Author: AJ Burns

By Jason Kidd
Programmer, Talent, President/CEO

In some markets—including my own home base—turning on the radio at times can feel like stepping into a time machine. On stations that are supposed to represent the cutting edge of pop culture, we’re suddenly back in 1996, hearing Mark Morrison’s “Return of the Mack” in regular rotation. In fact, this summer I’ve heard that song more on CHR stations than I remember hearing it when it was new!

It’s not just that one track. I’ve heard Nelly, Eminem, and other 20-year-old songs creeping back into Top 40 playlists. For a format that’s supposed to live in thenow, it’s a troubling trend.

Don’t get me wrong—theme weekends around holidays like Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, or Labor Day are a different story. Fire up a few throwbacks then, especially if your station has the heritage to pull it off, and it can be fun. I’ve done it myself throughout my programming career—whether at WPGC, KQBT, WKST, WWMX, or others. But even then, I always kept things current around those weekends. That’s Branding 101: know your lane.

CHR stations simply don’t have the wiggle room that Spotify, YouTube, or TikTok have. Those platforms are built to showcase a little bit of everything—sort of like a Jack FM station in the digital world. CHR, on the other hand, has always been about one thing: today’s hits from today’s stars. When a CHR veers away from that core identity, it confuses listeners and risks damaging its brand.

In many cases, stations leaning hard into older music are chasing a quick “oh wow” moment. And sure, they sometimes get it—for a minute. But that moment quickly turns into an “oh no.” Too often these stations don’t have a morning or afternoon show that’s entertaining and funny enough to carry the station, so they look for the easy fix. But let’s be honest:old music is not the fix.

It reminds me of companies like Golden Corral, TGI Fridays and recently, Cracker Barrel. They’ve struggled for years to attract young customers, and their “solution” has often been more of the same nostalgia—menu items, branding, and experiences designed for an aging base. The problem? It doesn’t bring in young people, and it doesn’t truly satisfy older customers either. Instead, it reinforces the sense that the brand is stuck in the past.

Radio is doing the same thing when CHR stations lean on old songs to fill holes. The thinking seems to be:“Young people aren’t here anymore, so let’s play something familiar for the people who are.” But this is a fundamental misread.

• Young listeners still want new music. They’re just finding it first on Spotify, TikTok, and YouTube.
• Older listeners who tune into CHR aren’t looking for a throwback—they have Classic Hits, AC, and even Classic Hip-Hop stations for that.

The net effect is that CHR ends up not super-servinganyone.

And let’s be clear: this isn’t about saying an old song cannever come back. There are legitimate moments where a song resurges in a massive way. But just because a two-decade-old track trends online for a couple of weeks doesn’t mean it belongs in regular CHR rotation.

When WOGL in Philadelphia or The Drive in DC (a station I once programmed) are playing the same Eminem and Nelly tracks as today’s CHR stations, you know the lines are blurring in all the wrong ways. Those formatsown that era of music. CHR does not.

The brand promise of CHR has always been simple:today’s hits, today’s stars. The second we compromise that, we confuse the audience and weaken the format. Listeners will go elsewhere—streaming, YouTube, or to a station that knows who it is.

CHR can’t afford to become a time machine. It has to be the format that knows what’s next, not one that relies on what used to be.

By Jason Kidd
Programmer, Talent, President/CEO

For decades, Cracker Barrel was a staple of the American road trip. The brand was built on tradition: rocking chairs out front, a country store filled with kitschy Americana, biscuits and gravy served hot on every table. It wasn’t just a restaurant — it was an experience.

But over the past few years, cracks have appeared. Sales have struggled since 2019. Younger diners never became regulars. Older loyalists began to fade away. Leadership attempted a series of rebrands — tinkering with menus, marketing, and even its visual identity. None of it has recaptured the magic.

What went wrong? Cracker Barrel stopped listening to its core audience.

And if you work in radio, this story might feel uncomfortably familiar.

Aging Audiences, Missed Opportunities

Cracker Barrel’s challenge is straightforward: it has an aging customer base. Families who made the chain part of their road trips in the ’80s and ’90s are now grandparents. Their children — and certainly their grandchildren — never picked up the habit.

Radio faces the same demographic squeeze. Boomers and Gen X listeners have been loyal for decades. But younger audiences migrated to Spotify, YouTube, TikTok, and podcasts. Radio, once a daily ritual, became background noise — and the industry’s response was too little, too late.

Instead of doubling down on what made radio unique (local connection, live personalities, a sense of community), too many companies cut staff, leaned into syndication, and focused on cost savings over creativity.

The Climb Up the Ladder

Inside radio, we’ve all seen the pattern. Great programmers and personalities — the ones with their finger on the audience’s pulse — either left the industry or climbed the corporate ladder. Once they were high enough, the daily connection to listeners was replaced by meetings, numbers, and consultants.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with research or strategy. But when decisions are driven entirely by spreadsheets instead of instincts, the art disappears. Radio becomes predictable. Risk-averse. Bland.

Cracker Barrel made the same mistake. Instead of leaning harder into the authenticity of its brand, it tried to chase trends that didn’t fit. Vegan sausage patties, awkward rebrands, investor-friendly moves — all while ignoring what its diners actually valued: tradition, consistency, and a sense of home.

Authenticity Can’t Be Mass-Produced

Here’s the heart of the issue: authenticity cannot be scaled.

Cracker Barrel thought it could modernize its way back into cultural relevance. Radio thought it could consolidate and syndicate its way forward. Both forgot that the secret sauce was never efficiency — it was connection.

Radio was at its best when it felt local. When jocks referenced the high school football game, the local parade, or even just the weather outside your window. Cracker Barrel was at its best when it leaned unapologetically into Americana, not when it tried to be something for everyone.

The Takeaway for Radio

Radio doesn’t need another playlist tweak or another round of national syndication. It doesn’t need to reinvent itself into a podcast network or streaming clone.

What it needs is the same thing Cracker Barrel needs: to listen again.

Listen to the loyalists who are still tuning in. Listen to the communities that still rely on radio during storms, traffic, and emergencies. Listen to the advertisers who want local connection, not just national reach.

Because when your core walks away, you don’t just lose ratings or revenue. You lose culture. You lose the role you played in people’s daily lives.

Cracker Barrel is fighting to win back relevance in a world that’s passed it by. Radio doesn’t have to wait for that moment. The industry can course-correct now — but only if it gets back to doing the one thing it once did better than anyone else: listening.

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