As Tone Deaf reported back in December 2014, Triple J has been doing pretty well in the ratings these past 12 months. In fact, the success that Australia’s premier youth broadcaster has had could be an indicator that it’s time for commercial radio to start playing more Aussie music.
As end-of-year figures showed, in Melbourne, Triple J managed to garner a 13.7 market share in the 25-39 demographic, outscoring giants like Nova and Fox, while in Sydney, they earned a 14.5 share. In Perth, meanwhile, where Triple J came in second for the 25-39 bracket, they won the 18-24s.
The 25-39 year old demographic is one of the most coveted of all age brackets in radio, as it not only attracts the highest revenues from advertising, but is also one of the brackets most likely to listen to the radio, particularly during the breakfast and afternoon commute times.
The results of the latest radio ratings survey recently came in and it looks like the romance between Aussies and Triple J continues to bloom, with Noise11 reporting that the J is the number one radio station in Melbourne for 18-24 and 25-39 year olds.
The situation proves ironic for the industry – Triple J is dominating the two main advertising demographics, ahead of commercial giants like Fox, Nova, and Triple M, but advertisers cannot run ads on the non-commercial, government-owned station.
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Interestingly, one area in which Triple J’s ratings weren’t particularly healthy was with the youth. In the 10-17 demographic, the youth broadcaster came in with a score of 3.4, behind Fox, Nova, KIIS, Triple M, and even Smooth and Gold FM.
The news bodes well for the future of Australian radio and Australian music. These numbers are another wake-up call to other broadcasters, who often shy away from playing Australian music in favour of a Top 40 format or rotating overseas hits.
That a station with a proud and strong commitment to Australian music can do so well in the ratings proves that commercial outlets ignore Australian music at their own peril and that of their advertisers, whose most coveted demographics are switching over to Triple J.
