Triple J

{{TripleJ}}

Station history

Foundation and early years

Triple J originally commenced operation in Sydney as 2JJ or Double Jay. It is a legacy of the progressive media policies of the Whitlam Labor government of 1972-75. The station and many of its announcers appear to be (and have often been accused of being) significantly more left-wing than the usually conservative major political parties.

Related Topics:
Sydney - Whitlam - Labor government - 1972 - 75 - Left-wing - Political parties

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Double Jay was initially intended as the first link in a new national "youth network". However, this expansion was long delayed by the electoral defeat of the Gough Whitlam Labor government at the end of 1975 and by budget cuts imposed by the incoming Liberal government led by Malcolm Fraser.

Related Topics:
Gough Whitlam - Malcolm Fraser

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

2JJ commenced broadcasting on 19 January 1975, at 1540 kHz on the AM band. The station was largely restricted 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 New South Wales after dark, thanks to the "ionospheric skip" effect.

Related Topics:
19 January - 1975 - KHz - AM - New South Wales - Ionospheric skip

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 Living in the Seventies that 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, excluding the first experimental FM licences, was granted the first new radio licence issued in any Australian capital city since 1932.

Related Topics:
Skyhooks - Living in the Seventies - Commercial radio - Rock music - FM - Capital city - 1932

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Double Jay programming policies were in many ways a radical departure from the narrow, formats and restrictive playlists then in place in commercial rock stations. Double Jay's programming was influenced by British pirate radio, early BBC2 rock programs such as John Peel's The Perfumed Garden and the American Album Oriented Rock (AOR) format.

Related Topics:
Pirate radio - BBC2 - John Peel - Album Oriented Rock

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Presenters originally were given a wide latitude in choosing the music they played, and few restrictions were placed on music, lyrics or topics discussed on programs. In the early days of Double Jay, the station was run co-operatively and all staff (including office staff) were given a say in programming decisions.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It featured unprecedented levels of Australian content, favoured long album cuts, played many tracks banned by other stations, championed many styles of local and overseas music that were being excluded from commercial pop playlists (including reggae, punk rock, electronic and New Wave music), and (following the trend set by the BBC) mixed its recorded music programming with an innovative blend of regular weekly live-to-air studio concert broadcasts. It also broadcast original comedy sketches and serials, groundbreaking audio documentaries, radiophonic works and in the early years of the station it regularly ran hilarious "anti-ads" which parodied its commercial competitors.

Related Topics:
Reggae - Punk rock - New Wave

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One infamous event in the late 1970s was an on-air launch party hosted by George Wayne to celebrate the release of the new AC/DC album Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, which got so out of hand that police were eventually called to the studio.

Related Topics:
1970s - George Wayne - AC/DC - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The station also regularly sponsored live concerts and organised a number of major outdoor concert events in the late 1970s, culminating in a huge outdoor all-day event in Parramatta Park in 1980, to celebrate the end of Double Jay and the start of Triple J and headlined by Midnight Oil.

Related Topics:
Parramatta Park - 1980 - Midnight Oil

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

1980s: 2JJJ

On 1 August 1980 2JJ moved to an FM frequency of 105.7 MHz (again restricted within the greater Sydney region) and became 2JJJ, or Triple J.

Related Topics:
1 August - 1980 - FM - MHz

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Through the mid-to-late Eighties, Triple J continued to pioneer new music and developed a wide range of special-interest programs including the Japanese pop show Nippi Rock Shop, Arnold Frolows' weekly late-night ambient music show Ambience and Jaslyn Hall's world music show -- the first of its kind in Australian mainstream radio.

Related Topics:
Japanese pop - Jaslyn Hall

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was not until the late 1980s that the ABC was finally able to begin development of the long-delayed national "youth network" and in 1989 JJJ expanded nationally to Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, Brisbane, Newcastle, and Canberra.

Related Topics:
1980s - 1989 - Melbourne - Hobart - Adelaide - Perth - Darwin - Brisbane - Newcastle - Canberra

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

1989-1991: going national

In the late 1980s commercial radio manager and program director Barry Chapman (ex-2SM Sydney) was appointed as general manager to oversee Triple J's network expansion.

Related Topics:
Program director - Barry Chapman - 2SM - General manager

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The expansion was not without its casualties, however. In 1989, a large portion of 2JJJ's Sydney-based staff was fired, along with almost all of its announcers, including its most popular announcers, Tony Biggs and Tim Ritchie (the station's dance-music maven). As details of the changes became known to the public, there were accusations of a "JJJ Bland Out" and several protests were held outside its then-William Street studios.

Related Topics:
1989 - Tony Biggs - Tim Ritchie

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Concern was expressed about the introduction of a more highly programmed music format, and the appointment of Chapman, a former commercial program director, was seen as an indication of a more commercial direction. Management responded that to launch a national network meant that the station must broaden its then almost-exclusive focus on the Sydney music scene, requiring the addition of newer talent. When the dust had settled on the dispute, the radio programming was not nearly as free-form as it had been before going national, but neither was it as highly-programmed as its critics feared. In the pre-national era, there almost was no playlist, but the introduction of a playlist still allowed a significant input (at least initially) from the individual announcer, beyond that usually permitted on a commercial station.

Related Topics:
Radio programming - Playlist

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The laissez-faire approach that had existed in the Double Jay days was gradually replaced by a more business-like top-down management style and after the controversial appointment of Chapman, as described above, many of the 'old guard' were dismissed from the station and replaced by presenters who were more amenable to the increasingly structured format.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The appointment of Chapman was a watershed for the station's programming, and although opinion remains sharply divided about the changes he implemented, it is undeniable that he was very successful in raising the station's profile and ratings. Chapman had previously been the program director and station manager of Sydney AM pop station 2SM, which had been Australia's top-rating and most profitable commercial radio station for most of the 1970s. As noted above, not long after his appointment, Chapman controversially replaced many of the established on-air staff (such as Tim Ritchie) with younger and less experienced presenters such as Michael Tunn, who at the time of his appointment was the youngest on-air presenter in the history of Australian radio. Chapman also reduced the amount of comedy, documentaries and news (compared to the late Seventies) and imposed a much more structured music playlist, although (as he did at 2SM) he maintained and strengthened the station's commitment to live music.

Related Topics:
2SM - 1970s - Tim Ritchie - Michael Tunn

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Chapman oversaw a radical overhaul of Triple J's programming, implementing a version of the music-and-talk format that had been so successful for him at 2SM. This basic format -- including an early morning comedy breakfast program with duo presenters; a late morning talk and talkback program and an light talk-and-comedy afternoon drive-time shift -- remains substantially in place.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

1990s: regional expansion

Throughout the 1990s, Triple J commenced expansion to more regional areas of Australia. 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.

Related Topics:
1994 - 1996 - Launceston, Tasmania - Albany, Western Australia - Bathurst, New South Wales - Mackay, Queensland

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

During the late 1980s and 1990s Triple J came under increasing criticism for its program direction and it has been accused of ignoring many important new developments in favour of a more structured rock-oriented playlist that, in the view of some critics, has become a sort of "Indie Top 40". Long serving former program director Arnold Frolows was also regularly criticised, and there was certainly some irony in the fact that the self-proclaimed "youth network", which was aimed at the 16-25 age group, was by the late 1990s still being programmed by a man in his late 40s.

Related Topics:
1980s - 1990s

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the late 1980s Triple J was (with some justification) accused of ignoring the emerging hip hop scene and related genres, in favour of the more marketable rock-oriented grunge style that dominated American music at the same time.

Related Topics:
1980s - Hip hop - Grunge - American music

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In May 2003, Arnold Frolows, the only remaining link with the original Double Jay staff of 1975, stepped down after 28 years as Triple J music director. He was replaced by Richard Kingsmill.

Related Topics:
May 2003 - Arnold Frolows - Richard Kingsmill

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~