Serious Request
Serious Request is a benefit event hosted the week before Christmas each year by Dutch radio station 3FM. The project, begun in 2004, collects money for Red Cross initiatives. During 3FM Serious Request three DJs live in a glass house for six days (five days the first year) on a juice-only fast. They broadcast on the radio throughout the whole 6 days but it's also being transmitted on television. For the first three years, the house was at Neude in Utrecht.
Since 2007, the location of the house has changed each year; in 2011, it was located in Leiden. While the DJs are in residence, they play songs requested by internet-based listeners or visitors. When requesting a song, listeners are expected to donate money to the project; Dutch celebrities also donate money and auction their possessions. The Serious Request project has also been adopted by Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Kenya and South Korea.
Overview
| Country | Name | Organising station | Year and location |
|---|---|---|---|
 Netherlands | Serious Request | 3FM | Year |
.svg.png){kind=small} Belgium (Flanders) | Music For Life | Studio Brussel | |
 Switzerland (French Part) | Couleur Terre | Couleur 3 |
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| Switzerland (German Part) | Jeder Rappen zählt | DRS 3 & SF zwei |
|
 Sweden | Musikhjälpen | SR P3 & Din gata 100.6 |
|
 Kenya | Serious Request | Ghetto Radio |
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 South Korea | Serious Request | KBS |
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Request on Tour 2003
Request on Tour preceded Serious Request. During the last three days of 2003, a "request bus" toured the country to collect money for Villa Pardoes (part of the Efteling, a resort for children with life-threatening illnesses) by playing requested songs in exchange for donations. A total of €16,000 was collected that year.
Serious Request 2004
Theme - Jouw druppel op een gloeiende plaat
DJs Rob Stenders and Ruud de Wild left 3FM in 2004, and were replaced by Giel Beelen and Wouter van der Goes. During the interim, station manager Florent Luyckx considered a change in programming to shore up ratings. When the Beslan school hostage crisis ended, the station wanted to aid the victims and their relatives; however, the humanitarian organisation handling the crisis declined their offer. When the station approached the Red Cross, they were told that help was needed in areas not prominent in the news (such as the situation in Darfur, subject of the first Serious Request Project from 20–24 December 2004. Wouter van der Goes, Claudia de Breij and Giel Beelen lived in the house for five days, airing the appeal 24 hours a day and fasting in solidarity with those in Darfur. The show collected €916,000, and received the 2004–05 Marconi Award for best radio program. That year's theme song was "Galvanize" by the Chemical Brothers.
Serious Request 2005
Theme - Red een kind in Congo: Save a child in the Congo
Between 19 and 24 December 2005, another glass house was built at the Neude in Utrecht. That year's DJs were Giel Beelen, Gerard Ekdom and Wouter van der Goes. Money was collected for children in the Republic of the Congo, raising a total of €2,203,549 (including €1,000,000 donated by the Dutch government). The appeal received the 2006 Gouden Radio-Oortje for best radio program of the year. That year's theme was "Multiply" by Jamie Lidell.
| Day | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 December | €53,573 |
| 2 | 20 December | €137,877 |
| 3 | 21 December | €251,281 |
| 4 | 22 December | €414,552 |
| 6 | 24 December | €2,203,549 |
Serious Request 2006
Theme - 30 miljoen landmijnen, daar kun je niet omheen: You can't ignore 30 million land mines
From 19–24 December 2006, the third consecutive appeal was held. As in the first two appeals, a glass house was built at the Neude in Utrecht. This time, the project collected money for victims of land mines around the world. Giel Beelen, Gerard Ekdom and Sander Lantinga were chosen by listeners between 4 and 8 December to live in the house; nominees also included Claudia de Breij, Paul Rabbering, Coen Swijnenberg and Michiel Veenstra. Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende closed the door on 19 December to begin the appeal, telling the DJs and listeners that the Dutch government would donate another €1,000,000 to the project (as it did in 2005) to match Dutch donations.
| Day | Time | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 December | 4:30 pm | €61,481 |
| 2 | 20 December | 4:30 pm | €189,935 |
| 3 | 21 December | 4:30 pm | €353,405 |
| 4 | 22 December | 4:30 pm | €687,151 |
| 6 | 24 December | 5:50 pm | €2,648,495* |
* Total includes €1,000,000 donation by the Dutch government.
Music for Life (Studio Brussel)
In addition to 3FM, the Belgian radio station Studio Brussel also participated in the appeal for the first time and DJs from both radio stations occasionally contacted each other. In Belgium, a second glass house was built in Leuven; the DJs living there were Peter Van de Veire, Tomas De Soete and Christophe Lambrecht. After six days €2,419,426 was raised, with €200,000 from the Flemish Government and twice as much from the Federal government; this brought the total for both appeals to €5,067,921.
Walkathon
To raise additional money, a walkathon was organised. DJ Claudia de Breij walked with her sidekick, Hildedepilde (Hilde Brontsema), from the Belgian to the Dutch house and Otto-Jan Ham of Studio Brussel did the same in the opposite direction. During the 211-kilometre (131 mi) walk listeners could sponsor the walkers (with a donation per kilometre) or offer them a place to stay the night or something to eat. All left their houses the morning of 19 December, and arrived at their destinations the afternoon of 24 December. De Breij collected €31,511 during her walk.
Theme song
The DJs named "Chelsea Dagger" by the Fratellis the theme song of the appeal. The song became popular, and during the night of 23–24 December it was played six times in four hours by request.
Serious Request 2007
Theme - De wereld schreeuwt om drinkwater: The world is crying for water
The 2007 appeal moved to The Hague. The three DJs in the glass house were Gerard Ekdom, Rob Stenders and Michiel Veenstra. Coen Swijnenberg hitchhiked from The Hague to Geneva (via Leuven) and back, carrying a bucket with 15 litres (4.0 US gal) of water. Sander Lantinga and Giel Beelen, occupants of the house the previous year, decided not to enter the voting and were unavailable to be chosen; instead, they volunteered to do tasks or errands for donors.
Safe drinking water was chosen as the cause for 2007. The appeal was opened on 19 December 2007 by Prince Willem-Alexander.[1] The Dutch government announced that instead of donating €1,000,000 (as it had in previous years), it would match the amount of money collected from the public.[2] The theme song for 2007 was "Let's Dance to Joy Division" by The Wombats.
| Day | Time | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 December | 4:45 pm | €102,360 |
| 2 | 20 December | 4:45 pm | €248,982 |
| 3 | 21 December | 4:35 pm | €476,337 |
| 4 | 22 December | 4:35 pm | €842,243 |
| 6 | 24 December | 7:40 pm | €5,249,466 |
*Total includes match by the Dutch government
Music For Life
Studio Brussel again participated in the appeal. From the Martelarenplein in Leuven, DJs Peter Van de Veire, Tomas De Soete and Siska Schoeters, collected €3,649,595 from Belgian listeners (including €1,300,000 from the Flemish government). DJ Otto-jan Ham was scheduled to leave Leuven without money, travelling to The Hague and Geneva carrying a bucket of water without spilling any.
In conjunction with the event, a ship left Essen with a 20,000-litre pool aboard. En route 10 swimmers took turns swimming for 24 hours (the length of the trip), raising €14,000.
Switzerland: Couleur Terre (Couleur 3)
Swiss radio station Couleur 3 in Geneva joined the appeal; its glass house was located on the rue de la Rôtisserie. In its first year, it collected CHF 400,000 (about €151,000) by playing requests. DJs Yann Zitouni, Émilie Gasc-Milesi and Michel Ndeze hosted six full days of the appeal.
Serious Request 2008
The Netherlands (Een vluchteling is nergens zonder jouw hulp: Without your aid, a refugee is helpless.)
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Serious request 2008. |
For the 2008 Serious Request the glass house was located on the Grote Markt in Breda, inhabited by DJs Giel Beelen, Coen Swijnenberg and Paul Rabbering. The proceeds were directed to help refugees around the world.[3] The Dutch government promised to match donations up to €2.5 million. The theme song, chosen by the DJs, was "Verliefdheid" by Dutch singer Jordy van Loon.
| Day | Time | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 December | 4:55 pm | €140,523 |
| 2 | 20 December | 4:40 pm | €327,709 |
| 3 | 21 December | 4:35 pm | €595,480 |
| 4 | 22 December | 4:40 pm | €847,223 |
| 5 | 23 December | 4:45 pm | €1,377,338 |
| 6 | 24 December | 8:21 pm | €3,137,961 €5,637,961[4] |
Music for Life 2008
Belgian broadcaster VRT also set up a glass house in Ghent. DJs Siska Schoeters, Sofie Lemaire and Tomas de Soete of Studio Brussel lived in the house from 19–24 December. In an event, "Bed on the Run", DJs Linde Merckpoel and Sam de Bruyn hitchhiked from Malmö to Ghent with an IKEA bed.
Musikhjälpen (Sveriges Radio P3)
Sweden participated for the first time, with its glass house in Malmö; the appeal was called Musikhjälpen ("Music Aid"). Due to Swedish Christmas celebrations, the appeal began one week earlier. The appeal aired 24 hours daily on SR P3 and Din Gata 100.6; SVT Play and SVT2 aired the appeal on a time-permitting basis. Hosts were Kitty Jutbring, Henrik Torehammar and Ehsan Noroozi. Guests during the six-day marathon included rap artist Timbuktu, Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen and the Swedish national ice-hockey team.[5] The appeal raised a total of 3,016,247 kronor (about €280,000).
Africa (Ghetto Radio, Nairobi)
With the participation of Ghetto Radio, 89.5 FM in Nairobi,[6] Serious Request was held in Kenya with the slogan "On the run, not outta sight". This was the first time the event was held in Africa. The Nairobi glass house was located on the grounds of the Kenyatta International Conference Centre; the three presenters were Angel,[7] Rapcha (also known as "the sayantist")[8] and Muki Garang.[9] Live streaming footage of the event featured on the "This Is Africa" website (part of the Pan-African Ghetto Radio Foundation).[10]
Serious Request 2009
The Netherlands: "Stop Malaria, Play the Music"
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Serious request 2009. |
The 2009 location for Serious Request was Groningen. DJs Giel Beelen, Gerard Ekdom and Annemieke Schollaardt lived in the glass house. The year's fundraising object was malaria. The house was closed by Princess Máxima on 18 December. VanVelzen's keyboard of and autographed shirts from members of AFC Ajax and FC Groningen were auctioned, and every night a guest staying for one night.
| Day | Time | Amount | Guest | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 December | 4:53 pm | €244,668 | Thomas Acda |
| 2 | 20 December | 4:52 pm | €428,629 | Do |
| 3 | 21 December | 4:52 pm | €706,174 | Youp van 't Hek |
| 4 | 22 December | 4:53 pm | €1,058,594 | VanVelzen |
| 5 | 23 December | 4:53 pm | €1,740,302 | Angela Groothuizen |
| 6 | 24 December | 8:20 pm | €7,113,447[11] | Waylon |
Studio Brussel
Studio Brussel again located its glass house in Ghent and the DJs weare Siska Schoeters, Sam Debruyn and Sofie Lemaire. It raised €3,649,595 (€1,300,000 from the federal and Flemish governments and €2,349,595 from listeners).
Switzerland: Jeder Rappen zählt
In 2009, an appeal with the slogan Jeder Rappen zählt ("every rappen counts") was held for the first time in Bern, aimed at German-speaking Switzerland. In total, CHF 9.2 million was raised.
Sweden: Musikhjälpen
Musikhjälpen 2009[12] was held from 14–20 December in Gothenburg. The appeal was again broadcast around the clock on the Internet at SVT Play and on SR P3, and telecast (time permitting) on SVT2. Hosts were Ametist Azordegan, Christer Lundberg and Jason Diakité (Timbuktu). The 144-hour show raised a total of 5,748,442 SEK (approximately €530,000).
Kenya
The glass house in Nairobi was hit by a tropical rainstorm on 23 December, and the broadcast on Ghetto Radio was halted.
2010
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Serious request 2010. |
<span id="The Netherlands: "AIDS took away their parents, Give back their future"">The Netherlands: "AIDS took their parents; give them their future"
The 2010 location for Serious Request was Eindhoven. DJs Giel Beelen, Gerard Ekdom and Coen Swijnenberg hosted the appeal. Its theme was AIDS orphans. The Dutch government did not donate because of a stricter budgetary policy; however, many companies and Netherlanders made up the difference and exceeded the old record by several thousand euro. The theme song was BLØF's "Wijd Open" ("Wide Open"), and the most requested song was Martin Solveig's "Hello".
| Day | Time | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 December | 8:30 pm | €273,745 |
| 2 | 20 December | 8:30 pm | €494,024 |
| 3 | 21 December | 8:30 pm | €1,004,986 |
| 4 | 22 December | 8:30 pm | €1,755,088 |
| 5 | 23 December | 8:30 pm | €3,128,049 |
| 6 | 24 December | 8:30 pm | €7,135,707 |
Studio Brussel
As in past years Studio Brussel organised Music For Life, siting the glass house on the Groenplaats in Antwerp. The DJs that year were Sofie Lemaire, Sam Debruyn and Tomas De Soete. The appeal was announced on 1 December, World AIDS Day. Bands were invited to play on the roof each evening, the best-known of which was the Editors.
Switzerland: Jeder Rappen zählt
The appeal in German-speaking Switzerland, Jeder Rappen zählt ("every rappen counts"), helped children in war zones and raised €5,251,835.92. Radio station DRS 3 located the glass house again in Bern. The DJs were Nik Hartmann, Anic Lautenschlager and Tom Gisler. Samih Sawiris added 20 percent to the total from his Sawiris Foundation.
Kenya
The 2010 Kenyan appeal by Ghetto Radio sited its glass house opposite the Hilton Nairobi. Instead of raising money, listeners were encouraged to be tested for HIV.
Sweden: Musikhjälpen
Musikhjälpen 2010[13] was held from 13–19 December in Malmö. Its theme was the fight against the trafficking of children. The appeal was again broadcast continuously on the Internet at SVT Play and SR P3 radio and time-permitting on SVT2 TV. Its hosts were Martina Thun, Jason Diakité (Timbuktu) and Nour El-Refai. By the morning of 18 December, the previous year's record of 5,748,442 SEK (about €530,000) was broken.
| Country | Slogan | Results | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | Music For Life | €5,020,747 | 18–24 December |
| Netherlands | Serious Request | €7,135,707 | 18–24 December |
| Sweden | Musikhjälpen | 12,236,417 SEK (€1,358,032) | 13–19 December |
| Switzerland | Jeder Rappen zählt | 8,996,326 CHF (€6,998,532) | Held the previous week |
| Kenya | Serious Request | 2,141 people tested for HIV | |
| Total | €20,513,018 | ||
2011
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Serious request 2011. |
The Netherlands: "This One's For Mama"
With the announcement of the location for Serious Request 2010, the station also announced the location of the 2011 appeal (Leiden). That year, the glass house floated on water.
| Day | Time | Amount | Guest | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 December | 4:50 pm | €295,382 | Krystl |
| 2 | 20 December | 4:50 pm | €662,858 | Jörgen Raymann |
| 3 | 21 December | 4:50 pm | €1,203,941 | Irene Moors |
| 4 | 22 December | 4:50 pm | €1,972,140 | Britt Dekker |
| 5 | 23 December | 4:50 pm | €3,581,305 | Jan Kooijman |
| 6 | 24 December | 21:50 | €8,621,004 | Waylon |
Flanders, Sweden and Switzerland also had glass houses for different causes.
| Country | Slogan | Results | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium (Flanders) | Music For Life | €7,142,716 | Proceeds to combat diarrhoea in children |
| Netherlands | "This one's for mama" | €8,621,004 | Proceeds to help mothers affected by war |
| Sweden | Musikhjälpen ("Music Aid") | €2,004,490.97 | Held one week earlier; proceeds to aid education for girls |
| Switzerland | Jeder Rappen zählt ("Every penny counts") | €5,157,566.71 | Held one week earlier; proceeds to aid mothers in distress |
| Kenya | Serious Request | Participates in solidarity; encourages the population to donate blood | |
| Total | €22,555,748.51 | ||
Serious Request 2012
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Serious request 2012. |
South Korea
For the first time, Serious Request was held in Seoul. The appeal raised ₩411,634,460 (about €293,000) for the same goal as The Netherlands'.
The Netherlands: "Let's hear it for the babies"
The glass house was in Enschede, and the goal was to reduce infant mortality. The host DJs were Giel Beelen, Gerard Ekdom and Michiel Veenstra.
| Day | Time | Amount | Guest | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 December | 8:30 pm | Frans Bauer | |
| 1 | 19 December | 8:30 pm | €910,608 | Gers Pardoel |
| 2 | 20 December | 8:30 pm | €1,752,907 | VanVelzen |
| 3 | 21 December | 8:30 pm | €2,958,873 | Miss Montreal |
| 4 | 22 December | 8:30 pm | €4,292,293 | Johnny de Mol |
| 5 | 23 December | 8:30 pm | €6,142,180 | Ilse DeLange |
| 6 | 24 December | 5:50 pm | €8,477,429 | |
| 6 | 24 December | 9:30 pm | €12,251,667 | |
Serious Request 2013
Netherlands: Let's Clean This Shit Up (Campaign against child death from diarrhea)
3FM is broadcasting from Leeuwarden from 18 to 24 December 2013 with DJs Giel Beelen, Paul Rabbering and Coen Swijnenberg. A special theme song was launched by the Dutch band Racoon, titled "Shoes of Lightning".
For eleven days prior to the official broadcasts, i.e. from 7 to 17 December 2013, DJs and so-called "rayonhoofden" ("district heads") traveled throughout the country under the title "Elfprovinciëntocht" ("Eleven provinces tour", referring to the Elfstedentocht). Each day a different province was being called at. The locations were, in order of visits: Utrecht, Drenthe, Zeeland, Overijssel, Limburg, Zuid-Holland, Groningen, Flevoland, Noord-Holland, Gelderland and Noord-Brabant.
On 12 November 2013, 3FM announced that the three DJs who would inhabit the Glass House this year would be Coen Swijnenberg, Giel Beelen and Paul Rabbering. They entered the house on December 18th with Dutch gymnast Epke Zonderland symbolically locking the door, accompanied by a performance of Bastille.
| Day | Time | Amount | Guest | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 December | 8:30 pm | € 1,039,011 | Anna Drijver |
| 2 | 20 December | 8:30 pm | € 2,343,631 | Jan Smit |
| 3 | 21 December | 8:30 pm | € 3,054,689 | Dennis Weening |
| 4 | 22 December | 8:22 pm | € 4,328,242 | Geraldine Kemper |
| 5 | 23 December | 8:20 pm | € 6,232,307 | Jacqueline Govaert and Laura Jansen |
| 6 | 24 December | 5:50 pm | € 8,629,802 | André Kuipers |
| 6 | 24 December | 8:08 pm | € > 10.000.000 | |
| 6 | 24 December | 9:27 pm | € 12,302,747 | |
References
- ↑ "Opening 2007 by the Prince". nu.nl.
- ↑ "Kabinet verdubbelt opbrengst 3FM-actie". nu.nl. 21 December 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- ↑ "Radio 3FM – 3FM – Serious Radio". 3fm.nl. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ↑ Total amount including a €2,500,000 donation by the Dutch government.
- ↑ "Tidigare år: Musikhjälpen 2008 | Sveriges Radio". Sr.se. 18 December 2008. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ↑ "GHETTO RADIO 89.5 FM| |YOUR OFFICIAL SHENG STATION". Ghettoradio.co.ke. 14 March 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ↑ "Serious Request – Meet Angel". YouTube. 17 December 2008. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ↑ "Serious Request – Meet Rapcha, aka "the Sayantist"". YouTube. 17 December 2008. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ↑ "Serious Request – Meet Muki". YouTube. 17 December 2008. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ↑ Staff (16 December 2010). "Serious Request 2010: Breaking the taboo surrounding AIDS". This Is Africa. Ghetto Radio Foundation. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
- ↑ "Serious Request levert ruim 7 miljoen euro op". nu.nl. 24 December 2009.
- ↑ "Musikhjälpen 2011". Musikhjalpen.se. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ↑ "Musikhjälpen 2011". Musikhjalpen.se. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
External links
- seriousrequest.3fm.nl, 3FM Serious Request (Dutch)
- stubru.be, Studio Brussel Music For Life (Dutch)
- srf.ch, DRS3 Jeder Rappen zählt (German)
- kbs.co.kr, KBS Serious Request (Korean)
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