ERIK DE ZWART, RADIO DJ & MEDIA ENTREPRENEUR

From teenage disc jockey at local school parties to experienced radio maker at Radio Veronica to chairman of the Dutch Top 40 foundation: media entrepreneur Erik de Zwart has already had quite a bit of airtime during his career. But who helped him on his road to success? Who was his wheelbarrow?Text: Mical Joseph
Image: Erik de Zwart

What was your very first job?

“As a teenager I delivered newspapers and the PTT Post in Amsterdam-West. I had to work while attending high school, because I had an expensive hobby: I wanted to become a disc jockey at the age of 13 and had to purchase equipment.”

What made you want to become a disc jockey?

“A friend of my brother was a disc jockey at one drive-in show in high school. He played at several school parties and at one point I arranged a performance for the show. I also wanted to follow the same path and started my new hobby at school parties and sports clubs. In the meantime, I stayed put and went from Athens back to HAVO and eventually obtained my MAVO diploma.”

And then?

“In my time there was actually no media training. I could go to the School of Journalism, but that didn't appeal to me at all, so I worked at different companies. In the meantime I was still running at the drive-in shows, where I earned a nice amount of money and traveled all over the country. I had two shows every weekend and was always working on my passion. Corry Vonk, my grandmother's sister, was married to Wim Kan, a well-known Dutch comedian. Sometimes I went along and stood backstage at the DeLaMar Theater in Amsterdam. That's how I got to know the media a little bit.”

What did your parents actually do for a living?

“My father worked as a sales manager at an electrical wholesaler and my mother was initially a housewife until I went to secondary school as the youngest in the family. She then took an office job. So my parents were not entrepreneurs at all. My brother and I, on the other hand, have always had an entrepreneurial spirit.”

How did you end up in your current job?

“Hilversum was a bastion in the 70s that was very difficult to get into. I therefore decided that I needed to gain a lot of experience to progress in the radio world. I was self-taught and trained myself, so to speak. Before I 'presented' myself to radio stations, I made the ultimate job application tape at the age of 23. I sent this to the KRO, because my family was originally Catholic, and to the then new Veronica.

The bizarre thing was that I was accepted at both and therefore had to choose. I chose Veronica, because this opportunity was one in a million. With not a lot of airtime, I actually liked it. This way I could view the Hilversum world from the inside and train myself!”

In the 80s I worked at Veronica, from '92 at Radio 538 as program leader, from 1995 as general director, in 2003 I set up the radio arm of Talpa, including a few foreign radio stations and the job at Radio Veronica in 2014 was a interim job that only lasted 2 years. For the last 15 years I have mainly been an entrepreneur.” 

Who was your wheelbarrow in that?

“In addition to helping me get far, Lex Harding taught me the tricks of the radio trade. He not only taught me how to make radio programs from A to Z, but also how to do business. Lex was the one who took me to Radio 538 after which we made the station great.”

What is the biggest difference between the current radio landscape and that of the time?

“Nowadays there is a huge range and something for everyone. When I started there was only Hilversum 1, 2 and 3. Hilversum 1 and 2 reported on agriculture and horticulture and Hilversum 3 showed the pictures. Of course, many people often switched to Hilversum 3.

Matthijs van Nieuwkerk and Leo Blokhuis always make me laugh. They pretend that they invented the hits of the 70s and 80s, but the gentlemen did not play them at all at the time. In fact, Blokhuis used to work at the EO and played psalms on Hilversum 3. The hits were played on Veronica and the AVRO.”

What is your greatest passion in your profession?

“Doing my best and therefore gaining the appreciation of the audience is high on my list. This appreciation is translated into the listening figures and I think that everyone who is in the media is largely responsible for this.” 

What has been the biggest learning moment in your career?

“A big learning moment was the start of Radio538 in 1993. Lex and I came from Hilversum 3 where we had 25 percent of the market share, 538 had three percent market share. So that was a wake-up call: there was a lot of work to be done. By putting our minds to rest and just carrying on, we got FM frequencies and 538 gained brand awareness.”

Nowadays you have the streaming platform 24Trains, a platform aimed at train fanatics that can be seen in more than 160 countries. What is your connection with… trains?

“I have been a huge collector of model trains for much of my life and for the last fifteen years I have been taking occasional train trips to the Alps which I enjoy very much. During one of my trips, the idea arose of a platform where train enthusiasts can record their journeys and share this with other enthusiasts. This is how 24Trains was born last year. It's Netflix among train fanatics all over the world. So no commercials or interruptions, just content about trains.”

What advice would you give to your 18 year old self?

“Above all, be yourself in what you do and hold on to the dream. It is important to continue where others give up, because then you can make your dreams come true.”

 Have you been a wheelbarrow for someone?

“During my time at 538 I guided great, young talents who went on to have a glorious career as a (radio) entrepreneur. I think it is important that hardworking young people get the opportunity to work with professionals so that they gain the necessary experience.”