Happy Station Show
The Happy Station Show was one of the world's longest-running international radio programmes, having originated in 1928 on shortwave radio and airing its final edition on 27 December 2020.
| Other names | La Estación de la Alegría |
|---|---|
| Genre | light entertainment |
| Running time | 48-90 minutes |
| Country of origin | Netherlands (English: 1928–1995; Spanish: 1928–1999) Taiwan (2009–2020) |
| Home station | PCJJ (1928–1947) Radio Netherlands (1947–1995) PCJ Radio (2009–2020) |
| Starring | Eddy Startz (1928–1969) Tom Meijer (1970–1992) Pete Myers (1992–1993) Jonathan Groubert (1993–1995) Jaime Báguena (Spanish; 1992–1999) Keith Perron (2009–2020) |
| Created by | Eddy Startz |
| Original release | 18 November 1928 – 17 September 1995 Revived series: 12 March 2009 – 27 December 2020 |
The original show followed a format of light entertainment, special guests, music, and information about Dutch life. Later, the show pioneered international call-in shows, in both the English and Spanish versions, during the 1970s.
Happy Station was PCJJ's and then Radio Netherlands Worldwide's most popular programme, claiming an audience of as high as 100 million in the 1930s and 25 million in the 1970s. Founding host Eddie Startz claimed in 1936 that the show had received one million letters and QSL cards in the eight years since it went on the air in 1928.
Happy Station's run was interrupted twice — from 1940 until 1946 due to World War II and again from 1995 when it was cancelled until its revival in 2009. The revived programme was not affiliated with Radio Netherlands Worldwide or RNW Media.