Radio 538

Radio 538

Broadcast area	Netherlands
Slogan	Radio = 538 Eén station, alle hits (One station, all the hits)
Frequency	between 102.0 and 102.9 MHz (FM) (and in Limburg on 891 kHz midwave)
First air date	11 December 1992
Audience share	12% (January 2012 / February 2012, [1])
Owner	Talpa Media Holding
Sister stations	Radio10Gold and SLAM!FM
Webcast	Live Player
Website	www.radio538.nl

Radio 538 (radio vijf-drie-acht) is a Dutch commercial radio station aimed at young people. It has a broad format which includes Top 40, dance, R&B and recent hits. As of January-February 2012, the station has a daily audience reach in the 7.00-19.00 time period of 12%, putting it in first place. The regional broadcasting network from ORN Radio is on second place with 11,9%, the thirth place is for the public broadcaster Radio 2 with a rating of 10%.^[1]

History

Radio 538 Competition

Radio 538 was founded in 1992 by a group of former employees of Radio Veronica, led by Lex Harding. Transmissions began on 11 December 1992 from a villa in Bussum. The name Radio 538 is a reference to the wavelength (538 m) on which Veronica was broadcast in the seventies.

Initially, from its start in 1992 until 1995, Radio 538 was available only via cable. A request to be allowed to broadcast over the air was rejected at that time. Following a media campaign during which 320,000 signatures were collected, Radio 538 got its over-the-air frequency in 1995 – or more precisely, a collection of several regional frequencies. In 2003, Radio 538 was granted a new nationwide frequency, 102 MHz (FM). Radio 538 had to pay €57 million for the new frequencies, which it can operate until 2011.

In 1995 Lex Harding started TMF (The Music Factory), a TV station, and Erik de Zwart became the new chairman of Radio 538. At the end of 2002 Erik de Zwart left to go to competitor Noordzee FM. Jan-Willem Brüggenwirth became the new chairman. In December 2003 Radio 538 was sold to Advent International, Lex Harding retaining 10% of the shares. In May 2005 Radio 538 was sold in its entirety to John de Mol's Talpa company. In June 2007 the Talpa holding was sold to RTL Nederland.

However the station and its sister stations Radio 10 gold and SLAM!FM are again owned by Talpa Media since 1 January 2012. The return of his share in RTL Nederland, was a deal to acquire SBS Nederland together with Sanoma Media from ProSiebenSat.1 Media.

Spinoffs

In 1999 Radio 538 started the hip-hop and contemporary R&B program Juize, which developed into the radio station Juize.FM on 18 July 2004. Currently^[when?], the station has 16,000 listeners per day^{[citation needed]}, making it one of the five most popular radio stations on the internet. Since 1 July 2005, Juize FM is broadcast in most of the Netherlands by cable and has also started running shows with presenters.

DJ's (2012)

Former DJ's

See also

• List of radio stations in the Netherlands

References

External links

• Radio 538 web site
• Radio 538 Info Page
• Radio 538 Fanclub