Musicians, presenters and politicians celebrate triple j's 50 years on air

Australia's most popular youth radio station, triple j, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Numerous well-known musicians, former hosts, and politicians gathered at the station's Sydney headquarters on Sunday to commemorate its five decades of musical and entertainment achievements.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also attended the event, praising the station for its "extraordinary achievement." He stated, "triple j has provided so much fun, entertainment, and information for young people, especially for all Australians. It has been with us as we grew up, we listened to Double J back then, especially the new Australian bands... Midnight Oil, Skyhooks, Hush, the great Australian bands of that era." He added that for each generation of Australians, triple j, through programs like Unearth, has also opened up opportunities to celebrate our rich culture.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Chair, Kim Williams, stated that triple j has provided Australian young people with "autonomy in news and current affairs," which is something few other stations have done. He said, "JJ and its successors have often been controversial, but hopefully it will always be irreverent, imaginative, cheeky, connected, and distinctively Australian. It's an indelible part of our music landscape and Australian culture."

The station originally launched on January 19, 1975, under the name 2JJ (Double J), as part of then-Prime Minister Gough Whitlam's plan to create a national youth radio network. Initially, it broadcast on the AM band to the greater Sydney area before expanding nationally in 1989. During the transition, the station adopted the FM call sign 2JJJ and was renamed triple j. Its first program caused controversy when the first DJ, Holger Brockman, played Skyhooks' "You Only Like Me 'Cos I'm Good In Bed," a song banned by other stations for its sexual innuendo. "It was so exciting," the former host told ABC's Weekend Breakfast program, "like our audience loved the station; they were so passionate."

In the early 2010s, the station launched two spin-off stations, Triple J Unearthed, designed to promote Australian independent musicians, and Double J, aimed at appealing to an older audience. Triple j has fostered many well-known radio and television personalities, including Lex Marinos, Jonathan Coleman, Judith Lucy, Myf Warhurst, and Wil Anderson. The station has a 40% quota for Australian music, and many well-known musicians have attributed their early success to the station's focus on homegrown artists. Triple j hosts the annual Hottest 100 countdown, ranking listeners' favorite music, and organizes live music events such as One Night Stand. Mr. Williams stated that the event has become "the most important day on the Australian music calendar." He said, "It's more than just a countdown, it's a real cultural phenomenon, uniting the nation in a shared love of music and community." Triple j also invites artists to perform covers in its Like A Version series, which often go viral online.

While triple j has dominated the youth audience as a radio station for some time, it now faces a crossroads as younger audiences turn to digital channels. National radio surveys show its broadcast audience has steadily declined, with a 4.3% share in 2023-24, down from 4.6% the previous year and 5.5% the year before. However, its online presence is growing, with double-digit growth in podcast listeners, nearly 1 million followers on Instagram, and 300,000 followers on TikTok. Former host Brockman reflected on this shift. He said, "Back in 1975, there was no breakfast TV, no streaming, no social media, no internet, so radio was a really powerful force. Now radio still has a place, not as important as it used to be, but it's still there."