Which Providence TV News Slogan’s Really Stick?

Which Providence TV News Slogan’s Really Stick?

Following GoLocalProv's media coverage of the receivership and sale of Channel 6 – a regular reader asked what’s behind TV station slogans and why do they change.

That’s a really good question and we’ll do our best to answer it in a clear way. Other than selecting talent for its newscasts, this is one of the most important focuses for stations. This is where the branding of a TV station comes into play. In other words, their pitch to the viewers in what management hopes is a creative and catchy way to make people tune in each night.

Clearly, some station slogans have worked better than others. Many times news consultants are brought in to help shape that message and from there, station promos and really a station’s identity in the market becomes centered around that decision. Each station hopes some kind of subliminal message is sent through the television that again helps brand a particular station.

Here is a look at each station through the years. See which slogans you remember. No doubt you will see slogans that you won’t ever remembering seeing or hearing. And in some cases that’s why they haven’t stayed around for a long time.

Let’s start with the market leader—Channel 10. From the NBC Peacock to the catch phrase “The Team You Trust”, WJAR has managed to drive home it’s message of being the news leader of Southern New England.

Channel 10 Slogans

"Channel 10, Proud as a Peacock!" (1979–1981, localized version of NBC ad campaign)
"Channel 10, Our Pride is Showing" (1981–1982, localized version of NBC ad campaign)
"We`re Channel 10, Just Watch Us Now" (1982-1983, localized version of NBC ad campaign)
"Southern New England's Leading News Station" (1982–1990)
"Come Home To Channel 10" (1986-1987, localized version of NBC ad campaign)
"Come On Home to 'JAR, Channel 10" (1987-1988, localized version of NBC ad campaign)
"Channel 10 is The Place to Be!" (1990–1991, localized version of NBC ad campaign)
"It`s A Whole New Channel 10" (1992-1993, localized version of NBC ad campaign)
"Turn to 10" (1994–2006)
"The Team You Trust" (2006–present)

I think Channel 10’s two most successful slogans were “Southern New England’s Lead News Station”, although it was a bit clunky to say on the air, and the other one is “Turn to 10” which told viewers where to turn and it was memorable for people.

Channel 12 Slogans

Next up is Channel 12. Over the years, some of the slogans have been hard to remember. But there are some winners here for sure.

Providence's Channel 12 (1973–1975)
Your Number One News (1975–1981)
The Station For You (1981–1984)
Stay In Touch With Channel 12 (1984–1987)
Making A Difference (1987–1989)
Putting You Through Our Community (1989–1996)
The News is Here On CBS 12 (1996–2001)
Coverage You Can Count On (2001–present)
Perhaps Channel 12’s best slogan is it’s most current – “Coverage You Can Count On”. It’s simple and direct and tries to convey the message that the station is everywhere and can be “counted on” for news content.


Channel 6 Slogans

Last of the bunch is Channel 6. No secret that the station, no matter what slogan it tried to hitch its train to failed given that the station has remained in 3rd place year after year.

6 Country is Your Country and 6 Country is You (mid to late-1970s)
We Love New England at WLNE (early to mid-1980s)
We've Got the Touch, WLNE (1983–1984, localized version of CBS ad campaign)
Share the Spirit on WLNE (1986–1987, localized version of CBS ad campaign)
Share the Experience (early 1990s)
Your Nonstop News Source (2004–2008)
New England's Fastest Growing News (2008-2008)
Fast. Accurate. Reliable. (2008–2009)
Honest. Fair. Everywhere. (2010–present)

For my money, some of the weakest ones were “Share the Experience” – I am not even sure what that even means and why it relates to a TV station in general never mind a news station. Two of the best are “Your Nonstop News Source” and “Fast. Accurate. Reliable”.

So, the next time one of these catchy slogans come across your screen – see if it impacts you in any way or makes you tune in. If it doesn’t do either – the TV marketing gurus have missed their mark.


Jeff Derderian is a former television news reporter and anchor both in Providence and Boston. He is one of the founders of the Station Education Fund. He can be reached at [email protected]