Radio 100

Note: This article reflects a personal view and has no intention to be complete or precise.

Radio 100 is an Amsterdam based pirate radio station. It's on air 24 hours a day, from about 16.00 hours till 02.00 hours live and from 02.00 hours till about 16.00 hours from looping cassettes. There are about 50 programme makers. Each programme is totally autonomous. In fact the only thing that is forbidden is isms.

Some history.
The foundation of the stations lies in the early 80's when an alternative music radio station came in the air, radio GOT. In that time already a squatters radio existed bringing squat-news and political information. Other music stations appeared and they started sharing frequencies and equipment. Among others there were Rabotnik, DFM and Factum FM.

In the beginning it was mostly 'New-wave' music, but experiments were lurking. Slowly experiments with music, words and sounds emerged. After some time sharing everything in 1985 the obvious step was taken (and that wasn't easy), the stations merged and Radio 100 was born. The name was taken from the frequency on the FM band, 100 MHz.

Around 1986 in the Netherlands legal local radio was emerging. Some people from Radio 100 founded a local station, Radio X. In the beginning they shared the news show on prime time with Radio 100 but were forced to stop that due to the illegal status of Radio 100. Radio X is now Radio Amsterdam and completely assimilated in the local broadcasting business.

In the same period House music emerged and Radio 100 was, together with the Soho Connection, organising the first Raves in the Amsterdam area in a deserted warehouse in the western harbour district. In the air several experiments were going on, like on Saturday nights club DJ's in the studio and small parties around town without a DJ but with a tuner.

In the mean time the art of mixing was extended. Recognising the roots of electronic music (John Cage, Morton Subotnic, Dick Raaymakers and others) experiments with Electro-acoustic music combined with dance, classical and home-made music became an issue. A lot of noise was produced and still is.

Since Radio 100 is an illegal station there was (and is) always a danger from the authorities. In 1991 there was a mayor bust. People were arrested, equipment seized and the station silenced. After 24 hours the station was back in the air and support from the community was enormous. Within 2 weeks fundraising parties generated enough money to replace the seized equipment and the station was saved.

And up till this moment it is, in my opinion, the best station in the world.

There is a wide range of programmes. From radio-plays to DJ's from talkshows to heavy mixing. Once every month there is a radio meeting. That's were new programmes are discussed, technical and other issues come to table.

The programme makers pay the station. Everyone pays dfl 30,- each quarter. Also parties and other events ad to the stations finance.

The studio is very basic, an extended disco mixer (8 stereo channels), 2 Technics SL1200 turntables, 4 cassette decks, 3 CD players and a computer. Two simple speakers and a receiver complete the set-up.

A lot of people who started their carrier with radio 100 now are working in the public and commercial broadcasting business.