What's On Your Menu?

If you look at a McDonald's menu from the 1950s, it's quite different from today. I remember the huge golden arches alongside the road, and their menus from the early 70s , 80s and beyond.

When you pull up to a McDonald's drive-thru today, the 2018 version of the menu looks slightly different than it did back then. There are dozens more items to choose from!

When I was growing up, it was simple: As kids we even had the Big Mac jingle memorized when they came out with the new burger. Today, there are all kinds of offerings from sausage McGriddles, to snack wraps, and southwest salads. Who can resist a Shamrock shake in March, and all those "Dollar Menu" items? There are nine items from the McDonald's original menu that have stood the test of time. I am convinced that if McDonald's would have dropped those mainstays-those nine classic fast foods-it wouldn't be close to the massive franchise it is today.

The Christian radio format is a lot like the McDonald's menu evolution. We started out with one sound, and only a few artists, but have evolved into a huge tapestry of offerings, and I find if I am not careful, my playlist can focus too much on the specialty items, and forget the original focus of the main menu. The Christian AC format is where it is because of the core artists that make up the sound of our station. In the 80s, it was artists like Twila Paris, Sandi Patti, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, and Russ Taff. Today, one might say those "cores" are Chris Tomlin, TobyMac, Casting Crowns, and MercyMe-what I call the "bread and butter" of the radio station. The core sound of Christian AC.

However, the danger in not serving up other, "new" artists is that our menu becomes outdated and predictable. On the other hand, if we detract too much from the core artists, we can lose our target and have a menu of too many unfamiliar offerings. So, what's on your menu? Are you highlighting your core artists while taking time to carefully balance and offer new songs and artists without compromising your sound, but taking your audience along for a unique experience? A new and meaningful destination? I believe it's possible while still sticking to playing the songs that are the "bread and butter" of the station and our format.

By the way, the top nine original items you can still find on the menu at McDonald's, 78 years later, are: the pure beef hamburger, "tempting" cheeseburger, milkshakes, "golden" french fries, root beer, "steaming" hot coffee, "World Famous" orange drink, "cold" milk, and an "ice cold" Coke.

But programming isn't only about the "adds." There were ten major "drops" from the McDonald's menu that you probably forgot all about, kind of like toxic songs, that will never return again. But we can talk about that next time.