I often think about how radio can evolve to meet listeners where they are today. It’s not an easy task. Programming requires balancing the musical tastes of those who grew up with Urban music 20 plus years ago with the music of today, all while matching a delivery style that has shifted with the times.
When I listen to newer music and artists, I often hear echoes of the early 2000s. And rightly so—there were some very good artists introduced during that era. Chris Brown, Amerie, Ciara, Ashanti and John Legend and others are all voices of the time. Interestingly, all of these have new releases in 2025 though some may not have charted.
That brings me back to the idea of evolution—not just of music, but of brands. Last week, someone made a joke on social media about Cracker Barrel’s decision to change its logo and then quickly revert back. It reminded me of a time I was pressured to rebrand a radio station I was programming. The station had, in my opinion, the best call letters ever: WILD. Yet, the general manager wanted it branded as “The Vibe.”
The details are fuzzy, but I recall a conversation with the GM that went something like: “We can do this the hard way or the easy way.” Now there are a couple other factors to this story. Instead of changing the names to protect the innocent, I’ll save it for the book. As a result, we incorporated “The Vibe” into our branding.
This was before I had even seen a research project firsthand, but I still knew instinctively that it wasn’t a good idea. The change felt as arbitrary as the Cracker Barrel logo swap. When I compared the two logos side by side, I couldn’t see any obvious compelling reason for the change. I did not see a WHY.
There are valid reasons to evolve a radio brand. Consistently low ratings might push you in that direction. Baggage from previous management could make it necessary. Or, in the best-case scenario, better research might reveal an emerging need in the community and marketplace—if you’re fortunate enough to have access to that information. But whatever the reason, there has to be a reason.
Equally important is having a rollout plan. That’s where Cracker Barrel seemed to stumble. Compare that to MSNBC, which announced a branding change sometime a month ago. The hosts even played with it on air where they crossed out the old logo on their coffee mugs and scribbled in the new one. More importantly, they explained the thinking behind the change. Viewers may or may not have liked the reasoning, but they at least understood it. Whether intentional or not, MSNBC’s message was clear: “Here’s our why. If you don’t like it, get it out of your system now.”
That’s the lesson. Change for the sake of change is never a good plan. Being intentional, strategic, and thoughtful with both the “why” and the “how” is always the better approach.
As always, I welcome your thoughts. Feel free to share them with me at ken@kenjohnsonmedia.com.
Ken Johnson is an Urban/Hip-Hop columnist for Barrett Media. Born and raised in Washington DC, his career experiences include serving as VP of Urban formats for Cumulus Media, holding the Director of Urban Programming post at ABC Radio Networks, and programming stations in Birmingham, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City. He has also managed affiliate relations for the Nick Cannon show, and worked as the Executive Producer of The Hughley Truth Podcast hosted by comedian DL Hughley. Ken currently runs Mean Ole Lion Media, a content creation company and podcast network. He can be reached by email at ken@kenjohnsonmedia.com.
