Serious Request

Serious Request is a family of annual multi-day, multimedia fundraising events 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, Latvia and Portugal.

The DJs make an interactive, themed broadcast around the clock, while regular programming on the station is suspended. 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 (NPO) 3FM were locked up for six days in a small temporary radio studio (the "Glass House") until 2018. It was placed in a main square in a different city each year. They weren't allowed to eat anything; instead, they drank water, juice, and other liquids to stay energized.

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 on, however, the general public's interest in the event, and therefore donations, were declining. From 2018 on, 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 new formula is called ''The Lifeline.''

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 20–24 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.

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.

* 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

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 (as it had in previous years), it would match the amount of money collected from the public. Coen Swijnenberg hitchhiked from The Hague to Geneva (via Leuven) and back, carrying a bucket with of water. The anthem song for 2007 became ''Let's Dance to Joy Division'' by The Wombats.

*Total includes match by the Dutch government

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 (Germany) 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

French Swiss radio station Couleur 3 in Geneva joined the appeal in 2007. The event was called Couleur Terre and its glass house was located on the rue de la Rôtisserie. In its first and only year, it collected CHF 252,000 (about €151,000) — entirely by playing requests. DJs Yann Zitouni, Émilie Gasc-Milesi and Michel Ndeze hosted the benefit for six full days.

2008 – refugees

In 2008, Serious Request and its sister projects raised money and awareness for refugees, with a varying focus. The Dutch 3FM Serious Request, and the new Swedish event Musikhjälpen, aimed to help the world's refugees in general, whereas the Belgian Glass House focused specifically on refugee ''mothers''. The year also saw the first similar project take place in Africa: Serious Request Kenya. Instead of funds, it raised awareness, focusing more on internally displaced persons than on (international) refugees. ''Couleur Terre'' in Switzerland was not continued.

Netherlands

For 2008, 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; its slogan was ''Een vluchteling is nergens zonder jouw hulp'' (A refugee is nowhere without your help). The Dutch government pledged to match donations up to €2.5 million. The anthem for the edition, chosen by the DJs, was "Verliefdheid" by Dutch singer Jordy van Loon. Aside from the anthem, 2008 introduced a dedicated theme song, made specifically for the event by a music act, to be played regularly in the weeks leading up to the appeal, and to be used in promotional messages. In 2008 this was "Waiting So Long" by Belgian band Novastar.

Belgium: Music For Life 2008

This year the Belgian glass house was moved to Ghent. National public broadcaster VRT supplemented Radio Brussel's program with continuous digital television. DJs Siska Schoeters, Sofie Lemaire and Tomas de Soete of Studio Brussel lived in the house from 19–24 December, raising €3,513,728 for mothers on the run (original slogan: ''Moeders op de vlucht''). As in 2007, the total included contributions by the Flemish and the Belgian federal governments of €300,000 and €1 million respectively.

In an event called ''Bed on the Run'', DJs Linde Merckpoel and Sam de Bruyn raised €15,000 with a Nokia sponsored handicap hitchhike from the Swedish glass house in Malmö, via the Dutch one in Breda to Ghent, bringing with them a made-up bed.

Sweden: Musikhjälpen

Sweden participated for the first time, with a glass house in Malmö. The appeal was called ''Musikhjälpen'' ("Music Aid"), and the theme was refugees (slogan: ''67 miljoner flyktingar behöver din hjälp'', meaning 67 million refugees need your help). Because of Swedish Christmas celebrations, the appeal began one week earlier. The appeal aired 24 hours daily on Sveriges Radio (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. In its first year the appeal raised a total of 3,016,247 Swedish kronor, or €277,778.

Kenya: Serious Request

With the participation of Ghetto Radio 89.5 FM in Nairobi, Serious Request was held in Kenya with the slogan "On the Run, but 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 Angela ‘Angel’ Wainaina, Rapcha the Sayantist and Muki Garang. Between 19 and 24 December 2008, their continued broadcast and interaction with visitors raised awareness for the plight of Internally displaced persons (IDPs). Instead of fundraising, the approach focused on solidarity.

2009 – malaria

In 2009 all projects from 2008 received a new edition, and Switzerland returned with a new initiative: '' Jeder Rappen zählt'', this time hosted by Radio SRF 3 in the country's German-speaking part. The year's five events all raised funds to fight malaria.

Netherlands

The 2009 location for 3FM Serious Request was Groningen, and the fundraising slogan: ''Stop Malaria, Play the Music''. DJs Giel Beelen, Gerard Ekdom and Annemieke Schollaardt lived in the glass house. The house was ceremonially closed by Princess Máxima on 18 December. VanVelzen's keyboard, as well as autographed shirts from members of AFC Ajax and FC Groningen were auctioned, and every night a celebrity guest stayed for one night. The year's theme song was ''One Song'' by rockband Rigby, and ''It Gets Better'' by Ryan Shaw became the event's anthem. Minister for Development Cooperation Bert Koenders contributed €3 million on behalf of the Dutch government — €4,113,447 was raised by the public.

Belgium: Music For Life 2009

Studio Brussel again located its glass house in Ghent and the DJs were Siska Schoeters, Sam Debruyn and Sofie Lemaire. With the simple slogan ''Stop Malaria'' it raised €3,955,223, primarily for mosquito nets in Burundi. Like the previous years €1,300,000 came from the Belgian federal and Flemish governments, and €2,655,223 from listeners.

Sweden: Musikhjälpen 2009

Musikhjälpen 2009 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 theme of the 144-hour show was ''Din musik stoppar malaria'' (Your music stops malaria) and it raised a total of 5,748,442 SEK (or €552,425).

Switzerland: Jeder Rappen zählt

In 2009, an appeal with the slogan '' Jeder Rappen zählt'' — "every (Swiss) penny counts" — was held for the first time in Bern, aimed at German-speaking Switzerland. In the glass house were Radio SRF 3 DJs Mario Torriani, Nik Hartmann and Judith Wernli. In total, CHF 9,348,113 (or €4,699,410) was raised to fight malaria, using the moniker ''Gemeinsam gegen Malaria'' (Together against malaria.).

Kenya: Serious Request 2009

Ghetto Radio's broadcast of ''Stop Malaria, Play the Music'' in Nairobi was violently interrupted on 23 December, when its glass house was hit by a tropical rainstorm. However nobody was injured; the DJs were taken to a hotel where they continued to refuse food. They resumed broadcast the next day after the glass house was repaired. Contrary to their 2008 effort, this time fundraising was an objective, however the achieved result was not made public.

2010 – HIV/AIDS and children

All five projects from 2009 were given a continuation, with varying themes relating to HIV/AIDS and children. The Dutch and Belgian efforts centered on orphaned children in sub-Saharan Africa, especially those who became such by losing one or both parents to AIDS. The Swiss theme were children in war zones and conflict areas, whereas the Swedes focused on the fight against trafficking of children. In Kenya on the other hand, education about HIV/AIDS was the spearpoint, and people were called to have themselves tested.

Netherlands

The 2010 location for Serious Request was Eindhoven

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