Tradition Turns On Dutch Radio

Michael Hedges September 21, 2009

The Dutch have a special relationship with radio. Dutch broadcasters love their hit music stations and chart shows. Inside each is still a little bit of the pirate

Dutch broadcasters recently celebrated their annual Marconi Radio Awards (September 16). The winners came from the array of Dutch radio broadcasting that reveres its DJs and programs. This is the Marconi Radio awards 14th year.

Radio 538 took best station award. Its morning show host Edwin Evers won, again, the best presenter award. And its Friday afternoon Netherlands Top Forty show with Jeroen Nieuwenhuize took the best radio program award. In addition, Radio 538 co-founder Erik de Zwart received the Marconi Oeuvre Award for contributions to Dutch radio.

Public broadcasting (Nederlandse Publieke Omroep NOP) 3FM fared well, its show host Annemieke Schollaardt winning in the best upcoming talent category after nominations in 2007 and 2008. The channel was honorably mentioned in all other categories, including radio channel of the year. Also nominated for best radio channel was 100%NL.

Radio 538, owned by RTL, is the long-time top-rated radio channel in the Netherlands. In the most recent audience figures from Intomart GfK (June-July 2009) it topped the market again with 11.1% share of listeners 10 years and older, down from 11.6% one year on. (See Netherlands national radio audience here) With the exception of the November/December, December/January and January/February periods it has claimed the number one channel position through the last year. Radio 538 well-known DJs play the hits.

During those winter months public radio NOP Radio 2 took the top position. One reason is Radio 2’s annual Top Two Thousand music survey shows. Radio 2 is mostly an oldies channel. In the most recent audience survey Radio 2 posted 10.4% market share, up from 9.4% one year on.

Sky Radio placed third in the most recent radio survey, 9.1% market share, up from 9.0% year on year. NOP 3FM ranked fourth also with 9.1% market share, up from 7.9% one year on. News and sports channel NOP Radio 1 placed fifth with 7.7% market share.

Sky Radio Group also operates Radio Veronica, Classic FM and cable channel TMF HitRadio. Dutch media company Telegraaf Media Groep is the principal owner. TMF Hitradio recently changed its name to Hitradio TMS.

Gaining the most market share over the past year is 100%NL, winning 4.3% market share in the most recent survey period, up from 2.5% one year on. As the channels name suggests, the focus is on music from the Netherlands.

Dutch radio tradition is steeped in pirates and the stories are legendary. Radio 538 is named after the frequency once used by one of the original Dutch pirate stations Radio Veronica. The current Radio Veronica is but marginally related to the original, which began broadcasting from a boat in 1960. Erik de Zwart is the ‘voice’ of Radio Veronica. Edwin Evers was hired in 1992 by Dutch radio legend Lex Harding, also co-founder of Radio 538, for Radio Veronica. Harding was a DJ for pirate station Radio 227 as well as Radio Veronica.