RMF24 is uniquely placed as the largest commercial radio station in Europe. Tomasz Ramza (Chief Negotiations Officer & Managing Ad Sales Director of Grupa RMF) and his organisation decided to create a radio station for refugees. Within ten minutes of putting a call into Poland’s radio regulator, they had permission to launch the radio station, within two hours, they had their first journalists and within 30 hours, they were on air.
The radio station isn’t about news. It’s information: where to go, what to do, rules for receiving public health care, plus addresses and numbers for NGOs.
Johannes Ott (CEO of Radio Gong 96.3) had many of the same questions and feelings about the unfolding refugee crisis. Radio Gong 96.3 built an online platform where people can organise accommodation for refugees, matching people with spare rooms with those looking for one.
Thomas Giger (Branding Consultant at PURE Jingles) spoke about Radio 555, a pop-up format that co-opts popular radio stations for good causes. It had previously been wheeled out for the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. In 2022, it’s being used to raise money for refugees. They raised €106 million and that money is distributed across several projects including UNICEF and more.
All of these projects have a few things in common and all play to radio’s core strength: A simple concept with mass appeal and a strong call to action, all driven by an urgent need happening nearby.
