NPO 3FM
 |
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| City | Hilversum |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Netherlands (nationwide) |
| Slogan | "Listen, Watch, Share.... 3fm.nl" (2014-present) "Serious Radio" (2003-present) "Als je van muziek houdt, dan luister je naar 3FM" (If you love music, you listen to 3FM) (2002-present) |
| Frequency |
FM: 88.6–103.9 MHz DAB+: 12C CanalDigitaal: 703 (Astra 23.5°E) Digitenne: 103 KPN: 803 Ziggo: 803 Various frequencies on analogue cable |
| First air date | October 11, 1965 (As Hilversum 3) |
| Format | Adult contemporary music (pop, rock, alternative) |
| Transmitter coordinates | Coordinates: 52°14′20″N 5°10′08″E / 52.238882°N 5.168761°E |
| Owner | NPO |
| Sister stations |
NPO Radio 1 NPO Radio 2 NPO Radio 4 NPO Radio 5 NPO Soul & Jazz FunX |
| Webcast |
Radioplayer 3FM Webstream Webcam DJ Cam 3FM Square All-in-One |
| Website | 3FM.nl |
NPO 3FM is a Dutch pop/rock radio station controlled by public broadcaster NPO. Its format is a combination of contemporary hit radio, alternative and rock. It can be compared with BBC Radio 1.
Launching on 11 October 1965, NPO 3FM was created as Hilversum 3 (later Radio 3) by the Minister for Culture and Social Recreation, Maarten Vrolijk, to counterbalance the popular new offshore stations such as Radio Veronica.
Due to the nature of the Dutch public broadcasting system, with several broadcasters being awarded airtime based on the numbers of paying members they have, 3FM hosts radio shows by different broadcasters. In the early days of the station, this led to a mixed bag of programs barely linked to each other. As an example, Christian broadcaster EO used to broadcast Christian-themed programs (including a request show with religious music), followed by the now legal Radio Veronica with a format based on Top 40-pop.
Up until the early 1990s, NPO 3FM (then known as Radio 3) did not have a horizontal radio format, with each public broadcaster filling one day a week. This prevented the station to gain a recognisable stature, although it was easily the most-listened to radio station in The Netherlands, aided by the fact that commercial terrestrial radio was illegal until the early 1990s.
The dawn of commercial competition and changing ideas about modern radio forced Radio 3 to overhaul its format drastically in 1992. First, three broadcasters (NCRV, KRO and AVRO) decided to join forces and introduced Het Station, with a horizontal format for three days (Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays), with programs hosted by DJs from these three broadcasters.
About a year later, Radio 3 went horizontal completely, with each public broadcaster losing its own designated day but getting a fixed and daily time slot instead.
This system is still in place as of 2015, with the following broadcasters filling a time slot on weekdays:
A number of broadcasters have less airtime, due to the fact that they are smaller in membership size, or that they simply do not have much interest in broadcasting on 3FM. These are PowNed (Friday afternoons and evenings), EO (Sunday evenings). TROS divides its programming between Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
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