By LINDSEY GREEN
It has been a great year for triple j and community radio.
Figures have revealed triple j has been equal or leading the way in ratings in the crucial 25-39-year-old age group in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
Ratings in the 18-24-year-old age group are not far behind.
Over on community radio, new figures from the Australian Music Airplay Project (Amrap) show that in the past 12 months, Australian music airplay on community radio has reached an all-time high.
There are now more than 2000 hours of Australian music being played on community radio every day, accounting for 39 per cent of music played.
It seems Australians can’t get enough of our national public broadcaster, and community radio continues to pave the way for Australian artists.
This begs the question – why are people moving away from commercial radio? What is commercial radio lacking that public and community radio are making up for?
One possibility is that people are getting tired of the tired, unfunny gimmicks used by commercial radio to attract audiences.
Recently, in the heat of the Ashley Madison scandal, Fitzy and Wippa on Nova FM’s breakfast show encouraged women to call in and check if their husband’s names appeared on a database of men on the cheaters' website.
One woman called in saying her husband had been working irregular hours, and after she heard about Ashley Madison, wondered if her husband’s name was on the list that had been leaked.
His name was – and his wife learned of this on live radio.
“I don’t know if we should’ve done that. That doesn’t leave me with a good feeling,” Wippa said afterwards.
Segments like these could be part of the reason why listeners are switching to different stations.
But if we ask what commercial radio is doing wrong, then we must also ask what Triple J and community radio are doing right?
Triple j
In the last two years triple j has gone through a number of changes.
In November 2013, Breakfast show co-host and comedian Tom Ballard announced he would be leaving triple j at the end of the year.
Ballard was one half of The Breakfast Show, which he had hosted with Alex Dyson for four years. The decision had many wondering: who could they get to co-host who would be as good as Tom Ballard?
Matt Okine replaced Ballard in 2014 and after some time spent finding their feet together, the two now have their chemistry well and truly down pat, with ratings reflecting this.
According to data from GfK market research agency, the breakfast timeslot occupied by Dyson and Okine attracted 46,000 listeners during the survey period, compared to the previous 42, 000.
By comparison, commercial radio station Nova's breakfast program had 44,000 listeners in the same period, down from 51,000.
Along with the change in co-hosts, there have been new segments introduced like Friday Dance-Off, The Weather Rap and Marshall Law. The pair has also shared more somber moments, like remembering their late mums on Mother’s Day.
Other changes at the station include Lindsay "The Doctor" McDougall finishing up on the coveted drive-time program slot at the end of last year.
McDougall had gathered 10 years of experience at the station, including five hosting the drive program before weekend hosts and drive-time fill-ins Veronica and Lewis replaced him at the beginning of this year.
One has to wonder though – if triple j is attracting such huge ratings, can they really call themselves an alternative radio station anymore?
It used to be that if you listened to triple j, you had a leg up on others when it came to being the first one to hear new music.
Now, if more and more people are tuning in to the station, is triple j becoming mainstream? That’s for consumers to decide.
Community radio
We are lucky in Australia, and in Melbourne in particular, that the community radio sector is thriving and filled with a wide variety of eclectic programming created by an incredible group of volunteers. One thing is for sure: triple j is only one of many alternative radio stations available to listeners.
This is what two of the many of hundreds of volunteers think and recommend in community radio:
Sally Goldner @salgoldsaidsoHost of Out Of The Pan on 3CRSaturday 12pm-1pm
What is it?
Out of the Pan covers pansexual issues. Pansexual means "knowing no boundaries of sex or gender", and includes transgender, bisexual and polyamorous issues.
How long have you been involved in community radio?
First started in December 1998, so I’ve been in community radio for 17 years.
Where did you start? Where have you been?
I was with JOY 94.9 until mid 2004 and started on 3 CR in March 2005.
Why do you think people are moving away from commercial radio?
Commercial radio is too formularised and isn’t giving a great range of opinions.
What do you think listeners get from community radio that they can’t get from commercial radio?
Community radio is more authentic and individual, gets people thinking and plays a wider range of music than commercial radio (although I admit to playing Cold Chisel and Eagles tracks myself).
What other shows on community radio would you recommend?
Declaring all bias – four great shows on 3CR - Queering the Air, In Your Face, Refugee Radio and What’s the Score Sport. To the point, diverse opinion, fresh-thinking.
Michelle Bennett @mm_bennettHost of Spoke on 3RRR Tuesday 9am – 12pm
What is it?
Thought-provoking discussions about current affairs, politics, media, human rights and more.
How long have you been involved in community radio?
I’ve been involved (one way or another) with community radio since around 2000.
Where did you start?
I guess I first started as a listener. I was introduced to 3RRRFM by a good friend and I got hooked listening to The F n’ K Show with Kate Langbroek and Fiona Scott-Norman. My Saturdays would never be the same. The Party Show was (and still is) extraordinary radio. And from there I stuck around and ended up listening to things I didn’t even know I was interested in. After getting to know Kate she convinced me to do the training course at 3RRRFM – and for that I will always love her!
Where have you been?
I was very fortunate to move from graveyards at 3RRRFM, to filling in on other people’s shows, to my own three-hour talk show Spoke at 3RRRFM. It is a really incredible station to be involved with – and once hooked it can be pretty hard to leave!
Why do you think people are moving away from commercial radio?
If listeners are moving it’s perhaps because they are getting better at searching for something new. The internet has meant being able to access more content than ever before: more talk shows from overseas, more opinion (good and bad!) and more local unsigned music. I think a lot of people are hungry for new voices and ideas and that’s hard to get when we have such concentrated media ownership in this country.
What do you think listeners get from community radio that they can’t get from commercial radio?
Broadcasters on community radio have a tremendous amount of freedom to program the shows they want without commercial restraints. On 3RRRFM none of our broadcasters are paid (apart from our Breakfast show hosts) this means there is a level of passion that goes into each and every show. I believe that passion is reflected in every interview choice, every idea and every track played. There is something very personal about community radio when you know the person on-air is really only doing it because they love it too.
What other shows on community radio would you recommend?
I am biased towards all the shows on 3RRRFM. I think Jeff Sparrow on Hullaballoo is doing some of the smartest most interesting interviews around. The same goes for Elizabeth McCarthy and Lou Irving on Multi-Storied for books. 3RRRFM’s Sunday morning talk shows shouldn’t be missed. Marine and environment with Radio Marina, science with Einstein A Go-Go and medical talk with Radiotherapy.
More broadly, 2SER in Sydney has some fantastic talks programming and 3CR will always be an important, creative and vital voice in the community sector. Beyond Zero on 3CR for climate change news and solutions and The Boldness with Phineas Meere, among others, is always worth catching.
Lindsey Green's show It’s A Match is on SYN Nation at 7pm on Sunday nights. Find it on Facebook or subscribe on iTunes by searching "It’s A Match Podcast".