Following the closure of LP Top 100, Rhythm Import became the sole source for compiling the chart. When, on 1 January 1988, the illegal Radio Stad was forced to cease broadcasting due to intervention by the Radio Control Service, the chart was unavailable for over a year, although it was still compiled weekly. In May 1989, Radio Stad became legal and the station (and therefore also the Flitsende 50) could be heard via cable. The station’s impact was by no means comparable to that of its illegal period, yet Radio Stad could still count on a loyal following. During that period, the Flitsende 50 became a key factor in the compilation of the national (dance) charts by the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40 and (at that time) the Nationale Hitparade.

‘De Flitsende 50’ was broadcast at the ‘familiar’ time slot, on Saturday afternoons from 3.00 pm to 6.00 pm. Due to his work at Rhythm Import, Ron McDonald was no longer able to present the chart ‘live’. The programme was pre-recorded, which eventually led to problems. Partly for practical reasons, it was decided to appoint the then 22-year-old Peter van Leeuwen (who had often stood in as a substitute) as Ron McDonald’s replacement (see photo). In early 1992, Radio Stad Den Haag was forced, in a dubious (or, to put it bluntly, scandalous) manner, by the Hague-based local broadcaster Lokatel to return to operating illegally. Radio Stad Den Haag returned to its old frequency, 97.2, and the ‘Flitsende 50’ became a two-hour programme instead of three. It aired from 4.00 pm to 6.00 pm on Saturday afternoons, still presented by Van Leeuwen.

In 1994, the curtain finally fell on Radio Stad Den Haag. Once again, there was a year-long silence surrounding ‘De Flitsende 50’ on the radio. In 1995, the arrival of Radio NRG brought an end to the silence. NRG’s launch was promising. So promising, in fact, that many competitors pulled out all the stops to thwart NRG’s growth. NRG’s initial plan to operate as a regional station was thwarted by interference from various quarters (including the Media Commission), meaning the station could only be received in the Delft-Westland-The Hague region.

‘De Flitsende 50’ moved from its usual slot of 3.00 pm – 6.00 pm to the evening slot of 5.00 pm – 8.00 pm. At the end of 1997, the programme moved to Stadsradio 94. This local radio station in The Hague somehow managed to achieve a huge reach with its broadcasts and was immensely popular in its early days thanks to its young, fresh image. ‘De Flitsende 50’ was broadcast from 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm on Saturday evenings and attracted a huge audience. Due to a reorganisation at the station, ‘De Flitsende 50’ had to be axed at the end of 1999. Stadsradio wanted a ‘middle-of-the-road’ music schedule, which meant that the entire youth programming was scrapped.

Once again, things went quiet around De Flitsende 50 for almost a year, until a fresh start was made at Fresh FM on 14 October 2000. Together with Eelco Wijninga, Peter van Leeuwen took charge of the Saturday evening schedule with De Flitsende 50. Every Saturday evening between 6.00 pm and 9.00 pm, the Flitsende 50 can still be heard, featuring not only the region’s best-selling dance tracks but also nightlife tips, news, the Classic Choice at 8.00 pm (a selection from all those years of the Flitsende 50) and weekly columns by, amongst others, Lucien Foort, Michel de Hey and Armin van Buuren (who has been a weekly feature around 7.30 pm since 2000, wherever in the world Armin happens to be).

After almost 25 years, the Flitsende 50 is still a leading force in the Dutch dance scene and can therefore be described as an ‘institution’. On 29 December 2007, the chart’s 25th anniversary was celebrated in style during that year’s Flitsende 100. Many former presenters and prominent figures were in attendance. In 2008, the curtain finally came down on the Flitsende 50 ;-(