This past week has been filled with chagrin over the rebranding versus the traditional branding of Cracker Barrel. Being upfront, I used to enjoy going to Cracker Barrel. The octogenarians who eat there make me feel really young. I began thinking about bad rebrands in radio. It really is all about the biscuits, gravy, and butter. Which leads to the question: Does your news/talk radio station need to be rebranded?
With the evolution of the media marketplace, this could certainly be necessary. Sadly, in modern radio, we don’t have the gift of solid research on the regular. Cracker Barrel used to be one of my regular stops. I worked practically across the street from a Cracker Barrel for seven years. It was simply awesome. Traditionally, I have gone to Cracker Barrel for breakfast food. Here is a confession: I could eat eggs with every meal. I am guessing that a third of meals sold from lunch on are in the breakfast lane at Cracker Barrel.
What is the most popular thing on your radio station’s menu? Before you say it’s your highest-rated show, could it be the “biscuits on the side”? Last time I visited Cracker Barrel, I ordered Uncle Hershel’s Breakfast. The biscuits were delivered first. Instead of four large, fluffy biscuits arranged around a large bowl of amazing gravy, I received two small, crunchy biscuits with a small bowl of gravy. The biscuits are not the main thing with Uncle Hershel’s Breakfast, but it was a sign of what was coming my way.
Researching today’s article, I found a video on X by a guy who said he had worked in the kitchen at Cracker Barrel for the last eight years. He said the biscuits are no longer made at the restaurant — they are delivered frozen and “warmed up.” I guess that is why the biscuits now suck.
I was driving through a place I used to live and heard the traffic reporter mispronounce a local road. For that particular radio station, traffic is a big deal. The traffic reporter, apparently reporting from another city, didn’t know how to say the name of the road. Yes, this traffic report was like a reheated biscuit. It is not the main reason people tune in to that radio station, but traffic reports are important for the station’s CUME. How are your radio station’s biscuits? This could apply to a station of any format. If you are a CHR station playing Grand Funk Railroad, you are alienating your audience.
The main course: Uncle Hershel’s Breakfast comes with two sides of your choice. I am a traditionalist on this option—fried cinnamon apples and hashbrown casserole. There are other options, but I stick with these. What else is your audience expecting from you? Are you delivering on that? Are your options out of date? Are you spending a lot of time on movie reviews while ignoring other entertainment options that are more popular with your audience? This is especially true if your station is one of those heritage news-talk stations that has been doing the same things for decades. Are some of these things still needed?
Uncle Hershel’s Breakfast comes with two eggs and your choice of meat. You can get a couple of types of ham, a couple of types of catfish, various chicken options, or steak. Cracker Barrel used to offer pork chops, but no longer. Uncle Hershel’s Breakfast used to fill your plate. That is no longer the case. When I roll into a Cracker Barrel, I have a man-sized appetite and expect to leave with a happy heart and a full tummy. How is your radio station’s menu? Are you cutting back on things your audience desires?
A rebrand will not solve a lousy menu. Does Cracker Barrel need to be fixed? Probably — every business must adapt or die. From an outsider’s perspective, it seems like there is a corporate initiative to change the culture of the restaurant’s brand. Are they right? Could it be as simple as freshly baking the biscuits and delivering on customer expectations? My last two visits to Cracker Barrel have been very underwhelming. Say what you will about Waffle House—if you’ve tied one on and taken an Uber there, you get a great meal and the lovely opportunity to toss a chair at a fellow drunk.
There have been several radio station rebrands in the news-talk space. I often think of WGST in Atlanta. That station lost Neal Boortz to WSB and replaced him with a young talk show host from Alabama named Sean Hannity. WGST later lost Hannity to Fox News, and even though they had a solid morning show and afternoon show with Rush Limbaugh, they rebranded as Planet Radio. It was a stupid idea and was gone in less than a year.
I think every brand needs to be tweaked due to changes in the market—and boy, do we have a lot of competition. Radio stations, streaming services, podcasts, YouTube, and more can make our job daunting. May I suggest focusing on why the audience is there and meeting those expectations? If the food sucks, Cracker Barrel will not succeed with a new logo. And if your station sucks, a rebrand without an actual plan will fall flat.
It really is all about the biscuits, gravy, and butter. Which leads to the question: Does your news/talk radio station need to be rebranded?
Peter Thiele is a weekly news/talk radio columnist for Barrett Media, and an experienced news/talk radio programmer. He currently serves as News/Talk Format Captain for Zimmer Communications. Prior to joining Zimmer, Peter held programming positions in New York City, San Francisco, Des Moines, Little Rock, Greenville, Hunstville, and Joplin. Peter has also worked as a host, account executive and producer in Minneapolis, and San Antonio. He can be found on Twitter at @PeterThiele.
