A key member of triple j has passed away on Sunday morning.
He was a pivotal part of curating the sound of double j and triple j for several decades. He was both a presenter and producer on the new double j from July 1975.
Arnold Frolows was just three days from his birthday. His passing coincides with the 50th anniversary of original double j going to air.
He joined triple j six years after the renewed double j, where on one of his unique programs, Ambience, grew a cult following. He became triple j’s music director in 1993, while continuing his previous responsibilities.
He died in Sydney’s Mona Vale hospice yesterday with his partner Christine King beside him. He had sadly been diagnosed with pancreatic and liver cancer just last month.
Arnold was one of double j’s first hirings at their new youth-targeted radio station. “Arnold joined double j before it went to air, indeed, he was one of the first of its very first employees,” colleague Stuart Matchett once said at Arnold’s 2014 retirement party.
“As music director, Arnold had a huge effect on the musical sound of triple j, and therefore on Australian radio in general,” Stuart continued.
He specified, “Arnold constructed the triple j playlist, balancing new and familiar, variety of styles, male and female vocals, Australian content, tempo, tone, lyric content.”
Arnold was in the midst of a flower delivery job in Sydney when ABC, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, interviewed him.
Co-founder of double j Marius Webb said, “Getting Arnold and Margot [Edwards, music librarian] on the team as quickly as we did was one of the key factors in building the station’s early success as a proper ‘music’ station, which was what Ron and I had persuaded ABC management it had to be.”
Before leaving triple j in 2003, he did not let criticism of his age get to him.
“I would say if you’re still interested [in music] and your ears are still excited, it doesn’t matter how old you are,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“Arnold has been a superb example to the rest of us of what is possible at work and that it is possible, even in a public-service environment, to do something that is really bloody interesting,” Marius had said at Arnold’ retirement.
