No one has ever walked into a restaurant and asked, “How many different menu items do you have?”

But every day a customer asks, “What do you like here?” Every day a waiter says, “It’s one of our favorites.”

If I really wanted to impress you I would talk about the reticular area of the brain. That’s the reason you can hear a song that you haven’t heard in years and sing along with every word.

In 1904, Ivan Pavlov won a Nobel Prize working with dogs and their drool. What he noticed was that the dogs tended to salivate before food was delivered to their mouths. He further discovered that anything associated with food, even a symbol or sound, could be used to cause the dogs to salivate.

Modern scientists call these elements, like a symbol of food, reticular activators. Things like food, smells, music, and visual icons instantly remind us of something we’ve experienced, seen or heard.

In other words, things we’ve experienced – things that are familiar – we value differently than things we haven’t.

That’s the reason why certain smells conjure up memories of your grandmother. (For me it was her Ford Rambler with those weird plastic seat covers).

Here’s the bottom line: in our format those that listen know the music; however those that don’t don’t. Growth can happen when we create familiarity with new listeners.

Consider this: if you fill the gaps between the music with things that are familiar, and relevant, and interesting, your station will be successful. Beyond your wildest dreams.

And, yes, I’ve left some stuff out. Next time, perhaps.