Serious Request is a family of annual multi-day, multimedia fundraising events. Initially for International Red Cross initiatives. Typically hosted by radio stations in the week before Christmas. The project was begun in 2004 by Dutch public pop music radio station 3FM. Serious Request projects have since been adopted in Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Kenya, South Korea, Austria, Germany, Latvia and Portugal.
The DJs make an interactive, themed broadcast around the clock, while regular programming on the station is suspended except for news bulletins. Instead, 3FM and its website are completely dedicated to the event, which is also transmitted as a continuous audio and video live-stream. Additionally, there is television coverage, integration with social media, and a dedicated mobile app.
Funds are raised in a few different ways. DJs play songs requested by listeners and visitors, in return for their donations. Celebrities and artists also donate personal possessions or offer unique opportunities to meet them, which are auctioned off. Straightforward donations are made into the project's bank account, and by physical visitors depositing cash and cheques into the house's letterbox. Additionally, members of the public run a variety of supporting initiatives, and in some cities, more glass houses are popping up. All totalled, the Dutch editions have raised €76.8 million through 2014,3FM Serious Request - Wikipedia (NL) with total donations in some editions exceeding 10 million euros.
During the Dutch 3FM Serious Request, three radio DJs of the national channel (NPO) 3FM were locked up for six days in a small temporary radio studio. It is placed in a main square in a different city each year. During the event, they live on a liquid diet.
In the Netherlands, the Serious Request broadcasts and the Glass House (het Glazen Huis) became a national December tradition, that reaches most of the national population. The 2012 edition was watched and listened to by 12.1 million people over the age of ten, or 84% of Dutch people in that age group. Overall, 88% of the people were aware of the event.
From 2016, the general public's interest in the event, and therefore donations, were declining. In 2018 and 2019, 3FM decided to abolish their Glass House and tried to bring the event closer to the people by sending DJs of the radio station to travel the country on foot. The formula was called The Lifeline. In 2020, due to the pandemic, the DJs were locked up in an airport hangar. In 2021, it was decided to bring back the Glass House.
Overview by country, in order of first adoption Country Name Organizing station Year and location Adoption in 2004 NPO 3FM 2004: Utrecht 2005: Utrecht 2006: Utrecht 2007: The Hague 2008: Breda 2009: Groningen 2010: Eindhoven 2011: Leiden 2012: Enschede 2013: Leeuwarden 2014: Haarlem 2015: Heerlen 2016: Breda 2017: Apeldoorn 2018: Three different routes throughout the Netherlands, with main radio broadcasting in Utrecht 2019: From Goes to Groningen 2020: Enschede Airport Twente 2021: Amersfoort 2022: Amersfoort 2023: Nijmegen 2024: Zwolle 2025: Den Bosch Adoption in 2006 Studio Brussel 2006: Leuven 2007: Leuven 2008: Ghent 2009: Ghent 2010: Antwerp 2011: Leuven, Ghent, Antwerp 2012: Brussels 2013: Boom 2014: Boom 2015: Boom 2016: Boom 2017: Wachtebeke 2018: Wachtebeke 2019: Kortrijk 2020: Leuven 2021: Mechelen 2022: Hasselt 2023: Bruges 2024: Bruges 2025: Genk Adoption in 2007 Couleur 3 (2007) / Option Musique (2016-2018) / La Première (since 2019) 2007: Geneva 2016: Lausanne 2017: Lausanne 2018: Lausanne 2019: Sion 2020: touring across the 7 cantons of Romandy 2021: not held 2022: touring across the 7 cantons of Romandy 2023: Sion, Gruyères, Geneva, Montreux, Neuchâtel, Biel/Bienne, Delémont Adoption in 2008 Ghetto Radio 89.5FM 2008 through 2013: Nairobi 2014: Nairobi slums SR P3 & SVT 2008: Malmö 2009: Gothenburg 2010: Malmö 2011: Gothenburg 2012: Malmö 2013: Gothenburg 2014: Uppsala 2015: Linköping 2016: Örebro 2017: Umeå 2018: Lund 2019: Västerås 2020: Stockholm 2021: Norrköping 2022: Gothenburg 2023: Växjö 2024: Sundsvall 2025: Karlstad Adoption in 2009 DRS 3 & SF zwei 2009: Bern 2010: Bern 2011: Lucerne 2012: Lucerne 2013: Zurich, Basel, Aarau, St. Gallen 2014: Lucerne 2015: Bern 2016: Lucerne 2017: Lucerne 2018: Lucerne Adoption in 2012 KBS 2012: Seoul 2013: Seoul 2014: Seoul Adoption in 2013 VivaCité (RTBF) 2013: Liège 2014: Liège 2015: Charleroi 2016: Charleroi 2017: Nivelles 2018: Nivelles 2019: Tournai 2020: Tour Reyers, Bruxelles (RTBF Headquarters) 2021: Tournai 2022: Bertrix 2023: Bertrix 2024: Seraing 2025: Seraing Adoption in 2014 Hitradio Ö3 2014: Salzburg 2015: Graz 2016: Innsbruck 2017: Linz 2018: St. Pölten 2019: Villach 2020: Vienna (Ö3 Headquarters) 2021: Vienna (Ö3 Headquarters) 2022: Bregenz 2023: Bad Ischl 2024: Wiener Neustadt 2025: Salzburg Latvijas Radio 5 2014: Rīga 2015: Rīga, Central station square 2016: Rīga, Central station square 2017: Rīga, Doma Square 2018: Rīga, Doma Square 2019: Rīga, Doma Square 2020: Rīga, Doma Square 2021: Rīga, Doma Square 2022: Rīga, Doma Square 2023: Rīga, Doma Square 2024: Rīga, Doma Square Antena 3 2014: Lisbon Adoption in 2022 WDR 2 2022: Dortmund 2023: Düsseldorf 2024: Paderborn 2025: Essen Adoption in 2024 Bremen Eins & Bremen Vier 2024: Bremen, Domshof & Radio Bremen Headquarters 2025: Bremen, Domshof & Radio Bremen Headquarters
Request on Tour (2003) The precursor of the Serious Request formula was the 3FM Request on Tour. During the last three days of 2003, Dutch national pop music radio station 3FM sent a "Request bus" with DJ equipment and a sound system on a tour of the country. By playing requested songs in return for donations, money was raised for Villa Pardoes, a resort for children between four and twelve with life-threatening illnesses; part of the amusement park the Efteling. Among others Gerard Ekdom, Giel Beelen and Rob Stenders participated—DJs who later returned in Serious Request efforts. An amount of €16,000 was collected that year.
Creation – aid for Darfur (2004)
Prominent DJs Rob Stenders and Ruud de Wild left radio 3FM in 2004, and were later replaced by Giel Beelen and Wouter van der Goes. During the interim, station manager Florent Luyckx started making changes in programming to shore up ratings, especially for December. After the Russian Beslan school massacre has ended in September, the station wanted to aid the victims and their relatives; however, the humanitarian organization handling the crisis declined their offer. When the station then approached the Dutch Red Cross, they pleaded for help in matters overlooked by the news media, such as two million IDPs and refugees in the war-torn region of Darfur, Sudan. This was then made the cause for the first Serious Request radiothon from 20 to 24 December 2004, using the slogan Jouw druppel op een gloeiende plaat.
In a revised formula, DJ Jan-Willem Roodbeen suggested DJs living and broadcasting from a stationary structure with a lot of windows, not unlike the Big Brother TV-house. Giel Beelen added that the occupants should endure some hardship to express solidarity, and therefore suggested fasting.
In December 2004, a small temporary radio studio with large glass facades – a "glass house" – was erected in the Neude square in the center of Utrecht. Three radio DJs, Giel Beelen, Wouter van der Goes and Claudia de Breij, lived in the house for five days, fasting in solidarity with those in Darfur, and broadcasting Serious Request 24 hours a day on 3FM.
In the course of the event, a particular record began to stand out, because it was requested often, and it lifted the DJs' spirits. In 2004 this was "Galvanize" by the Chemical Brothers. Later editions have shown that this mechanism occurs every time – the particular track is then deemed the 'anthem' of that year's Serious Request.
In its first year the project collected €915,955, and received the 2004–05 Marconi Award for best radio program.
2005 – children in the Congo
From 19 to 24 December 2005, a glass house was again present at the Neude in Utrecht. That year's DJs were Giel Beelen, Gerard Ekdom and Wouter van der Goes, and the slogan was: Red een kind in Congo (Save a child in the Congo). Money was collected for children, some of them former child soldiers, in the Republic of the Congo, raising a total of €2,203,549, including a €1,000,000 contribution from the Dutch government. The appeal was awarded the 2006 Gouden Radio-Oortje for best radio program of the year. The song Multiply by Jamie Lidell became the 'Serious Request anthem' for the edition.
+ Daily totalsDayAmount1 19 December €53,5732 20 December €137,8773 21 December €251,2814 22 December €414,5526 24 December €2,203,549
2006 – land mines
In 2006 Serious Request raised money for victims of land mines around the world, and for the first time a sister event was held in another country: neighbouring Belgium.
Netherlands From 19 to 24 December 2006, the third consecutive appeal was held. As in the first two events, a glass house was built at the Neude in Utrecht. The year's slogan was: 30 miljoen landmijnen, daar kun je niet omheen (You can't get around 30 million land mines). Giel Beelen, Gerard Ekdom and Sander Lantinga were elected by listeners between 4 and 8 December to live in the house. Nominees had also included Claudia de Breij, , Coen Swijnenberg and Michiel Veenstra.
Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende ceremonially locked the door on 19 December to begin the effort, pledging to DJs and listeners that the Dutch government would donate one million euros to the project, as it did in 2005, to match the people's donations.
This year the DJs named Chelsea Dagger by the Fratellis the anthem 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.
+ Daily totalsDayTimeAmount1 19 December 4:30 pm €61,4812 20 December 4:30 pm €189,9353 21 December 4:30 pm €353,4054 22 December 4:30 pm €687,1516 24 December 5:50 pm €2,648,495* * Total includes €1,000,000 donation by the Dutch government.
Belgium: Music For Life! In addition to 3FM, the Flanders 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 erected in Leuven. The DJs living there were Peter Van de Veire, Tomas De Soete and Christophe Lambrecht. The Belgian slogan was: Platen voor ledematen (Records for prosthetics). After six days a total of €2,901,650 was raised, consisting of some €1.4 million donated by the public, €100,000 from the Flemish Government and another €1.4 million from the Federal government, that had pledged to match the public's gifts.
Thus, the combined total for the Dutch and Belgian appeals amounted to €5,550,145.
Walkathons To raise additional money, a walkathon was organized. DJ Claudia de Breij walked with her sidekick, Hildedepilde (), from the Belgian to the Dutch house and of Studio Brussel did the same in the opposite direction. During the walk listeners could sponsor the walkers (with a donation per kilometer) 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.
2007 – drinking water Availability of safe drinking water was chosen as the cause for 2007—the slogan: De wereld schreeuwt om drinkwater (The world is crying for drinking water). As in 2006, the Dutch and Belgian efforts were synchronized. Additionally French Swiss radio station Couleur 3 joined with a similar event.
Netherlands