The Fall of Radio 10: Gijs Staverman Takes Over Somertijd – A Disaster in the Making?

[BLOG] Well, we can stop speculating about where Uncle Gijs, Neef Staverman, who yesterday confidently announced that he had offered his position to the KRO-NCRV at NPO Radio 2, is now showing his skills: at Radio 10. But the place he asked will raise many eyes: the most successful program on Radio 10, the evening show Somertijd with Rob van Someren and his team. Are you pregnant? Yes, that’s what I’m hearing, from three reliable sources. And oh, what a stupid mistake that would be, I’ll explain why.

A situation seems to be repeating itself at Radio 10 which also started the decline of Radio Veronica about ten years ago: replacing Rob van Someren with an equally recognizable name, but without much humor with feeling and completely different style. That then became Jeroen van Inkel and now it seems that Gijs Staverman is taking care of the evening show. A very successful radio jock but no personality and/or joke teller. I understand that they need something at Talpa’s 10, but it doesn’t seem to be the first choice. They must have spoken to Eddy Keur first, there is no other way. He did not want, despite his warm ties with John de Mol, so they ended up with Staverman. My God, I wonder what will happen to Radio 10’s market share if this becomes the situation and Gerard Ekdom also leaves and is replaced by Lex Gaarthuis.

The reason why Van Someren is looking to leave has been going on for at least a year: he has had several legal cases against Talpa radio about a bonus he did not receive and was to become head of Radio 10, where he was, after he left. Roland Snoeijer to Qmusic, they still don’t have a final direct responsibility to sit. This was not granted to him at Radio 10, so he looked further and ended up with the biggest investor in radio in the Netherlands at the moment: the Flemish Mediahuis. They own, among others, Radio Veronica and 100% NL. They have already hired Ekdom, Goes and van ‘t Hof for the first one and it is also clear to them that there is more growth in 100% NL. So it looks like Van Someren will be allowed to play boss there and continue his evening show.

Van Someren himself already mentioned it in his evening program yesterday, by playing a home jersey at the start of Somertijd after Radio GaGa with the text ‘The NCRV is not having it’. If this continues like this, it could turn into a disaster situation for 10, just like then with Veronica. Rob brings many fans with him wherever he goes. He is a key person, an ambassador for the radio brand, even more than Ekdom. The only thing they can do at 10 is sit down quickly with Gordon again, let him do the evening show and let Staverman safely shoot his audience between 2 and 4 pm. This is as if Paul de Leeuw was followed by Frits Sissing.

Patrick Kicken