The Netherlands Radio Live — Free Online Stations

On 5 November 1919, a Dutch newspaper carried a small advertisement: the next evening, music would be broadcast by wireless from The Hague. It was announced in advance, on a fixed schedule, which is why many historians count it among the very first true radio programmes in the world. A century later, the Netherlands still has one of the most original radio systems anywhere. It is that heritage you discover when you search for Dutch radio live or want to listen to Dutch radio online.

6 November 1919: PCGG

At eight in the evening on Thursday 6 November 1919, the engineer Hanso Idzerda broadcast a programme from his home in The Hague, using a transmitter with the call sign PCGG. The very first sound was a music box. Idzerda's purpose was commercial: he built and sold radio receivers, and his concerts gave people a reason to buy them. They were heard across the border, even in the south of England. The money from listeners never covered the costs, and the station went bankrupt in the mid-1920s. During the Second World War, Idzerda joined the resistance.

Radio by religion and politics

What happened next made Dutch radio unique. In the 1920s, Dutch society was divided into separate communities, or "pillars", each with its own churches, schools, newspapers and political parties. Radio followed the same lines. Protestants founded the NCRV in 1924, Catholics the KRO in 1925, socialists the VARA the same year, liberal Protestants the VPRO in 1926, and a general broadcaster grew into the AVRO. Instead of one national broadcaster, these associations shared airtime on the same transmitters, each on its own evenings. Hilversum, where the transmitters stood, became the capital of Dutch broadcasting, and its name was printed on radio dials across Europe.

Radio by cable, a century early

In the 1920s, residents of Rotterdam could subscribe to radio by cable. Each customer received a speaker and a small box with two knobs, one for volume and one to choose a station, because entrepreneurs assumed that a real receiver would be too expensive for ordinary families.

Radio Oranje and the war

During the German occupation, the Dutch government in exile broadcast Radio Oranje from London, sending news, commentary and satire to listeners who risked punishment for tuning in.

The ship off Scheveningen

In 1960, an offshore station called Radio Veronica began broadcasting pop music from an old lightship anchored in international waters off the Dutch coast. It quickly attracted more listeners than the official broadcasters. A new law ended offshore broadcasting on 1 September 1974, and Veronica went silent the night before. It then joined the public system as a legal broadcaster, and the energy of the pirates reshaped Dutch pop radio.

Public and commercial, side by side

Today NPO Radio 1, Radio 2 and 3FM carry the public broadcasters, while commercial networks lead among younger listeners, and DAB+ digital radio is widely available. The broadcasting associations still exist, a living trace of the old pillars. Below you can play the Dutch radio stations online we index, free in your browser.