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Triple J
Triple J is an Australian public service radio station owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian content than commercial networks.
The station was set up under the Whitlam government to extend the appeal of the ABC to young Australians. 2JJ or Double Jay began broadcasting in Sydney on 19 January 1975. It stood apart from commercial stations and rapidly garnered an audience due to its fringe rock music programming and lack of advertising. Following a transition to FM in 1981, the station rebranded to 2JJJ or Triple J and expanded regionally throughout the 1990s. Two spin-off digital stations were launched in the 2010s: Double J targets more mature audiences and Triple J Unearthed only plays local unsigned musicians.
Despite declining radio ratings, Triple J continues to make a significant impact in the Australian music scene and has been historically praised for making popular culture accessible for young people across regional Australia. Triple J supports music festivals and concerts across the country, and organises its own events like One Night Stand. Every year it broadcasts the Hottest 100, a public poll of the years' most popular music, and runs the J Awards. Its music discovery platform, Unearthed, provides airplay opportunities for independent artists and has helped launch the careers of celebrated Australian musicians. As a taxpayer-funded entity, Triple J has long been criticised for its edgy identity and for promoting a homogenous music scene.
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.
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". Because 2JJ was a government-funded station operating under the umbrella of the ABC, it was not bound by commercial censorship codes, and was not answerable to advertisers nor the station owners. In contrast, their Sydney rival, 2SM, was owned by a holding company controlled by the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, resulting in the ban or editing of numerous songs.
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".
Triple J
Triple J is an Australian public service radio station owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian content than commercial networks.
The station was set up under the Whitlam government to extend the appeal of the ABC to young Australians. 2JJ or Double Jay began broadcasting in Sydney on 19 January 1975. It stood apart from commercial stations and rapidly garnered an audience due to its fringe rock music programming and lack of advertising. Following a transition to FM in 1981, the station rebranded to 2JJJ or Triple J and expanded regionally throughout the 1990s. Two spin-off digital stations were launched in the 2010s: Double J targets more mature audiences and Triple J Unearthed only plays local unsigned musicians.
Despite declining radio ratings, Triple J continues to make a significant impact in the Australian music scene and has been historically praised for making popular culture accessible for young people across regional Australia. Triple J supports music festivals and concerts across the country, and organises its own events like One Night Stand. Every year it broadcasts the Hottest 100, a public poll of the years' most popular music, and runs the J Awards. Its music discovery platform, Unearthed, provides airplay opportunities for independent artists and has helped launch the careers of celebrated Australian musicians. As a taxpayer-funded entity, Triple J has long been criticised for its edgy identity and for promoting a homogenous music scene.
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.
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". Because 2JJ was a government-funded station operating under the umbrella of the ABC, it was not bound by commercial censorship codes, and was not answerable to advertisers nor the station owners. In contrast, their Sydney rival, 2SM, was owned by a holding company controlled by the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, resulting in the ban or editing of numerous songs.
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".