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Triple J

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Triple J is a nationally-networked, government-funded Australian radio station (a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation), aimed mainly at youth (defined as those between 12 and 25).

Station history

  • 19 January 1975 - 2JJ starts in Sydney. The AM-band precursor to Triple J broadcast only to the greater Sydney region, and its local reception was hampered by inadequate transmitter facilities. It was later relayed to other stations in the ABC network after midnight, when their regular programming ceased, but it could also be heard in outlying areas of coastal NSW after dark, thanks to the "ionospheric skip" effect. It was intended as the first station in a national "youth network" but these plans were long delayed by budget cuts to the station's parent organisation, the ABC, made by the Liberal government of Malcolm Fraser, who took power in December 1975.

Universally known as "Double Jay", 2JJ was often embroiled in controversy, which began with the choice of the first song played on air on the first broadcast day -- "You Just Like Me Cos I'm Good In Bed' by Skyhooks, one of six tracks from their debut LP which had been banned by Australian commercial radio stations. The establishment of Double Jay marked an historic change in Australian radio -- it was Australia's first non-commercial 24-hour rock music station, one of the first rock stations in the world to hire female disc jockeys and it was granted the first new radio licence issued in any Australian capital city since 1932.

Its programming policies were in many ways a radical departure from the narrow, formats and restrictive playlists then in place in commercial rock stations. Influenced by British pirate radio and the American Album Oriented Rock (AOR) format, Double Jay featured unprecedented levels of Australian content, played long album cuts and many tracks banned by other stations, championed many styles of local and overseas music that were being exluded from commercial pop playlists (including reggae, punk rock, electronic and New Wave music), and it mixed its recorded music programming with an innovative blend of regular weekly live-to-air studio concert broadcasts, original comedy sketches and serials, groundbreaking audio documentaries and radiophonic works and hilarious "anti-ads" which parodied its commercial competitors.

  • 1 August 1980 - 2JJ moves to an FM frequency and becomes 2JJJ (Triple J).
  • 1988 - leading commercial radio manager and program director Barry Chapman (ex-2SM Sydney) is appointed as general manager to oversee Triple J's network expansion
  • 1989 - JJJ expands nationally to Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, Brisbane, Newcastle and Canberra
  • Late 1990s - Triple J commences expansion to more regional areas of Australia, specifically:
    • May 2003 - Arnold Frolows -- the only remaining link with the original Double Jay staff of 1975 -- steps down after an extraordinary 18 years as Triple J music director.
    • (This part needs more specific updates)


As well as general pop music broadcasts (with a bias towards new music, Australian performers, and against bubblegum pop), it has nightly specialist programs in different musical genres including hip-hop, heavy metal and electronic dance music; more recently (mid-2003 to early 2004) they have also introduced roots/blues and punk shows. It also covers news and current affairs from a youth-oriented perspective.

The broadcaster retains somewhat of an anarchistic air, with presenters allowed to choose the music they play, and few restrictions on music lyrics or topics discussed on programs.

The network conducts an annual phone-in poll of the most popular songs amongst its listeners. The Triple J Hottest 100 has been conducted for almost a decade, and attracts nearly 200,000 votes - one of the biggest music polls in the world.

The station's website is at http://triplej.abc.net.au. The website features live audio streaming of the station's broadcast.

Triple J occasionally runs a competition known as 'Beat the Drum' - named for their logo of three drumsticks hitting a drum. It is competition designed to promote the logo whereby whoever displayed it in the most prominant place would win a prize. This culminated in the new logo being displayed behind the presentation of a gold medal to an Australia swimmer at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, and one of the opening ceromony participants wearing a T-shirt bearing the logo at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Presenters and Programmes

Current presenters

Past presenters (since 1999)

Past presenters (pre 1999)

See also