[BLOG] About nine years ago, on the day that summer started in 2017, I wrote a column about slogans, then for RadioWereld. Has there been some improvement or is it still bad to eat cherries? Sky Radio has had a new one since January 1, which of course I also like. Let us take a closer look at those of sixteen important Dutch radio stations in terms of human radio intelligence and, above all, feelings.
Sky Radio
Had as slogan ‘Non-stop Feel Good’ and now has ‘Non-stop Greatest Hits’. I understand the change, but the word STOP remains a point of contention. Not a nice word. No one likes to hear the word STOP in their lives. Would like to see a STOP sign. On Sky you hear the word STOP ten times an hour. Now it does say non, but I don’t think non-stop is a word that evokes a nice feeling. It also does not reduce the distance to your listener, because it is a ‘technical term’. The best thing, of course, is to trigger a certain good feeling in your listener and create solidarity with your slogan, promos, jingles, bus shelters and all other expressions. Better would have been something along the lines of ‘Always Greatest Hits’ of ‘The Greatest Hits Station’.
JOE
At DPG/Joe they understand that you want to be happy with a radio station. So is their slogan ‘Good Times, Great Music’. It remains a slogan that all your jocks have little use for, but no one takes this slogan into their mouth. A Dutch slogan like Radio Veronica in its heyday is therefore better: De Beste 80’s & 90’s Hits. Two strong, positive words (Best and Hits) and you indicate the decades it’s all about.
Qmusic
The success station of the Flemish radio giant, whose morning show will also be broadcast on TV from Monday (clever!). Of course, Talpa should have done this immediately with the start of Gordon & Froukje on Net5. Q’s tagline is ‘Q sounds better with you’ which in itself is quite positive, but again very nice Randstedelijk Hip. Q radio deejays are also unable to use this slogan. Why not just ‘Q sounds better with you!’. Yes, because music is also an English word, I get it, but it would still sound a lot friendlier.
SLAM!
Boost Your Life. Well. Could just as well have been the slogan of Mentos chewing gum. Doesn’t tell me anything about the content. Probably invented again by an overpriced advertising agency on the Herengracht in Amsterdam.
100%NL
It amazes me that Mediahuis did not also have advertising agency Multilul come up with an English slogan for a channel aimed at Dutch music and ditto audiences. Makes Your Day! is a great slogan that evokes a positive feeling.
RadioNL
Always On! I recorded it myself and think it’s a great slogan. It evokes a sense of urgency and represents that excited feeling that you, as a radio station, want to instill in your listener.
NPO Radio 2
There is only one NPO Radio 2. What arrogance and pretentiousness. What a blow from the tower. It is in Dutch, but I rarely hear radio disc jockeys use it, because they also feel that you will get wet when you say this to your listener. Anyway, it does summarize how people generally feel backstage at the NPO radio branch, so in that respect it is a nice expression of the atmosphere on the work floor.
NPO Radio 1
Those who listen know more. Well. By itself. Best. Nice. But whether a news station should have a slogan at all is debatable, especially at a public radio station that simply has to inform, appear reliable and stop doing hipperdepip.
NPO Radio 5
You Feel At Home. Brilliant. Responds to a very nice feeling, feeling at home somewhere. It is not without reason that Station scores highly.
SterrenNL
The number 1 in Dutch music! Would have been fine if it was a commercial radio station. But this is a theme channel of the Dutch PUBLIC Broadcaster. It’s shameful that this got through. And it confirms once again that we do not have a real public broadcaster in the Netherlands, only completely commercial broadcasting.
BNR News Radio
Stay Sharp. Not bad. Evokes a good feeling in the listener and encourages to (keep) listening.
Radio Veronica
Join The Club. With which they want to emphasize the club feeling. 100,000 times better than the arrogant We. Love. Music. from that time but still meaningless about the format and not to be used by the deejays, except in a giggly tone with a caller (hahahaha, yes, join the club!)
3FM
We Want More! I understand the link with festivals and concerts, where this is of course often chanted by the audience. But not addressing your listener in a slogan but speaking from yourself is never a good idea, just like with Veronica’s We Love Music at the time. And always that haughty English stuff that is also spoken in a distant manner: I understand that 3FM has difficulty retaining listeners.
538
At 538 it is still not entirely clear to me which slogan predominates. Is it Your Hits, Your 538? One Station, All Hits? If you surf to their website 538.nl you will see no slogan at all, so they probably don’t find it that important. Too bad, missed opportunity. Positioning is everything, in a fragmented radio landscape.
Radio 10
You will also not find a slogan on Radio 10’s website, which looks like a school newspaper. This therefore applies to all Talpa radio websites, except Sky. The Greatest Hits of All Time of course remains a golden slogan. You Sing Them All Along I don’t need it. It is something you cannot make happen.
Radio North Sea
The prize for most ridiculous radio slogan in 2026 will of course go to the brand new Radio Noordzee. 200% Pure Dutch. Whoever came up with that should be given a big slap on the ears! If you say it once in jest during a brainstorming session: okay. But will this then become your slogan? Childish, trying to take a swipe at 100%NL. Pure Dutch would have been fine.
Patrick Kicken
Which radio station slogan do you like and dislike? I’m sure I’ve forgotten some brilliant ones!
