CCM Coaching Tip #9: Let's talk Politics

by Tommy Kramer, KramerMedia.net

Well, we're into the Political season now. Debates, caucuses, accusations, opinions flying around, poll results, arguments at parties - they're all part of the picture.

Just the other day, a wonderful talent at one of my stations took on Donald Trump's re-tweeting suggestive pictures of Fox News person Megyn Kelly, and made a nice point about how, if someone labeled one of his daughters a "bimbo", he'd have a real problem with that.

He went on to talk about how as a nation (and as Christians), we have to fight this sort of thing, etc.

The break was overly long (over two minutes), and he wanted to stay away from naming Trump or Kelly, so we worked on how [1] it could have much more concise, and [2] that he SHOULD have said their names. (People know who you're referring to. Just say the names.) But a more important point grew out of the conversation...

If you want to talk about Politics on the air, I'd recommend you take a hint from Will Rogers, and always do it with humor. Here's why:

First and foremost, political discussions are not why people come to a Christian music station. When people want political opinions, they go to Talk radio-and even then, it's never to be challenged; it's only to hear the person that agrees with them.

As much as you may want to get serious about Politics on the air, there's no ground worth winning here. Yes, you do (of course) want to talk about the most relevant subject matter each day, but by using a humorous approach toward something like this, we indirectly show that God is WAY above Politics. (If I were God, lowering me into the political arena would be downright insulting. The greatest politician ever doesn't make the impact that a butterfly makes. It's like George Burns said in the movie 'Oh God' - "You want a miracle? Try making a fish from scratch.")

By the way, the shortened version of his break that I suggested to him was "Guess we all saw the tweet that Donald Trump sent out, calling Megyn Kelly of Fox News a bimbo and showing a couple of suggestive poses she had done for some glamour shots. My daughters are pretty too, but if anyone calls one of them a bimbo, he'd better be ready to acquaint himself with the Bible - 'cause that's what I'm going to hit him in the head with."