Joe, Qmusic and Nostalgia retain radio license, Studio 100 falls by the wayside | showbiz

The radio stations Joe, Qmusic, Nostalgie and the new Studio 100 station, ‘Spring’, competed for a spot on the FM band. Today media minister Benjamin Dalle decided that Joe, Qmusic and Nostalgie will keep their place. So nothing will immediately change in the Flemish radio landscape.

All stations of the public broadcaster (Radio 1, Radio 2, MNM, Studio Brussel and Klara) have a permanent place on the FM band, but it still went between the three major commercial stations and Studio 100’s brand new ‘Spring’. the last three places. They had to file a file.

The files were assessed on various factors and were given a score. Qmusic got 94%, Joe 92% and Nostalgia 80%. With 75%, Studio 100’s project finished in fourth place, leaving it behind for the FM license. Dalle called the submission of ‘Spring’ several times during the press conference “a strong file”.

The licenses of Qmusic, Joe and Nostalgie are renewed for a period of five years. They can be extended once for another three years.

Hans Bourlon’s company had the plan to make talk radio: a mix of current affairs and entertainment, with its own news service. Studio 100 would do that under the name ‘Spring’. However, the plans are canceled because Studio 100 will not get a spot on the FM band. According to Bourlon, a radio station that can only be listened to digitally on the internet and via DAB+ is “economically unprofitable”.

Managing director Radio Tom Klerkx of Nostalgie is delighted: “Over the past few years, a highly motivated team has worked hard on the brand and the Nostalgie product”, it sounds. “New studios, new talent in front of and behind the microphones, great leaps forward in the field of digitization and communication. And all this on the basis of the best playlists in Flanders. Our fans are loyal and growing in numbers. It is, of course, great that we can and may continue this advance. After the tension of the last few weeks, everyone is eager to make the best possible radio in 2022 and the following years. With music of all times and for everyone.”

Robin Vissenaekens, channel manager at Joe, is also happy with the news. “Our presence on FM ensures that we can continue full force the many digital initiatives that we have been committed to at Joe for years,” he says. “For example, the morning show ‘Sven en Anke’ with all interviews and news items can not only be heard on Joe (fm), but also on 3 different DAB+ stations, each with a different musical taste (Joe 60’s & 70’s, Joe 80’s & 90’s and Joe itself of course). This is unique in Europe and with this leadership position in digital innovation, Joe is developing new plans around audio on demand and personalized Joe content. So we will continue with Joe, always All the Way for our 1 million listeners.”

“Studio 100 is disappointed to learn of the choice to allocate the national FM frequencies,” it sounds in a statement from Studio 100 CEO Hans Bourlon. “We are obviously very disappointed with this decision because we are convinced that we have submitted a strong, innovative and very well-substantiated file on all fronts. We are now going to analyze the result and the scoring thoroughly and in detail. We are looking at what further steps we can take.”