The secrets of a charity-driven format perfected by Dutch EBU Member NPO over ten years will be rolled out by this year by more Members of the EURORADIO Community.
Serious Request' was created in 2004 by NPO subsidiary 3FM as a means of raising money for charity, meeting audience expectations of public service values.
Since then, the concept has spread beyond the Netherlands and this year, six other countries in Europe (Austria, Belgium, Latvia, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland) will copy the format locally.
A week before Christmas, a team of announcers lock themselves inside a glass studio in a high-traffic public place.
Listeners donate money to a nominated charity in exchange for a live-music dedication from the DJs, who fast for six days, only drinking juice.
Celebrities are also invited to participate and donate personal items, or deliver impromptu performances.
NPO Radio directorJan Westerhof says public service values are at the heart of the format's success.
"'Serious Request' connects us to society and in particular, young audiences, who are increasingly challenging to reach, he said. In that sense, it's a great format, and one which has re-positioned 3FM. In the past there's been debate about the need to launch a pop station to attract young people. Serious Request' addresses that need. Any doubts about NPO's engagement with young audiences is satisfied.
EBU head of radio Christian Vogg says the EBU is pleased to help promote the format across the EURORADIO community.
"The EURORADIO Committee decided in late 2013 to help publicize the format among the Membership with financing from the EURORADIO Development Fund, he said. Phase one was a special promotion at the EURORADIO Assembly in May 2014 in Amsterdam. Phase two was a workshop in October 2014 to inform and train Members wanting to roll out the format. Nine stations took part, reflecting a high level of interest.
Mr Westerhof said the extra funds were used to recruit the services of a special producer to refine and develop the format.
"We only can do this with the kind financial support of the Development Fund of the EBU and colleagues in Europe," he said.
In 2011, Serious Request raised 22.5 million across five countries. In the Netherlands, more than 12 million was collected to combat diarrhea among children in developing countries in 2013. This year's edition will collect money for Red Cross initiatives.
ORF radio director Karl Amon says Serious Request has inspired other Members to follow NPO's example. With the 3 Weihnachtswunder' (Christmas miracle) ORF is making its resources available to help those in need. This is public service to the core. We want to initiate a little happiness and create small miracles.
Participating Members
ORF, Salzburg, Austria: 19 to 24 December. ORF colleagues were so inspired by the October workshop that their initiative was launched pre-Christmas period. Hitradio 3 erect glass studios in the middle of Salzburg and the entire station will relocate from Vienna to Saltzburg for a week in cooperation with Licht ins Dunkel (light into darkness) - the traditional ORF-donation-campaign with a history since 1973.
RTBF, Belgium: 18 to 22 December. The campaign themed Viva for Life will not be on just one market place but tour five cities in five days and collect money for children in need. In 2013, Serious Request collected EUR1.267.351.
LR, Riga, Latvia: 17 to 23 December, The goal is to identify and support low-income elderley without relatives.
3FM, Haarlem, Netherlands: 18 to 24 December. This year's edition Hands off our girls' aims to raise awareness and funds for female victims of sexual violence in areas of conflict around the world. Here, DJ Coen Swijnenberg explains why the campaign matters.
RTP, Lisboa, Portugal: 03 to 06 December. EUR 410.000 raised to counter poverty among Portuguese children with the event Toca a Todos
SR, Upsala, Sweden: The theme for Musikhj lpen' is Help stop the spread of HIV.' 120 guests and 50 music-acts will not only seek to raise money, but to promote audience engagement. The goal is to trigger 200,000 different initiatives across Sweden and raise 3 million.
SRG, Switzerland: 17 to 23 December in Lucerne. The theme for Jeder Rappen z hlt is Families on the run.' The project team has been to Jordan and Uganda to produce eye-witness accounts from refugee camps.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
07/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/04/2026
Designed for synchronized multi-stream playback, low-latency delivery, and real-time analytics, MATCH introduces a unified viewing experience for sports broadca...
07/04/2026
Berklee Students to Honor George Martin with Performance of Original Scores The orchestra, led by associate professor Xander Rovang, will perform several work...
06/04/2026
Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...
06/04/2026
From high school sports all the way up to the major leagues, building high-quali...
06/04/2026
Quickplay, an AI company for the media and entertainment industry, has been accepted into the Advanced tier of the TwelveLabs Ecosystem Partner Program. Quickpl...
06/04/2026
Grass Valley has announced the Future Playmakers Program, a global initiative to...
06/04/2026
El l der de operaciones impulsa la producci n en estudio mientras encuentra insp...
06/04/2026
The ops leader helps lead the charge in studio for the Spanish-language broadcas...
06/04/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
06/04/2026
The National Hockey League (NHL), in partnership with Verizon and the New Jersey Devils, today announced the opening of the NHL Innovation Lab powered by Verizo...
06/04/2026
Rock League, a new professional curling league, has announced that ESPN+ will stream its inaugural 2026 season for fans in the United States. The first Rock Lea...
06/04/2026
Advanced Systems Group has announced the appointment of Andrea (Andy) Cummis as Vice President of Systems Design and Engineering. In this role, she will lead de...
06/04/2026
Backed by Bolt Ventures, the venture brings Bryson DeChambeau, Grant Horvat, and...
06/04/2026
With this environment we can start that collaboration even earlier because we ca...
06/04/2026
Like the immortal lives of vampires, some stories never really end. That's t...
06/04/2026
As podcasting continues to evolve, growth increasingly means building beyond aud...
06/04/2026
Multiband dynamics plug-in enhanced
California-based developer FSK Audio have released a significant update for their innovative multiband dynamics processo...
06/04/2026
Share official & user-created full-rig presets
IK Multimedia's latest TONEX update makes it possible for users of the popular amp and effects modelling ...
06/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/04/2026
Dalet Showcases Dalia Agentic AI and End-to-End Media Workflows at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Dalet, a leading technology and...
06/04/2026
OpenDrives Shows Off Sports Expertise in Sports Business Hub located in NAB Show...
06/04/2026
Proton to Demonstrate 3D Application at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Yet further creative potential unleashed through innovation in ...
06/04/2026
Autoscript Highlights Voice-Driven Prompting and PTZ Solutions at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Experience Autoscript Voice, PTZ prom...
06/04/2026
Mediaproxy Highlights Significant Enhancements to its LogServer suite at NAB Sho...
06/04/2026
Wayne, N.J., April 6th, 2026 Phantom High-Speed announces the release of PCC 4...
06/04/2026
April 6th, 2026
TRIBECA STUDIOS AND LILLY ANNOUNCE WINNERS OF INAUGURAL VITAL...
06/04/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Expands Kids Entertainment Lineup With Playground App ...
05/04/2026
Tackles all reported bugs!
SoundBridge have just announced the launch of a new update that introduces a couple of minor changes to their remote collaboratio...
04/04/2026
The University of Arizona's Men's Basketball team has only loss twice th...
04/04/2026
1080p HDR arrives, a new generation of storytelling tools takes center stage, an...
04/04/2026
Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...
04/04/2026
Faster, cleaner and more intuitive than ever
The control software for Flock Audio's digitally controlled patchbay systems has just been treated to an up...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
DHD Introduces AI-Based Audio Noise Reduction to XD3 IP Core
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
The accompanying image shows the rear panel of the ...
04/04/2026
Macnica Redefines ST 2110 Flexibility with Two Speeds on One Card
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
New for NAB Show 2026, MEP100 SmartNIC now sup...
04/04/2026
Unified Media Workflows for Story-Centric Production
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
Framelight X unifies field capture, editing and publishing ...
03/04/2026
Michigan's Fab Five will reunite for an alternate presentation of the Mich...
The secrets of a charity-driven format perfected by Dutch EBU Member NPO over ten years will be rolled out by this year by more Members of the EURORADIO Community. 
