Triple J is an Australian public service radio station owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It caters to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian content than commercial networks.
The station began broadcasting in Sydney as Double J (2JJ) Unearthed provides airplay opportunities for independent artists, and has helped launch the careers of celebrated Australian musicians. The network also organises its own festivals like One Night Stand, and the Hottest 100, an annual public poll of popular music. Triple J has long been criticised over its evolving sound and for promoting a homogenous music scene.
History
1970s: Launch and early years
Plans
thumb|240x240px|[[Gough Whitlam (1974), under whose government Triple J was established]]
The launch of a new, youth-focused radio station was a product of the progressive media policies of the Whitlam government of 1972–75. Prime minister Gough Whitlam wanted to set the station up to appeal to the youth vote, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), worried about its declining audience, "wanted a station for young people who would grow up to be ABC listeners." A new station was also a recommendation stemming from the McLean Report of 1974, which suggested expanding radio broadcasting onto the FM band, issuing a new class of broadcasting licence which permitted the establishment of community radio stations, and the creation of two new stations for the ABC: 2JJ in Sydney, referred to as Double Jay Rock and the short-lived 3ZZ in Melbourne.
Double Jay was intended to be the first link in Whitlam's planned national youth network, however, his administration was not re-elected in the 1975 federal election. The succeeding Fraser government's budget cuts to the ABC also halted this plan from moving forward. By the time 2JJ went to air, the Whitlam government was in its final months of office, and presenters on the station were frequently accused of left-wing bias in the months that followed.
First broadcasts
Double Jay commenced broadcasting at 11:00 am on Sunday, 19 January 1975, at 1540 kHz on the AM band. The station was restricted largely to the Greater Sydney region, and its local reception was hampered by inadequate transmitter facilities. However, its frequency was a clear channel nationally, so it was easily heard at night throughout south-eastern Australia. After midnight, 2JJ would use off-air ABC networks to increase its broadcasting range.
Its first broadcast demonstrated a determination to distinguish itself from other Australian radio stations. The first on-air presenter, DJ Holger Brockmann, notably used his own name, which, at his previous role at 2SM, was considered "too foreign-sounding". After an introductory montage that featured sounds from the countdown and launch of Apollo 11, Brockmann launched the station's first broadcast with the words, "Wow, and we're away!", and then played Skyhooks' "You Just Like Me 'Cos I'm Good in Bed". The choice of this song to introduce the station was significant, as it represented several important features of the 2JJ brand at the time. Choosing an Australian band reflected the network's commitment to Australian content at a time when American acts dominated pop stations. Further, the song was one of several tracks from the Skyhooks' album that had been banned on commercial radio for its explicit sexual content. The station chose to play songs that were banned from commercial airwaves, including the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil".
The internal politics of 2JJ were considered a radical departure from the formats of commercial stations. 2JJ's presenters had almost total freedom in their on-air delivery, and all staff participated in major policy decisions. For example, as former announcer Gayle Austin reflected: "In early March, women took over the station as announcers to celebrate International Women's Day", and "The listeners owned the station... and if they wanted to come to the meetings and join the debate, they were welcome". and John J. Francis, and actor Lex Marinos. Other notable foundation staff and presenters in January 1975 were Chris Winter, Gayle Austin, Marius Webb, Ron Moss, Alan McGirvan was the breakfast announcer. Early staff also included Ted Robinson, Chris Winter, and Jim Middleton. Marius Webb and Ron Moss were the station coordinators, while Ros Cheney was programme coordinator, and they established the workplace as kind of collective. Producer and programmer Sammy Collins later said of Cheney that she was "more political and more dedicated than the men", and it was her presence which enabled female representation at every level. Double Jay was the first Australian music radio station to allow women DJs; one of these was Gayle Austin.
Before the launch of Double Jay in Sydney, Melbourne was the undisputed capital of music; the new station shone the light on musicians from Sydney and publicised gigs happening in the city. The station played artists such as Midnight Oil, Radio Birdman, INXS, Mental As Anything, and AC/DC long before they had exposure on any other media. Despite the poor quality of reception caused by the Sydney transmitter, the station still saw rapid growth. Austin explained that station staff threatened industrial action in July 1975 due to the transmitter issues, but officials of the BCB still refused to meet with 2JJ representatives. A new transmitter was not provided until 1980, following the transition to the FM band. city's Sun newspaper claimed that attendees were "shocked" by "depictions of sexual depravity and shouted obscenities", which allegedly caused women in the audience to clap their hands over their ears, prompting Coalition frontbencher Peter Nixon to call for the station to be closed down.
During the 1970s, the music programming varied a lot and depended on the presenters and producers, with various factions favouring different artists and styles. The first song played was another track then banned from commercial radio, "Gay Guys" by the Dugites. To celebrate the relaunch, the station organised a concert in Parramatta Park on 18 January 1981, featuring Midnight Oil and Matt Finish, who performed to a crowd of 40,000 people.
On 19 January 1981, the AM transmissions ceased, and Triple J became an FM-only station. It was not yet until the 1989 and 1990 that the ABC was finally able to expand the Triple J network to Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, and Perth. During this period, there were attempts to establish a playlist for the whole station.
1990s–2000s: Regional and digital expansion
Throughout the 1990s, Triple J commenced expansion to more regional areas of Australia and, in 1994, it was extended to another 18 regional centres throughout the country. In 1996, the total was brought to 44, with the new additions including Launceston, Tasmania; Albany, Western Australia; Bathurst, New South Wales and Mackay, Queensland. Triple J's most recent expansion was new addition to include Broome, Western Australia in 2005.
From the 1990s until around 2010, Triple J "set the cultural agenda, particularly for Australian music". Grunge music came to the fore, and bands such as Spiderbait, the Beasts of Bourbon, and The Cruel Sea attained critical and popular success, boosted by Triple J's playlist. Kingsmill had previously worked as a producer and presenter at 2SER alongside Robbie Buck and Tracee Hutchison.
In late 2004, the station's promotion for their annual Beat the Drum contest – in which listeners were to send in the most remarkable places they could promote the Triple J logo – caused brief controversy after it issued a promotional image of the former World Trade Center draped with a huge drum flag. A notable winner of the competition was a Queensland farmer who formed a drum logo-shaped crop circle in his wheat-fields.
Triple J launched its own music magazine, JMag (later known as Triple J Magazine), in 2005. It was initially published quarterly, then monthly, but in 2013 the magazine ceased publication by News Custom Publishing. It returned as an annual edition, produced in-house, until 2016.
Adapting to the digital streaming age, in 2004, the station began to release podcasts of some of its talkback shows, including Dr. Karl, This Sporting Life, and Hack. In 2006, Triple J launched JTV (later rebranded to Triple J TV), a series of television programs broadcast on ABC1 and ABC2 including music videos, live concerts, documentaries, and comedy, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at Triple J's studios.
2010s: Double J and Unearthed relaunches
In 2006, the website for Triple J Unearthed was launched. It remains a hub for unsigned Australian artists to upload their music and be heard by the Triple J team. A digital radio station, which only plays content from the website, was launched in 2011.
In 2014, ABC's Dig Music digital radio station was rebranded under the Triple J umbrella, becoming Double J on 30 April 2014. The new station featured both new music and material from Triple J interview and sound archives. The first song played on Double J was Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "Get Ready for Love", followed by live performances by Australian artists Kate Miller-Heidke and Paul Dempsey.
In ratings released in August 2015, Triple J was the highest or equal first in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth in the 25–39 demographic.
Triple J attracted significant news coverage in the lead-up to the Hottest 100 of 2017, when the station announced they would move the countdown date to the fourth weekend of January, rather than on Australia Day (26 January). The Hottest 100 has successfully broadcast on the fourth weekend of January (but not January 26) since 2018, with prominent campaigners A.B. Original calling the move "a step in the right direction".
2020s: Kingsmill's departure and restructuring
Triple J began 2020 with a major overhaul of its hosts, replacing longtime presenters including Gen Fricker and Tom Tilley with younger talent including Bryce Mills and Lucy Smith, in what was billed as a "generational shift for the station".
In August 2021, the Triple J Twitter account posted a riff on a popular pick-up line, which attracted widespread criticism and accusations of ageism. Writing for NME, journalist Andrew P Street said the controversy renewed discussion about the lack of airplay of older artists on the station, with many being "deemed Double J-ready" in their mid-20s.
As radio ratings continue to decline across the board due to the rise of streaming media, Triple J saw a 2.5% decline of listeners across the major capital cities between late April and June 2022. Compared to the audience share of 7.7% in the Sydney 18–24 year-old demographic in 2021, the station had dropped to 4.4% in 2022. During his tenure, he doubled the amount of airtime given to Australian artists, from 30% to 60%, and increased the station's audience from 980,000 in 2006 to 3 million in 2022. Several news outlets, including The Guardian and Mumbrella, wrote pieces about Kingsmill's importance to the Australian music scene, with Nathan Jolly of the latter calling the broadcaster "the most important single figure in the history of Australian music", on par with Michael Gudinski and Molly Meldrum. Several presenters also announced their departures, and long-running late night music show Good Nights was axed.
In May 2024, Triple J hosted the inaugural Bars of Steel Live event in Parramatta, showcasing hip hop and rap artists from all across Western Sydney. In September, the station also revived its One Night Stand regional music festival, which had not run since 2019. It took place in Warrnambool, Victoria to a sold-out crowd.
In January 2025, the station celebrated 50 years of existence. To celebrate the event, Double J broadcast the very first day of Triple J's 1975 broadcast, on 19 January 2025 from 11 am to 11 pm, with a two-hour simulcast on Triple J. Holger Brockmann introduced the replay. Rage also featured a birthday special in January 2025.
A change to higher rotation for new music resulted in a jump in listenership in March 2025.
Music and identity
Triple J has sponsored Australian live music events since its inception, and has organised its own festivals like Bars of Steel Live and One Night Stand, the latter of which has run in small regional towns since 2004.
In its early years, Triple J also played an important role in record distribution. Labels would previously only import recordings that they knew would yield good commercial return, leaving them often unwilling to take risks on local releases. For example, Australian distributors initially refused to offer 801's live album 801 Live in the country, but constant airplay on Triple J made the record the highest selling import album of the year. Thus, the label decided to release it locally.