Radio Forever! A Guide To The Estonian Radio Stations

It's worth noting that the vast majority of Estonian radio programs are entirely in Estonian, and although the music itinerary for any given station can be quite diverse, and feature songs in many languages, the talk programs and general conversation is all typically in Estonian. 

Here is an overview of the most popular radio stations in Estonia:

Vikerraadio Vikerraadio is an Estonian national radio station.

Firstly, a bit of history. The predecessor of Estonian National Broadcasting Company, Eesti Raadio, had four radio stations in 1993: the more conservative I program; the lighter II program, Vikerraadio Vikerraadio is an Estonian national radio station. ; the III program, for foreign broadcasts; and the Russian-language IV program. After the radio reformation, Vikerraadio Vikerraadio is an Estonian national radio station. was merged with the I program, and an entirely new station was born. For program II, Raadio 2 Raadio 2 is an Estonian radio station. , a station was made for young people. For program IV, the Russian-language Raadio 4 was born, and the classical-music-oriented Klassikaradio was founded in 1995.

Just like any familiar good story... "In the beginning, there was..." Vikerraadio Vikerraadio is an Estonian national radio station. ! How's that for dramatic effect? Vikerraadio Vikerraadio is an Estonian national radio station. is a radio station that was a part of the Estonian National Broadcasting Company. It is one of the oldest radio stations in Estonia. Although Vikerraadio Vikerraadio is an Estonian national radio station. sounds programmatically as though it is primarily aimed at pensioner-aged listeners, (and the average listener IS generally over 60), it is still a musically-diverse radio station, and one that can surprise listeners. As of 2022, Vikerraadio Vikerraadio is an Estonian national radio station. is still the most listened-to radio station in Estonia by day, week, and month.

Vikerradio was launched in 1967 and is thusly the oldest radio station still operating today. It is a station that focuses on general interests, and since it is a station belonging to the Estonian National Broadcasting Company, Vikerraadio Vikerraadio is an Estonian national radio station. is an important avenue for fast, adequate, and important information, while also providing the occasional upbeat program, as well. Vikerradio's music selection varies from the hits of today, to "forgotten-archive" songs, which in some extreme cases, can only be found in this archive! Vikerraadio Vikerraadio is an Estonian national radio station. 's program is an excellent place to acquaint yourself with older Estonian music that you'll likely never hear anywhere else. This program shines light on music that you wouldn't be able to seek out on your own, even if you knew what you were looking for.

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Raadio 2 Raadio 2 is an Estonian radio station.

Vikerradio's younger, fiercer and more-eccentric younger brother is Raadio 2 Raadio 2 is an Estonian radio station. , which also belongs to the Estonian National Broadcasting Company. Raadio 2 Raadio 2 is an Estonian radio station. is a radio station that launched in 1993, and focuses on the latest in Estonian pop music. Raadio 2 Raadio 2 is an Estonian radio station. 's program is largely built on the goal of introducing the latest albums and singles of Estonian musicians, and giving a platform to bands and musicians who are still largely unknown. In terms of programming, Raadio 2 Raadio 2 is an Estonian radio station. is certainly the most-recent and the most-modern radio station in Estonia. It's aimed at the modernization of Estonian pop music culture. The station also includes programs featuring genre-specific music, mainstream pop, and also older Estonian pop music, which is already beloved by many Estonians.

There is also spoken conversation within the Radio 2 broadcast, but it's not quite the same as the Vikerradio broadcast. Vikerradio has literal "talk shows," whereas Radio 2 will more offer simple commentary on the music at hand. Because of this, Radio 2 can help you learn about the pop music history of Estonia, as well as of the rest world. You can listen to Estonia's most talented musicians, music critics, and disc jockeys, all talking about their favorite topic: music!

Raadio 2 Raadio 2 is an Estonian radio station. also gives out an important music award at the end of each year, which recognizes the best newcomers on the Estonian music scene.

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Raadio Elmar

Raadio Elmar is only radio station that almost exclusively plays Estonian-language music. Elmar is a unique radio station, as it only broadcasts songs performed by Estonian artists, which are primarily sung in Estonian. This radio station does also occasionally include English and French music, as well. The station, created in 1997, originally played older Western hits alongside the expected Estonian catalog. Listeners would hear the works of ABBA, Boney M., and Baccara, which were extremely popular artists among the average audience at the time. As the years went by, Elmar primarily switched to Estonian-language music, and has stayed on that model ever since. After Estonia's victory at Eurovision, however, English-lyric songs by Estonian musicians were also added to the program, as well.

Raadio Elmar has long been the most loved and listened to radio station among Estonians, with a record number of listeners in the early 2000s. History repeats itself, though, as Vikerraadio Vikerraadio is an Estonian national radio station. has recently taken over as the most popular radio station in Estonia again. Raadio Elmar's program is quite colorful, and the radio station mixes the latest Estonian songs with modern cover versions of old songs. Listeners will also get to hear older Estonian pop music from the 1950s, evergreen hits, and even obscene parody songs.

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Rock FM

Rock FM is Estonia's only true rock radio station, which was founded in 2017 after Sky Media bought the previous Rádio Mania frequency. While Rádio Mania primarily played heavy metal and niche music, Rock FM took over a somewhat more generic model, and began to offer listeners a blend of more mainstream metal, softer rock, radio-friendly heavy rock, and popular rock bands. A large part of their radio repertoire also consists of new domestic rock music, and thus Rock FM has given a springboard to some young rock bands, which has brightened and refreshed the local music scene. 

Similar to the previous broadcasts covered here, you can also find some talk shows on the Rock FM program. These conversations often have an ironic undertone to them, with a large portion of the speakers being local heavy-rock fans, popular rock musicians, and just genre-related fans. 

The interludes within this broadcast are humorous in nature, because they often feature the voices of familiar Estonian pop musicians who announce, with disappointment, that Rock FM unfortunately does not play their music. This makes Rock FM an ideal radio station for anybody who does not want to listen to serious conversation, is not interested in politics, and enjoys the world of lighter rock music, while also finding an intrigue in Estonia's local rock and heavy metal scenes, as well.

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Retro FM

Similar to previous broadcasts covered in this article, Retro FM's program features a lot of popular Estonian music, along with pop music from the '70s, '80s and '90s, one hit wonders, and everything that could be characterized by the ever-popular adjective of "retro."

Retro FM is a great way to gain an overview of local disco and dance-party music from the aforementioned decades. If you tune into Retro FM, though, then you might have to suffer through a number of "retro hits," as well. At the very least, Retro FM has been offering an interesting web radio in recent years, Retro FM Eestikas, which solely spotlights Estonian-language music. This makes it considerately easier to get acquainted with retro-sounding Estonian music.

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Sky Plus Sky Plus is an Estonian commercial radio station. ; MyHits; Power Hit Radio Power Hit Radio is an Estonian dance music radio station.

There are also several radio stations in Estonia with similar broadcasting sensibilities. Oftentimes, the only main differences are presenters, and how in-depth they'll go into their respective topics. In terms of programming, Sky Plus Sky Plus is an Estonian commercial radio station. , MyHits, and Power Hit Radio Power Hit Radio is an Estonian dance music radio station. are the most modern stations, with a focus on the freshest Estonian and world pop music. These stations also have an exciting mix of genres, which includes everything from EDM to techno, and pop to rap.

Check out their websites - Sky, MyHits, Power Hit.
 

About the author:
 Tuuli Põhjakas is the culture editor for the daily paper, Postimees Postimees is an Estonian daily newspaper. . 
Tuuli has always dreamed of calling herself a writer, but until that day comes, she writes in Postimees Postimees is an Estonian daily newspaper. about her musical passions, ventures to a variety of concerts, and tries to find her way in this world. Tuuli has studied philosophy and religious studies at the University of Tartu University of Tartu - Tartu Ülikool is an Estonian higher education institute. , and has written two bachelor’s theses on Friedrich Nietzsche. Additionally, she hates talking about herself in the third person.