Serious Request
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, with total donations in some editions exceeding 10 million euros.
During the Dutch 3FM Serious Request, three radio DJs of the national channel 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 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
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. 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.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. 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.
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. 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 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. As in 2006, the Dutch and Belgian efforts were synchronized. Additionally French Swiss radio station Couleur 3 joined with a similar event.Netherlands
In the Netherlands, the house of 3FM Serious Request was moved to another city for the first time, starting in The Hague. The DJs for the year were Gerard Ekdom, Rob Stenders and Michiel Veenstra. 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 in return for donations.The appeal was opened on 19 December 2007 by Prince Willem-Alexander. The Dutch government announced that instead of donating €1,000,000, it would match the amount of money collected from the public. Coen Swijnenberg hitchhiked from The Hague to Geneva and back, carrying a bucket with of water. The anthem song for 2007 became Let's Dance to Joy Division by The Wombats.
Belgium: Music For Life 2007
Studio Brussel again participated in the appeal. From the Martelarenplein in Leuven, DJs Peter Van de Veire, Tomas De Soete and Siska Schoeters, collected €2,083,030 from Belgian listeners. Again this was augmented by the Flemish and the Belgian federal governments, which donated €300,000 and €1 million respectively in 2007, bringing the total raised to €3,383,030.DJ Otto-jan Ham was sponsored to leave Leuven without money, traveling to the glass houses in The Hague and Geneva, and back to Leuven, carrying a bucket of water. He brought home 8.5 liters, netting €45,925 for his effort. 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, raising €14,000.