Triple M looks set to take on triple j’s status as Australia’s premier nationally branded broadcaster, with Southern Cross Austereo reportedly planning a new overhaul cum expansion that will see Triple M absorbing some 30 regional Austereo stations.
According to Noise11, a statement to Austereo shareholders indicated Triple M will expand next year as “30 of our regional stations currently under LocalWorks radio network will be brought into the Triple M family”.
The LocalWorks stations affected by the change include MIX 94.5 Perth, MIX 106.3 Canberra, 105.7 The River Albury, 107.7 2GO Gosford, KOFM Newcastle, 92.5 Gold Coast, SEAFM Mackay, HEART 107.3 Hobart, and stations in Rockhampton, Coffs Harbour, and others.
On the surface it seems as though Austereo is simply taking its scattered brands and placing them under the one banner, but the move will in fact make Triple M the first nationally branded commercial broadcaster in capital cities and regional areas.
Typically, major networks — your KIIS FMs and Novas — only brand within major markets, so you’ll hear Nova in Melbourne but if you venture out towards regional Victoria, your premier local station is something completely different.
As Noise11 notes, the move also pits Triple M against triple j, who’ve been particularly successful at sapping listeners in the 25-39 demographic from its commercial counterparts. triple j is of course a non-commercial, government-funded radio network.
Despite the absence of advertising revenue, triple j has been very successful in gaining a considerable market share, regularly rivalling that of commercial stations such as Triple M and Nova in the capital city markets and remaining very popular in regional Australia.
It’s not clear when the change will take place, but as Noise11 writes, Southern Cross Austereo are hoping the move will bolster the Triple M brand, give it a boost in ratings surveys, and return advertising revenue to the radio sector.
As readers may be aware, there is some bad blood between the stations, at least on one end, with Triple M previously hitting out at triple j for what they perceive as the national youth broadcaster’s “elitism” and for focusing on music that is “on trend right now”.
Speaking during the launch of Triple M’s digital radio station in 2014, Triple M Network head Mike Fitzpatrick said, “Unlike our Taxpayer-funded ‘youth network’, Triple M Modern Rock Digital isn’t elitist. We don’t care about ‘cool’ music or ‘on trend right now’ styles. If it’s a great song, we’ll play it.”
