of something, make it TODAY and leave it for him. (I recommend e-mailing your morning show partner and/or producer a little bullet point show prep idea sheet every night.) · If you need staging music or a sound bite for a break, prepare it NOW, instead of during the show in a mad scramble tomorrow. · Slot out, as completely as you can, what you'll do and when you'll do it before you get on the air. Then you can see it laid out in front of you each day and avoid, for example, doing a "sell" on a promotion in the same hour as the day before. If you have "benchmarks," slot them in first--then start filling up the other breaks. Then, if something catches fire.....generates a lot of calls, etc., you can always cancel (or reschedule) something you planned in order to go with the flow of a hot item. That's a lot easier than constantly being in "what do we want to do next?" mode. Remember, you can’t call an audible unless you called a play first. Remember, radio is not about being spontaneous, it's about SOUNDING spontaneous. The actors doing the 800th performance of "The Odd Couple" still have to make it appear to the audience that every line they say has just occurred to them, and that they don't know what the other actor is going to say in reply. We are VOICE ACTORS. Hone your craft! And then do the MAINTENANCE to KEEP it sharp! © 2007 Tommy Kramer
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