Changes its name to Radio Revolt

Studentradion is preparing for the transition to broadcast 24/7. If everything goes as planned, they will be on the air in January - on a new frequency and with a new name; “Radio Revolt”.

Editor in chief at Studentradion, Sverre Torp Solberg, gives grounds for the name change, saying “Radio Revolt” is a better brand name.

– «Radio Revolt» marketable, while «Studentradion» is more of a description of a product than it is a brand.

– We have been discussing the name and frequency changes, and concluded that it will be positive to renew the station, says Torp Solberg, who emphasizes that the radio station’s subheading still will be “studentradioen i Trondheim” - Trondheim’s student radio.

– Preserve the brand

Nils Heldal, chief of media in Rosenborg BK and former chief of radio in NRK, thinks differently.

– It is obviously a bad idea to change the name. They should preserve the brand that «Studentradion» is, and instead focus on making good shows, he thinks.

Heldal questions Studentradion’s achievement of license.

– I listened to Studentradion for about a year ago, and I have never heard a more unprofessional technical run of a radio station. Two hours of silence on the air is unacceptable with a 24 hour license, Heldal points out.

At the same time as the name change, Studentradion is changing frequency in January. It is an unfortunate combination, according to Heldal.

– Frequency change is brutal. Studenradion will have to mobilize the students, and make something that is internal enough for the students to listen to, and something that is external enough for non-students to find interesting. Half of the students hardly know what a radio is, he explains.

– Fewer will recognize

Jakob Schjerven, TV and radio chief at the media bureau Mediacom, is ambivalent to the name change.

– This is a choice they have to be sure of. The knowledge of the station will become less ubiquitious - people won’t know what station it is. Therefore they should be careful about chaning the name, Schjerven says.

– Is there any reason to propose to advertisers with a new name?

– If there is a basic brand idea underneath all this, and they want to stand out and challenge the established radio stations, it sounds like a good name. But they will have to fill that name with content and meaning. Alone it will be «same shit, different wrapping», says Schjerven.

Translated by Maria Kråkmo