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Dutch Top 2000 facts – Top2000feitjes website

← History of the Top 2000

History of radio in the Netherlands

From Hanso Idzerda's first broadcast in 1919 to the Top 2000 of today: the most important moments from a hundred years of Dutch radio, by period. Each moment has a year; the underlined names open a short explanation from Wikipedia or a page on this site.

Veronica: the offshore station that woke up HilversumFrom offshore station to legal to commercial: the full story with a timeline and DJs. Opens in a window.

1919-1939: the first stations and the pillars

  1. 6 November 1919
    Hanso Idzerda begins regular music broadcasts from his home in The Hague, under the call sign PCGG. At first he plays gramophone records, later a small ensemble plays live. It is seen as the beginning of Dutch radio.
  2. 1923
    In Hilversum, the Hilversumsche Draadlooze Omroep begins, the predecessor of the AVRO.
  3. 1924
    The NCRV is founded. In November the government revokes Idzerda's licence, and a month later his company goes bankrupt.
  4. 1925
    The KRO and the VARA come into being. The first news broadcasts also begin in these years.
  5. 1926
    The VPRO is founded. This is how pillarisation grows in broadcasting: every social group gets its own broadcasting association.
  6. 1930
    The Zendtijdbesluit regulates how much airtime the broadcasting associations get.
In the Top 2000

There are 6 songs from these years (released up to and including 1939) in the Top 2000. The highest-ranked: Summertime by Billie Holiday (No. 547 in 2003), followed by We'll Meet Again by Vera Lynn (No. 554 in 1999) and Rhapsody In Blue by George Gershwin (No. 599 in 1999).

Background photo: Crystal radio receiver by Ernst Jahnke (c. 1925), Hihiman, CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and tinted.

1940-1959: occupation, reconstruction and television

  1. 1940
    After the German invasion, the occupiers centralise broadcasting in the Nederlandsche Omroep. On 28 July 1940 the first broadcast of Radio Oranje airs, the voice of the Dutch government in London. Queen Wilhelmina addresses the nation.
  2. 1943
    Dutch people have to hand in their radio sets. Many hide their set so they can still listen to Radio Oranje.
  3. 1944
    Hanso Idzerda, the pioneer of Dutch radio, is shot by the German occupiers on suspicion of espionage.
  4. 1945
    After the liberation, the pre-war broadcasting system returns, with the pillars and their own associations.
  5. 1947
    The Nederlandse Radio Unie (NRU) is founded and handles the shared technology of the broadcasters.
  6. 1951
    The Nederlandse Televisie Stichting begins regular television broadcasts. Radio remains the medium for music.
In the Top 2000

There are 76 songs from these years (released from 1940 to 1959 inclusive) in the Top 2000. The highest-ranked: White Christmas by Bing Crosby (No. 218 in 1999), followed by Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets (No. 239 in 1999) and Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley (No. 247 in 1999).

Background photo: Queen Wilhelmina speaks via Radio Oranje (1940), unknown photographer / Anefo, public domain. Resized and tinted.

1960-1974: offshore stations and Hilversum 3

  1. April 1960
    Radio Veronica starts broadcasting from the ship Borkum Riff, outside Dutch waters. It is a Dutch-language station with pop music and advertising, outside the broadcasting system. The whole Veronica story
  2. 15 August 1964
    From the REM-eiland in the North Sea, Radio Noordzee and TV Noordzee begin broadcasting. On 12 December 1964 the government ends such platforms by law, and on 17 December the Marine Corps shuts down the broadcasts. Veronica continues in November 1964 from a new ship, the Norderney.
  3. 11 October 1965
    The public broadcaster answers with Hilversum 3: a pop station of its own. It becomes the predecessor of 3FM.
  4. 1965-1966
    A year after the navy's action, Radio Noordzee continues legally as TROS.
  5. 1967
    Advertising arrives on the public stations, handled by the Ster.
  6. 1969
    The NRU and the television foundation merge into the NOS. Hilversum 3 starts its own chart, the Top 30.
  7. June 1974
    The Hilversum 3 chart becomes the Nationale Hitparade.
  8. 31 August 1974
    Radio Veronica broadcasts from sea for the last time, at 6 p.m.. After that, broadcasting from sea is banned in the Netherlands. Veronica continues within the public broadcasting system.
In the Top 2000

There are 1,393 songs from these years (released from 1960 to 1974 inclusive) in the Top 2000. The highest-ranked: Imagine by John Lennon (No. 1 in 2015), followed by Child In Time by Deep Purple (No. 2 in 2000) and Piano Man by Billy Joel (No. 2 in 2025).

Background photo: The REM island (1964), Hugo van Gelderen / Anefo, CC0. Resized and tinted.

1975-1991: Veronica goes legal, Radio 1 to 4 and the first commercial station

  1. 28 December 1975
    The Veronica Omroep Organisatie (VOO) is recognised and opens Hilversum 4.
  2. 1 December 1985
    The radio networks get new names: Hilversum 3 becomes Radio 3, and Radio 2 has carried that name since that date as well.
  3. 30 September 1988
    Sky Radio launches, at first only via cable. Its founders are Lex Harding and Ton Lathouwers, both formerly DJs at Veronica. Commercial radio over the air was not yet permitted.
In the Top 2000

There are 1,736 songs from these years (released from 1975 to 1991 inclusive) in the Top 2000. The highest-ranked: Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen (No. 1 in 1999), followed by Hotel California by Eagles (No. 1 in 2010) and Paradise By The Dashboard Light by Meat Loaf (No. 5 in 1999).

Background photo: Sharp GF-777 boombox, Sharpoff (Russian Wikipedia), public domain. Resized and tinted.

1992-2005: commercial radio and the start of the Top 2000

  1. 1992
    Commercial broadcasting is regulated by law. On 11 December Radio 538 starts from a villa in Bussum, founded by former Veronica staff led by Lex Harding, among them Erik de Zwart. Ruud de Wild and Jeroen van Inkel work there early in their careers.
  2. 1994
    From January, Radio 3 is called 3FM and reaches the whole country via FM.
  3. 1995
    Veronica leaves the public broadcasting system and becomes a commercial station. After a petition with 320,000 signatures, Radio 538 is granted an FM licence.
  4. 1999
    On Radio 2 the Top 2000 begins: the first edition, between Christmas and New Year. At No. 1 is 'Bohemian Rhapsody' by Queen. See also all editions.
  5. 2004
    The charity project 3FM Serious Request gets under way.
  6. 31 August 2005
    Qmusic starts broadcasting on the frequencies of the former Noordzee FM.
In the Top 2000

There are 718 songs from these years (released from 1992 to 2005 inclusive) in the Top 2000. The highest-ranked: Avond by Boudewijn De Groot (No. 1 in 2005), followed by Fix You by Coldplay (No. 2 in 2024) and November Rain by Guns N' Roses (No. 6 in 2003).

Background photo: Sony Discman D121, Morn (English Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and tinted.

2006 to now: digital, streaming and the Top 2000 on your screen

  1. 2013
    Radio goes digital: the public stations move to DAB+, and on 1 September 2013 the commercial stations start on DAB+ too.
  2. 19 August 2014
    Radio 2 and 3FM get a new name: NPO Radio 2 and NPO 3FM.
  3. 2015
    3FM turns 50 and broadcasts for four days from Pampus.
  4. 2018
    Radio 538 stops the Nederlandse Top 40 and continues with the 538TOP50.
  5. November 2019
    The Netherlands celebrates a hundred years of radio, a hundred years after Idzerda's first broadcast. A jury from the VARA-gids picks Frits Spits as the most important radio maker of the past century.
  6. now
    The Top 2000 is no longer just something to listen to: you can search the list by song, artist and presenter and follow live on this site what is playing.
In the Top 2000

There are 996 songs from these years (released from 2006 onwards) in the Top 2000. The highest-ranked: Roller Coaster by Danny Vera (No. 1 in 2020), followed by Mag Ik Dan Bij Jou by Claudia De Breij (No. 4 in 2015) and Someone Like You by Adele (No. 6 in 2011).

Background photo: AirPods, Maurizio Pesce, CC BY 2.0. Resized and tinted.

Scheduling: from fixed days to fixed times

With vertical scheduling, each broadcaster gets a fixed day or part of the day each week, so the station sounds different every day. With horizontal scheduling, a station broadcasts the same programme at the same time every day. The idea is that listeners can then tune in more easily. A well-known television example is the Achtuurjournaal. This is how it went on Dutch radio:

  1. the 1960s
    The term horizontal scheduling came to the Netherlands from Joost den Draaijer, alias Willem van Kooten, then programme director and presenter at the offshore station Veronica. Before that, the programmes on that station consisted of quarter-hour and half-hour slots spread across the week. The other offshore stations also switched to horizontal broadcasting.
  2. until October 1992
    On the public radio networks, each broadcaster has a fixed broadcast day each week. From May 1982, Veronica has Wednesday. Only De Avondspits from the NOS is scheduled horizontally.
  3. early October 1992
    Radio 3 switches to horizontal scheduling, with TROS Driedraai by Eddy Willemsen as its first programme. The rule of "a different broadcaster every day" largely disappears. On Radio 2, Hart van Twee starts in the same month, an afternoon programme made by a different broadcaster each day; the rest of the station remains vertical.
  4. 18 December 1993
    With the horizontal scheduling of Radio 3, the Nederlandse Top 40 leaves the station, in order to give the sound more unity.
  5. 2 January 1995
    Radio 2 schedules Monday to Friday horizontally, with a single jingle package by Ferry Maat, one voice and the dog Decibello as mascot. At first this applies only to the afternoon, later to the evening too, where the broadcasters take turns presenting De avond van 2. Programmes include Tijd voor Twee with Frits Spits and, from 1 September 1995, Maat in de middag with Ferry Maat.

Frequently asked questions

When did radio begin in the Netherlands?

Dutch radio began on 6 November 1919, when Hanso Idzerda made the first regular broadcasts from his home in The Hague under the call sign PCGG.

What was the first commercial offshore station for the Netherlands?

Radio Veronica, which began broadcasting from the ship Borkum Riff in April 1960. The station stopped on 31 August 1974, when broadcasting from sea was banned.

Since when has there been commercial radio in the Netherlands?

Sky Radio began in 1988 via cable. In 1992 commercial broadcasting was regulated by law, and Radio 538 started on 11 December of that year.

When did Hilversum 3, the predecessor of 3FM, start?

Hilversum 3 began on 11 October 1965. From 1 December 1985 the station was called Radio 3, from 1994 3FM and since 2014 NPO 3FM.

What is horizontal scheduling?

Horizontal scheduling is the principle that a radio or television programme is broadcast at the same time every day, so that listeners and viewers can tune in more easily. The opposite is vertical scheduling, where a broadcaster gets a fixed day or part of the day each week.

Since when has Radio 2 broadcast horizontally?

Since 2 January 1995, Radio 2 has scheduled Monday to Friday horizontally, at first only in the afternoon and later in the evening too. Radio 3 switched to horizontal scheduling in early October 1992.

Since when has the Top 2000 existed?

The first Top 2000 aired in 1999 on Radio 2, as a one-off list between Christmas and New Year. It has since become an annual tradition.

Sources

Years and facts have been checked against the sources below. Where sources contradict each other, the most cautious wording has been chosen. The short explanations in the Wikipedia pop-ups come from Wikipedia and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

The Top 2000

The Top 2000 is an annual listener chart from NPO Radio 2: the 2000 favourite songs of the listeners, broadcast between Christmas and New Year, from number 2000 to number 1. In 2026 it is the 28th edition.

How is the list put together?

Listeners vote in advance for their favourite songs. NPO Radio 2 counts the votes and turns them into the list. In 1999 you still voted with a coupon from the free newspaper Spits; now you do it via the NPO Radio 2 website.

How did it start?

Radio 2 came up with the list around the turn of the millennium and originally meant it as a one-off. It became so popular that it returned in 2000, and every year after that. More about this on the History page.

The broadcast

Since 2010 the broadcast has come from the Top 2000 Café at the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision (Beeld en Geluid) in Hilversum. In 2025 the broadcast lasted 168 hours, with number 1 just before midnight on 31 December. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen was number 1 in 22 editions.

Read more

About The Jumping Fox

Listen live

Listen live to NPO Radio 2 here. The sound only starts after a click.

On a computer or iPad you detach the live block with the icon to the left of full screen, or by dragging its top line outward. Grab the window by its title bar to move it, and pull the grip at the bottom right to make it larger or smaller (double-click the grip for the default size). The cross puts it back in the page.

The music keeps playing while you navigate this site; on the other pages the little speaker is at the top right. Reloading a page or leaving the site stops the radio.

The stream runs a few seconds behind the radio itself. Prefer to listen on nporadio2.nl? (opens in a new tab)

About this site

A personal project by Pim Uijttewaal: all Top 2000 lists since 1999 in one database, with facts, records and statistics. It is an extension of Alweer dat nummer? (opens in a new tab), my radio statistics for Dutch radio stations.

Listen live

You can also listen live to NPO Radio 2 here, and the music keeps playing while you navigate the site. For the song that is playing now you can see straight away whether and where it appeared in the Top 2000, with a link through to the artist and the song, plus the NPO Radio 2 programme and the presenter.

On a computer or iPad you will also see a camera icon in the live player, to the left of the gear. It opens the live studio images of NPO Radio 2 (Top 2000 Café) in a window on the page. You choose from three sizes, drag the window wherever you like and close it with the cross, while the radio just keeps playing. If you choose Watch live in the menu, the radio switches off and the window opens straight away with sound.

Tip! Want to enjoy the Top 2000, or just a regular Radio 2 day, even more? Drag the video and the radio next to each other. That way you see the stories about the artist and the record right away, with every song.

Navigating

On a computer or iPad you can place the windows as you like. Grab a window by its title bar and drag it wherever you want; with the arrow keys on the title bar you can nudge it too.

The live studio images come in three sizes: small, medium and full screen. Grab the little grip at the bottom right and you can pull the window larger or smaller; the picture keeps its proportions. Escape takes you back out of full screen. The cross closes the window.

You detach the live block with the radio using the icon to the left of full screen, or by dragging its top line outward. It then becomes a floating window that stays put as you navigate through the site. If you grab the grip at the bottom right, you can make the window larger or smaller; the size is remembered. The full-screen icon fills the whole screen. The cross puts the block back in the page.

When the radio window and the studio images are both open, you can drag them independently of each other. The window you click comes to the front.

From radio to picture

If the radio is playing and you click the camera icon in the live block, the site asks whether to switch the radio off and let the video take over the sound. If you choose Yes, the radio goes off and you hear the sound of the studio images, with a volume slider and a mute button. If you choose No, the radio keeps playing and you watch without sound.

If you choose Watch live in the menu, the site does it all in one go: the radio goes off, the picture opens with sound on the left, and the radio window detaches and sits next to it on the right. Both windows start just below the LP at the top left and together fill the width of the screen. After that you drag and resize them as you like. If you then click a menu item, that page opens as a window above the two windows; use the cross or Esc to close the page and see the windows again. Even if the picture was already open, Watch live puts both windows back in that fixed place. If the radio is not playing, the picture also opens with sound. On a phone there is only the radio and the facts: the studio images and detaching windows are for computer and iPad.

Search

At the top right, next to the “About this site” button, and at the bottom of every page, there is a magnifying glass. Use it to search the whole site: by artist, song, presenter or fact. Typos are fine, and a result immediately opens the matching explanation while the radio keeps playing. With the / key (or Ctrl/⌘ + K) you can also open the search without a mouse.

Under the Top 2000 results is the Basement League: artists and songs that never made the Top 2000, labelled Never charted. An artist from it has their own card with all songs by year of release. If an artist is also in the Top 2000, you see the Basement League songs under their regular card. If you only want the Top 2000, untick Also Basement League above the results.

Listen to a song

Click a song and its song card opens with the stories behind it. At the top of that card are two icons: Apple Music and Spotify. For almost every song the Apple Music icon takes you straight to the song itself; the Spotify icon searches for it. Both open in a new tab, so the radio keeps playing.

What have I done?

  • All editions from 1999 to 2025 combined: 27 lists of 2000 positions each.
  • The top 100 of every edition compared position by position with other sources. No real discrepancies were found, only spelling variants of titles.
  • Facts and records calculated from that data, and news facts looked up, always with a source.

Where does the data come from?

  • The lists themselves come from the Excel database by Erwin Groenhof (top2000database.wordpress.com). The original source is NPO Radio 2.
  • Checked against: top2000nl.com, Wikipedia, Ziggo and news reports.
  • Photos only come from Wikimedia Commons, with the creator's name and licence included.
  • The Basement League (artists and songs that never made the Top 2000) comes from MusicBrainz and Wikidata (both free to use) and Wikipedia. That data is maintained by volunteers and may be incomplete or inaccurate.

A look behind the technology

The lists are stored in a SQLite database; the pages themselves are generated statically with Jekyll. For the near-live section, my own collector checks what NPO Radio 2 is playing every 30 seconds and matches it to the position in the list. It is the same technique as on the radio page.

What has changed? An overview of the biggest changes to the site, with dates.

Want something like this made?

This site is an example of what I build. More in the explanation of the database, or get in touch via The Jumping Fox.

Logo and rights

The Top 2000 logo belongs to NPO Radio 2. This site is not run by or on behalf of NPO.

About The Jumping Fox

Top2000feitjes.nl

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The Jumping Fox

The top2000feitjes.nl website was developed by Pim Uijttewaal, owner of The Jumping Fox: smart IT solutions and apps. A robust site with smart features and database integration.

The most notable features:

How all of this works, right down to the database, you can read at About this site. This window stays open.

Also always available for IT-related assignments.

On thejumpingfox.nl you can read more about the company and find the other apps too.

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What has changed?

The biggest changes to the site, with dates. The newest comes first.

Friday 6 November 2026

Thursday 5 November 2026

Wednesday 4 November 2026

Tuesday 3 November 2026

Monday 2 November 2026

Switch the live radio off and take over the sound of the video?

If you choose Yes, the radio switches off and you hear the sound of the studio images. If you choose No, the radio keeps playing and you watch without sound.
SQLITEone file

What is SQLite?

SQLite is a database in one ordinary file. There is no separate database server around it: the program that needs the data opens the file and queries it, in the language SQL. That makes it light, fast and reliable, and easy to move or back up: you simply copy the file.

Why here?

The entire Top 2000 since 1999 fits in a file of about 5 megabytes: 27 editions of 2000 songs each, making 54,000 chart entries for almost 5,000 different songs. A few queries to that database bring out the records and facts on this site, such as the highest new entries, the heavy hitters and the one-hit entries. The results are baked into static pages in advance, so visitors never notice the database and the site stays fast.

A well-known technique

SQLite is free software (public domain) and one of the most widely used databases in the world. Your phone, your browser and many apps quietly use it for their own data. I use the same approach for the radio statistics, and for the Basement League: a SQLite file of about 460 megabytes with over 4 million songs, in which search takes a fraction of a second.

This is just an example

This site shows what I can build. I can make something like it for you, for your business, club or subject:

I build it, maintain it and make it available to you, under your own name or domain.

Need a quality website? Or custom software? I make that through The Jumping Fox. Tell me what you want, and I will help you think it through.

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