News November 20, 2019

Has triple j lost its way, or is ‘youth radio’ no longer for you?

The topic of triple j and its appeal to older listeners has once again been brought up, with presenter Zan Rowe inadvertently kicking off a discussion on Twitter today.

One of the hardest things to acknowledge for any music fan, is that age is slowly catching up with you. You might take note of your first signs of ageing once you realise you can no longer make it through a full-day festival. You might notice it once you see that all the hot bands are younger than you.

Or it might really hit you once you notice that you recognise none of the band’s in the annual triple j Hottest 100.

For music fans who are still young at heart, this is often a crushing realisation. Does it mean you’re out of touch? Does it mean your best days are behind you? Of course not! However, it does mean that you might need need to adopt some age-appropriate listening.

As most Australian music fans would be aware, one of the most common catch-cries of the ageing music fan is that triple j no longer compares to what it was 15 or 20 years ago.

What a concept! Can you imagine the notion that a youth radio station that caters to 18-24 year olds no longer appeals to you like it once did? As writer Nathan Jolly put it last year, “Isn’t it weird how triple j lost its way as soon as I got older?”

Feeling like all the presenters who you grew up with are leaving triple j? I get it.

triple j is a youth station. Our very existence is about renewal. Constantly aiming to entertain and inform 18-24 year old Australians.

Older than that? @DoubleJRadio is tailor made for you.

— Zan Rowe (@zanrowe) November 19, 2019

Sorry Zan, I have to disagree- I'm 60 and have listened to Triple J since its inception, and still listen today. Double J is ok, but I don't always want to hear music from my youth – I'm not ready to succumb to "Ok boomer"ism yet 🎶🥁

— Amanda Shepherd (@suemanda007) November 19, 2019

How good would it be if we had the funding to do that? 😊

— Zan Rowe (@zanrowe) November 19, 2019

No it’s our charter. An ABC network dedicated to young Australians. There’s plenty else at the ABC for over 24’s. 😉

— Zan Rowe (@zanrowe) November 19, 2019

The ABC serves all taxpayers, you’re right Andrew. What I am communicating is that triple j’s charter is to serve young Australians. Double J serves those who have grown up with (but maybe out of) triple j. Play School serves pre schoolers. Get my point? We can do it all. 🙏🏼

— Zan Rowe (@zanrowe) November 19, 2019

Of course, these naysayers aren’t alone, with longtime presenter Zan Rowe taking to Twitter earlier today following the news of a new station lineup following a number of departures over the last few days.

“Feeling like all the presenters who you grew up with are leaving triple j? I get it,” Rowe wrote. “triple j is a youth station. Our very existence is about renewal. Constantly aiming to entertain and inform 18-24 year old Australians.

“Older than that? Double J is tailor made for you.”

What seems like a rather reasonable statement quickly kicked off an online discussion that saw fierce debate about the content of triple j these days, and whether or not older music-lovers are indeed catered for on the station.

While some users noted that they’re “not ready to succumb to ‘Ok boomer’ism yet” by moving over to hearing music of their youth on Double J, others questioned if perhaps the ABC needs more music stations in order to cater for their audience of diverse ages.

Although Zan Rowe noted that their budget restricts not only the ability to accomplish such a feat, but for Double J to move to the FM band, the discussion also turned to the notion of older staff in charge of a youth radio station.

Hi! I’m the Assistant Music Director for triple j. I’ve spent time backfilling as acting Music Director. Our music researcher is Karla Ranby. Double J’s Music Director is Dot Markek. Women are a big part of the team. 👋🏻

— Gemma Pike (@pike_gemma) November 19, 2019

Further to this, female presenters like myself, Zan, Linda etc are vocal and very much valued for our music choices and opinions. As is Claire Mooney, the Australian Music Producer for Unearthed 💚

— Bridget Hustwaite (@BHustwaite) November 19, 2019

As writer Darren Levin noted, “you can’t claim to be a youth radio station with a culture of renewal when you’ve had 3 music directors in 44 years, 2 of them in their 50s, all of them men.”

While Levin’s comment referred to the likes of Richard Kingsmill (who currently serves as the Group Music Director) and former Music Director Arnold Frolows, current presenters were quick to jump in, including Assistant Music Director Gemma Pike, who countered that women are indeed fairly represented at the station.

“I’ve spent time backfilling as acting Music Director,” Pike explained. “Our music researcher is Karla Ranby. Double J’s Music Director is Dot Markek. Women are a big part of the team.”

“Further to this, female presenters like myself, Zan, Linda etc are vocal and very much valued for our music choices and opinions,” added Bridget Hustwaite. “As is Claire Mooney, the Australian Music Producer for Unearthed.”

Of course, with such a contentious topic, you could likely imagine that Zan Rowe has been feeling the pressure from everyone on Twitter today.

However, one Tweet from her seemed to sum up the feelings, urging punters to take a break from “reacting fervently” towards her on Twitter to give Double J a shot. As Rowe explains, “you might like it.”