3MMM
Encyclopedia
3MMM is a radio station broadcasting in Melbourne
, Australia. Its target demographic is the 30 - 54 age group. Triple M Melbourne is part of the Austereo
Triple M Network and broadcasts on the 105.1 MHz frequency.
The station was Australia's first commercial FM station, originally known as EON FM, broadcasting on 92.3 MHz.
and stockbroker Bill Conn, successfully bid on one of two Melbourne FM licenses and set about creating a commercial FM radio station. Armstrong headed the consortium, having seen the commercial opportunities of FM radio in the US and the UK.
Despite what their license application read, they had no blueprint at all with regard to marketing, programming, administration or promotion. The next six months was then spent building a radio station from scratch. A makeshift studio was set up in Bank Street, South Melbourne
, draped with hessian to deaden the noise. Late-night dummy runs were performed a week before the on-air date to test the equipment.
On 11 July 1980, Australia’s first commercial FM radio station, EON FM, began broadcasting on 92.3 MHz, beating Fox FM to the title by two weeks. Behind the microphone at the momentous occasion was DJ Peter Grace, a former deejay for 3XY, a popular radio station at the time (now defunct); he later said he was given that late night spot by default. "It's one past midnight and this is 92.3, E-O-N FM, I'm Peter Grace and this is the beginning of a long, long time..." The first song was "New Kid in Town" by The Eagles.
Armstrong was the first managing director; Clyde Simpson, the first general manager; Lee Simon
, also ex-3XY, the first program director; Billy Pinnell, first music programmer – all names to circulate the Australian music industry for years. Other announcers included Karl Van Est, Joe Miller, John Peters, Andy McLean, Jan Cannon, Paul Cashmere, Kenny The Paper-Boy, Kent Forbes, John Hood, Gavin Wood, Trish Mulholand and Mark Irvine. News reader Jennifer Keyte
also began her career as a cadet at EON-FM.
At first, EON FM played songs that “would not be played elsewhere”, having no play list and avoiding top 40 songs. Said Armstrong, "we thought we were going to be the beginning of a new era. It took us a while to realise we were wrong."
EON FM performed better than the other non-commercial FM stations, but was easily beaten by the AM stations. Management was worried, and shareholders were asked to invest another $1 million between them only a year after the station was launched.
Program Director Lee Simon then went against the flow of the album rock formats favoured by Australia's FM stations and radically changed EON's format by playing Top 40 hits and staging outdoor concerts. Molly Meldrum, host of Countdown
, was even invited to do a regular breakfast spot with Gavin Wood, the voice-over man of Countdown
. Gavin and Molly's partnership included a segment of their own version of the crime fighters "Batman and Robin". They even appeared in the Moomba procession as the crime fighting duo in the Batmobile. The combination of Gavin and Molly proved to be a ratings winner when finally in 1985, EON FM topped Melbourne’s ratings. Ken Gibson was the stations first Advertising and Marketing Manager. The station's distinctive blue-and-yellow 92.3 EON-FM bumper stickers soon became a familiar sight throughout Melbourne.
In early 1986, 3EON FM was sold to Triple M Sydney
(2MMM), owned by Hoyts
, for $37.5 million. The deal was reportedly negotiated by Wheatley, who subsequently became managing director of Hoyts Media. The station was rebranded 3MMM on 27 November 1988, and was moved to the current frequency.
. With a successful sketch show on ABC TV behind them and initially hired in 1986 by Lee Simon to write comedy pieces for The John Peters Breakfast Show, the team of Tom Gleisner
(1986–92), Santo Cilauro
(1986–92), Rob Sitch
(1986, 1989–91), Tony Martin
(1987–91), Michael Veitch (1987–89), Mick Molloy
(1990–92), and Jason Stephens (1990–92), successfully took over the breakfast air waves; even recruiting a member of the news team, Jane Kennedy
(1988–92). (Marg Downey, Magda Szubanski
and Judith Lucy
also had small stints on the show). The show had a number of anchors during its run, notably Ian Rogerson (1987), Peter O’Callaghan (1988) and Kevin Hillier (1990–92), but it is the sixteen month 'anchorless' period (September 88-December 89) that is best-remembered by fans.
The show had a popular mix of sketches, characters and clever comedy, producing a number of best-of CD’s.
In September 1990, 3MMM moved from the original South Melbourne premises to the 8th Floor, 140 Bourke Street, Melbourne.
The on-air line-up in 1991 consisted of:
In late 1991, the D-Generation team successfully pitched The Late Show
(1992–1993) to ABC TV. Sitch and Martin immediately left the radio show to prepare, with the rest of the team following in April to star in it.
Richard Stubbs
, another ex-3XY DJ, moved from the morning slot to the newly vacated breakfast position. Tim Smith
and then Brigitte Duclos
, who, like Jane Kennedy earlier, began working at the station as a newsreader, joined him to form The Richard Stubbs Breakfast Show. Saturday nights hosted Live from the Ivy
, a dance music program hosted live from the Ivy Club in Melbourne.
, in return for a 53.5% share of Austereo. This gave Austereo, and therefore Village Roadshow, control of two national networks.
The merger of two formerly competing radio stations created some rivalries in each of the capital cities. In Melbourne, it was rumoured that Richard Stubbs received some flack for spending time in the Fox FM offices with his brother, announcer Peter Stubbs
. (Peter is better known as Grubby, who is currently co-hosting a breakfast show on Gold FM). However, over the years the two stations have regularly swapped stars between themselves when an existing role hasn’t suited.
In 1996, Triple M moved from its home in central Melbourne to the 1st Floor of the Fox FM building at 180 St Kilda Road, St Kilda. Triple M continues to share resources with its sister station, such as the traffic reports.
Meanwhile, The Richard Stubbs Breakfast Show continued to deliver a strong performance for Triple M Melbourne. In 1995, an attempt was made to network the show in Sydney, but it ultimately failed, being replaced by a local team in Sydney headed by Andrew Denton
.
At the start of 1996, Tim Smith left the breakfast show to join forces with Steve Bedwell
in a morning show called The Squirrel Grippers, while Duclos moved to drive for The Grill Team, a reworking of the original Grill Team format pioneered by Triple M Melbourne in the early 90's, merging sport, comedy and music – a formula to filter throughout the station. The Grill Team also included ex-footballer Dermott Brereton
and future Channel 9
CEO Eddie McGuire
.
In breakfast, Richard Stubbs continued with two new team members until the end of 1997, when he retired from radio, much to Triple M's disappointment. (He did, however, return to radio in later years with other networks).
The Squirrel Grippers were chosen as Stubb's replacement, moving from the mornings to breakfast. Renaming themselves as Timbo & Bedders for Breakfast, they continued Stubbs' success from 1998 to 2001.
After The Grill Team departed from the drive slot, Triple M moved the eccentric show Crud with Tony Moclair
and Julian Schiller, which began life on community station 3RRR
, from the evening slot into drive. Crud became best known for the character of Guido Hatzis, a self-confessed ‘adonis’ of ethnic descent who would call people with the intention of stirring them up. (A common radio theme)
Triple M tested the concept of FM talkback in 1999 with The Spoonman
adding his controversial opinion every weeknight. The program was shelved at the end of the year, but returned in 2005 in almost exactly the same format.
At the start of 2002, seemingly to capitalise on Smith and Bedwell’s success, the station moved Smith to the drive slot (following Cruds departure) to create a new show The Cage
with previous colleague Brigitte Duclos, leaving Bedwell to head a new breakfast team. Called The Morning Madhouse, it included former Big Brother
contestant Rachel Corbett, with ex-cricketer James Brayshaw
featuring as a sports reporter. It was a ratings failure.
The Cage involved a revolving door of guests and comedians including Matt Parkinson (Parko), Matt Quartermaine (Quarters) (who together were the Empty Pockets comedy duo) Trevor Marmalade
and Russell Gilbert
. The show performed well and was moved to the vacant breakfast slot only 3 months after it began. A relay of the breakfast show, with about 20% new content, kept the drive slot warm for the following few months. James Brayshaw
remained at breakfast and eventually joined The Cage full time, which at the same time lost Marmalade and Gilbert.
Triple M eventually decided in July 2002 to concentrate The Cage on breakfast only, and filled the drive slot for next 13 months with a couple of one-announcer shows.
Following the success of outdoor concerts such as Big Day Out
and Rumba, Triple M ran their own full-day concert, called M-One. It featured Garbage
, Billy Idol
, Goo Goo Dolls
, Midnight Oil
and Nickelback
. In Melbourne, it was held at Colonial Stadium (now Telstra Dome
) on Saturday 12 October 2002. It was moderately successful, but didn’t sell as many tickets as expected. It was therefore seen as a financial failure and not run again.
In August 2003, Triple M again tried networking Melbourne’s successful breakfast show in Sydney, with The Cage gaining former Sydney breakfast member Peter Berner
to ease in the new market. (Matt Quartermaine had departed a few months earlier). Slowly, but surely, Sydney began to accept the new show, which featured local breaks for traffic and news. (Brisbane also has a breakfast show called The Cage, but it is in name only and comprises a different team.)
At the same time a fresh new show began in the drive slot – The Whole Shebang. It starred comedians Marty Sheargold
, Jo Stanley
and Jodie J. Hill with Fifi Box
and Byron Cooke, plus another Sydney breakfast show ex-member, Mikey Robbins. The show was initially broadcast into both Sydney and Melbourne
, with Brisbane
added later and Adelaide receiving it for a brief time.
Triple M also began a new frequent listener’s initiative in August 2003 with the Freq Club. It involved listening for code words, which could be accumulated and redeemed for prizes.
At the end of 2003, Matt Parkinson left The Cage to pursue other interests, and The Whole Shebang
dropped most of the team (and the 'Whole' part), leaving Sheargold and Box as a duo, with Cooke as anchor (Cooke later moved to the US, to be replaced by Rohan "Brownie" Brown, a morning announcer). Parkinson eventually rejoined The Cage in 2005 when Tim Smith left to try other things at Triple M, before eventually leaving the station after almost 14 years there. (He moved to rival station Mix FM
3 months later)
In 2004, Mick Molloy
returned to Triple M with Tough Love
from 10am – 12noon. He was joined by Robyn Butler
, Alan Brough
and Richard Molloy
(aka "Roo"). Alan left the show at the end of 2004 and it shifted to 12noon – 1pm, presumably to allow Molloy to work on other projects. At the end of 2006, Molloy ended the show, sarcastically saying "The relentless grind of a one-hour national radio show has finally taken its toll. The midday starts were also brutal, often playing havoc with my sleeping patterns."
Molloy’s sparring partner Tony Martin
also re-joined the station in 2006 with Get This
. The show was co-hosted by Ed Kavalee
with a different guest each day. During 2006, the show ran from 9-10am weekdays, moving to 11am-1pm and then 2pm in 2007.
At the end of 2006, Triple M confirmed that The Shebang would be moved to breakfast in Sydney, while The Cage would focus solely on Melbourne, ending the breakfast networking experiment again. Chas and Dom from The Chaser filled the drive slot during the summer break, with Wil & Lehmo
moving in permanently from 2 April 2007, broadcasting to all Triple M stations.
The Freq Club was eventually ended in 2005, replaced with a 'Music Jury' in 2006, where anyone can sign-up and are then sent, on a weekly basis, a survey of 30 songs which are judged by how liked it is and how tired you are of it.
In 2005, Triple M’s slogan became "You’ll Never Know What We’ll Play Next". Coupled with this was the suggestion that the Music Director was a monkey called Barry, and featured an ad campaign where on-air talent were subjected to his mood. By the end of 2006, the Barry aspect featured less in the station ids. Since that time, it was jokingly mentioned on Get This
that 'the monkey is not to be mentioned'.
Beginning the week of 29 January 2007, Triple M began using a new slogan, "At Least We Take The Music Seriously", however this has slowly reverted back to "You'll Never Know What We'll Play Next".
From 17 September 2007, Get This was moved to the 2-4pm slot - the third move since the program started. The reason was to provide one long stream of talk: from 2pm when Get This starts, till 6pm when Wil and Lehmo finishes. On the 15 October 2007, Tony Martin revealed to listeners that "Get This" would be axed at the end of November. This has caused many listeners to voice their unhappy opinions in TV/Radio guides (such as The Age's Green Guide), on petitions and on Wikipedia. The last show was broadcast on 23 November 2007.
The Cage
was also axed at the end of 2007, shortly after member James Brayshaw announced he was leaving. "The Cage had run its cycle in Melbourne," according to Austereo's group program director Guy Dobson. "It's all a fiscal decision. Nothing is done lightly and nothing is done with malice." The Cage ended on Thursday 22 November 2007 after 5 years, with the Essential 2007 Countdown filling for the usual Friday show.
Triple M announced that Peter Helliar
has been chosen to lead a new breakfast show in Melbourne in 2008, joined by Myf Warhurst
. The show began 21 January 2008, with the late Richard Marsland
(previously on Get This
) joining as anchor from 29 January 2008.
On 11 July 2008, Triple M celebrated their 28th birthday, playing many of the original EON FM jingles throughout the day, with Lee Simon, Peter Grace, Karl Van Est and Jennifer Keyte reminiscing from 12noon - 2pm. During that time, Keyte reprised her role as news presenter.
During September 2008, Triple M Melbourne re-located from their St Kilda Road studios, to brand new upgraded studios in South Melbourne. In early 2009, the building was named the Richard Marsland
Memorial Studios, in honour of the popular panel operator and on-air presenter who had taken his own life in December 2008.
At the end of 2008, Will & Lehmo finished their drive-time show, which was replaced by Roy and HG (Monday and Friday) and local announcers (Tuesday-Thursday)
On Tuesday 7 July 2009, due to low ratings, the station announced that Peter Helliar and Myf Warhurst's breakfast show had been axed, with the last show aired on Friday 31 July.
On 7 September 2009, the new breakfast show, The Hot Breakfast
with Eddie McGuire
commenced broadcasting.
with Eddie McGuire
, Luke Darcy
and Mick Molloy
Mornings: Dangerous Dave Williams
Lunch: Rock of Ages with Lee Simon (1 hour)
Afternoons: David 'Higgo' Higgins
Drive: Rush Hour with James Brayshaw
and Billy Brownless
with David 'Higgo' Higgins (Monday -Thursday)
Evenings: The Peanut Gallery with Jeff and Paul
Triple M
Footy (Australian Football League
) airs Friday night, Saturday afternoon/night and Sunday afternoon during the football season
James Brayshaw
, Garry Lyon
, Rex Hunt
, Danny Frawley
, Jason Dunstall
, Bill Brownless, Dennis Cometti
, Dr Peter Larkins, Ashley Chua, Stephen Quartermain, Damian Barrett, Mark Stevens, Hamish McLachlan, Nathan Brown
, Michael Christian, Barry Denner and Michael Roberts.
was given the green light and the Saturday morning timeslot to launch The Grill Team, a groundbreaking 3 hour sport show which also featured Jane Kennedy
and comedians Trevor Marmalade
, Tim Smith
, Matt Quartermaine and Sergio Paradise. The Grill Team rapidly gained momentum and ratings with its unique blend of Rock, Sport and Comedy, a format which was rolled out across the entire station in the ensuing years.
The introduction of The Grill Team on Triple M Melbourne in the early ‘90’s is considered by many industry insiders to be the precursor to Channel 9’s long running AFL The Footy Show
which debuted in 1994 with Eddie McGuire, Trevor Marmalade and former Geelong great, John “Sammy” Newman
.
The success of the Saturday morning Grill Team led to the introduction of even more sport based programming on Triple M including The World According to Pig, Jimmy and Rooboy with AFL
legends Jason Dunstall
, James Hird
and Wayne Carey
, Dougy and Dunstall, and more recently, The Gospel and Dead Set Legends.
In 1995, Program Director, Lee Simon noted that Triple M’s ratings were dropping off over the weekends in increasing numbers. Most of Triple M’s audience were watching or listening to Australian Rules Football
. (known as AFL, or footy)
Simon suggested that Triple M broadcast footy on weekends. Triple M's board initially resisted, but Simon was persistent. 3MMM finally won broadcast approval in 1997, and has since become the top-rating AFL broadcaster.
Triple M began using the slogan "Rock, Sport and Comedy" on the back of the gaining of the football rights, until early 2000.
In October 2006, Triple M was granted AFL broadcast rights for a further 3 years.
Occasionally, if the Melbourne Storm
NRL team play on Monday night, 3MMM will broadcast its games. However one of their games in the 2009 season coincided with a Monday night AFL match between Collingwood
and St Kilda, so 3MMM chose to broadcast the AFL match rather than the NRL match (the Storm were playing the Sydney Roosters
at Gosford) which was, ironically, broadcast on 2MMM.
, Victoria
, as does its sister station FOX. It is an NEC FBN-11K10E FM transmitter with a base power of 6 kW.
in Melbourne.
Triple M launched High Voltage Radio
, a "pop up" Digital Radio station that exclusively plays AC/DC
for the duration of the band's 2010 tour of Australia. High Voltage stopped being on air on 15 March 2010.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia. Its target demographic is the 30 - 54 age group. Triple M Melbourne is part of the Austereo
Austereo Radio Network
Austereo Radio Network formerly operated commercial radio networks in metropolitan and regional areas of Australia. On 6 April 2011, Southern Cross Media purchased a majority of the company and is in the process of unifying the Austereo networks with Southern Cross's regional brands...
Triple M Network and broadcasts on the 105.1 MHz frequency.
The station was Australia's first commercial FM station, originally known as EON FM, broadcasting on 92.3 MHz.
EON FM: The Birth of Commercial FM Radio
In late 1979, a consortium, members of which included recording entrepreneur Bill Armstrong, band manager Glenn WheatleyGlenn Wheatley
Glenn Dawson Wheatley is an Australian artist manager and entertainment industry executive.Wheatley began his career as a musician in Brisbane in the mid-1960s and in the late 1960s became nationally famous as a member of leading pop-rock band The Masters Apprentices...
and stockbroker Bill Conn, successfully bid on one of two Melbourne FM licenses and set about creating a commercial FM radio station. Armstrong headed the consortium, having seen the commercial opportunities of FM radio in the US and the UK.
Despite what their license application read, they had no blueprint at all with regard to marketing, programming, administration or promotion. The next six months was then spent building a radio station from scratch. A makeshift studio was set up in Bank Street, South Melbourne
South Melbourne, Victoria
South Melbourne is an inner city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Port Phillip and Melbourne...
, draped with hessian to deaden the noise. Late-night dummy runs were performed a week before the on-air date to test the equipment.
On 11 July 1980, Australia’s first commercial FM radio station, EON FM, began broadcasting on 92.3 MHz, beating Fox FM to the title by two weeks. Behind the microphone at the momentous occasion was DJ Peter Grace, a former deejay for 3XY, a popular radio station at the time (now defunct); he later said he was given that late night spot by default. "It's one past midnight and this is 92.3, E-O-N FM, I'm Peter Grace and this is the beginning of a long, long time..." The first song was "New Kid in Town" by The Eagles.
Armstrong was the first managing director; Clyde Simpson, the first general manager; Lee Simon
Lee Simon
Lee Simon is a radio broadcaster from Melbourne, Australia.Simon first came to prominence as a top-rating disc jockey with Melbourne radio stations 3XY and EON FM...
, also ex-3XY, the first program director; Billy Pinnell, first music programmer – all names to circulate the Australian music industry for years. Other announcers included Karl Van Est, Joe Miller, John Peters, Andy McLean, Jan Cannon, Paul Cashmere, Kenny The Paper-Boy, Kent Forbes, John Hood, Gavin Wood, Trish Mulholand and Mark Irvine. News reader Jennifer Keyte
Jennifer Keyte
Jennifer Keyte is an Australian television journalist.Keyte is currently weekend presenter of Seven News in Melbourne. -Career:...
also began her career as a cadet at EON-FM.
At first, EON FM played songs that “would not be played elsewhere”, having no play list and avoiding top 40 songs. Said Armstrong, "we thought we were going to be the beginning of a new era. It took us a while to realise we were wrong."
EON FM performed better than the other non-commercial FM stations, but was easily beaten by the AM stations. Management was worried, and shareholders were asked to invest another $1 million between them only a year after the station was launched.
Program Director Lee Simon then went against the flow of the album rock formats favoured by Australia's FM stations and radically changed EON's format by playing Top 40 hits and staging outdoor concerts. Molly Meldrum, host of Countdown
Countdown (TV series)
Countdown was a long-running popular weekly Australian music television show broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 8 November 1974 until 19 July 1987. It was created by Executive Producer Michael Shrimpton, producer/director Robbie Weekes and record producer and music journalist...
, was even invited to do a regular breakfast spot with Gavin Wood, the voice-over man of Countdown
Countdown (TV series)
Countdown was a long-running popular weekly Australian music television show broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 8 November 1974 until 19 July 1987. It was created by Executive Producer Michael Shrimpton, producer/director Robbie Weekes and record producer and music journalist...
. Gavin and Molly's partnership included a segment of their own version of the crime fighters "Batman and Robin". They even appeared in the Moomba procession as the crime fighting duo in the Batmobile. The combination of Gavin and Molly proved to be a ratings winner when finally in 1985, EON FM topped Melbourne’s ratings. Ken Gibson was the stations first Advertising and Marketing Manager. The station's distinctive blue-and-yellow 92.3 EON-FM bumper stickers soon became a familiar sight throughout Melbourne.
In early 1986, 3EON FM was sold to Triple M Sydney
2MMM
2MMM is a radio station broadcasting in Sydney, Australia. Triple M Sydney is part of the Austereo Triple M network and broadcasts on the 104.9 MHz frequency.-The Early Days:...
(2MMM), owned by Hoyts
Hoyts
The Hoyts Group is an Australian company consisting of Hoyts Exhibition, Hoyts Distribution and Val Morgan.Hoyts Exhibition manages 450 screens across 40 Australian and 10 New Zealand cinema complexes; making it Australia's second largest cinema chain. Val Morgan, the cinema advertising arm of the...
, for $37.5 million. The deal was reportedly negotiated by Wheatley, who subsequently became managing director of Hoyts Media. The station was rebranded 3MMM on 27 November 1988, and was moved to the current frequency.
Triple M Melbourne
In 1987, a new style of breakfast show had begun taking shape on 3MMM featuring a team of comedians known as The D-GenerationThe D-Generation
The D-Generation was a popular and influential Australian TV sketch comedy show, produced and broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for two series, between 1986 and 1987...
. With a successful sketch show on ABC TV behind them and initially hired in 1986 by Lee Simon to write comedy pieces for The John Peters Breakfast Show, the team of Tom Gleisner
Tom Gleisner
Tom Gleisner is an Australian director, producer, writer, comedian, occasional actor and author. He was educated at Xavier College in Melbourne, Australia.-Television, radio and film:...
(1986–92), Santo Cilauro
Santo Cilauro
Santo Cilauro is an Australian television and feature film producer, screenwriter, actor, author, comedian and cameraman, a co-founder of The D-Generation...
(1986–92), Rob Sitch
Rob Sitch
Robert Ian Sitch , is an Australian director, producer, screenwriter, actor and comedian.-Early life:Sitch attended St Kevin's College and graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Melbourne, where he resided at Trinity College. He worked at the Royal Womans Hospital...
(1986, 1989–91), Tony Martin
Tony Martin (comedian)
Tony Francis Martin is a comedian and writer from Te Kuiti, New Zealand who has had a successful TV, radio, stand-up and film career in Australia.- Career :...
(1987–91), Michael Veitch (1987–89), Mick Molloy
Mick Molloy
Michael "Mick" Molloy is an Australian comedian, writer and producer who has been active in the fields of radio, television, stand-up and film.-Biography:...
(1990–92), and Jason Stephens (1990–92), successfully took over the breakfast air waves; even recruiting a member of the news team, Jane Kennedy
Jane Kennedy (actor)
Jane Kennedy is an Australian actress, comedian, radio presenter, and television producer best known for her work with the Working Dog Productions – a tight-knit group of performers responsible for a variety of television and films....
(1988–92). (Marg Downey, Magda Szubanski
Magda Szubanski
Magda Szubanski is a British-born Australian actress, comedian, television presenter, radio host and author.Szubanski's career began while she was studying at university and she progressed to television sketch comedy, as both a writer and performer...
and Judith Lucy
Judith Lucy
Judith Mary Lucy is an Australian comedian, known primarily for her stand-up comedy. She has toured Australia with several highly successful one-woman shows, including No Waiter I Ordered the Avocado , King Of The Road , An Impossible Dream , The Show , The Show 2 , Colour Me Judith...
also had small stints on the show). The show had a number of anchors during its run, notably Ian Rogerson (1987), Peter O’Callaghan (1988) and Kevin Hillier (1990–92), but it is the sixteen month 'anchorless' period (September 88-December 89) that is best-remembered by fans.
The show had a popular mix of sketches, characters and clever comedy, producing a number of best-of CD’s.
In September 1990, 3MMM moved from the original South Melbourne premises to the 8th Floor, 140 Bourke Street, Melbourne.
The on-air line-up in 1991 consisted of:
| Time | Show Name |
|---|---|
| 6am – 9am | Kevin Hillier & The D-Generation |
| 9am – Noon | Richard Stubbs |
| Noon – 3pm | Mark Irvine |
| 3pm – 6pm | Rob Elliott |
| 6pm – 10pm | John Peters |
In late 1991, the D-Generation team successfully pitched The Late Show
The Late Show (Australian TV series)
The Late Show was a popular Australian comedy show, which ran for two seasons on ABC from 18 July 1992 to 30 October 1993.-Cast:The Late Show has its roots in the 1980s comedy group, The D-Generation...
(1992–1993) to ABC TV. Sitch and Martin immediately left the radio show to prepare, with the rest of the team following in April to star in it.
Richard Stubbs
Richard Stubbs
Richard Stubbs is an Australian comedian who was educated at Wesley College, Melbourne.Stubbs started his career in radio in the early 1980s on 3XY as part of the XYZoo team. He appeared on Eon/MMM Fm with Tim Smith, Bridgette Duclos and Brad Mckenzie...
, another ex-3XY DJ, moved from the morning slot to the newly vacated breakfast position. Tim Smith
Tim Smith (comedian)
Tim Smith is an Australian comedian, actor and writer.Tim rose to prominence as part of The Comedy Company, sketch comedy television series. He has also written for many other comedy series including Eagle & Evans....
and then Brigitte Duclos
Brigitte Duclos
Brigitte Duclos is an Australian television and radio presenter.Currently she is a co-host of the breakfast radio program on Mix 1011 in Melbourne titled Mix Mornings alongside Anthony 'Lehmo' Lehmann.-Media career:...
, who, like Jane Kennedy earlier, began working at the station as a newsreader, joined him to form The Richard Stubbs Breakfast Show. Saturday nights hosted Live from the Ivy
Live from the Ivy
Live from the Ivy was a radio program that aired on Melbourne Australia's 3MMM radio station during the early 1990s. The program was hosted live from the Ivy Club in Melbourne and aired on Saturday nights between 10pm - 1am......
, a dance music program hosted live from the Ivy Club in Melbourne.
Joining Austereo
In 1994, the Triple M network, owned by Hoyts, was sold to Village Roadshow, who, on 1 December 1994, sold the network to Austereo, owner of the Today radio networkToday Network
The Today Network is a network of Contemporary Hit Radio stations run by Southern Cross Austereo in Australia.-Affiliates:-History:The Today Network started when the Austereo Radio Network secured the first commercial FM licence in Adelaide in 1980. Austereo launched a station called Double SA FM,...
, in return for a 53.5% share of Austereo. This gave Austereo, and therefore Village Roadshow, control of two national networks.
The merger of two formerly competing radio stations created some rivalries in each of the capital cities. In Melbourne, it was rumoured that Richard Stubbs received some flack for spending time in the Fox FM offices with his brother, announcer Peter Stubbs
Peter Stubbs
Peter Stubbs is a leading New Zealand marketing lawyer and the head of the Sports, Entertainment and Marketing practice of Simpson Grierson. He is the legal counsel for The New Zealand Marketing Association , the Direct Selling Association of New Zealand and a bi-monthly columnist for New...
. (Peter is better known as Grubby, who is currently co-hosting a breakfast show on Gold FM). However, over the years the two stations have regularly swapped stars between themselves when an existing role hasn’t suited.
Meanwhile, The Richard Stubbs Breakfast Show continued to deliver a strong performance for Triple M Melbourne. In 1995, an attempt was made to network the show in Sydney, but it ultimately failed, being replaced by a local team in Sydney headed by Andrew Denton
Andrew Denton
Andrew Christopher Denton is an Australian television producer, comedian, Gold Logie-nominated television presenter and former radio host, and was the host of the ABC's weekly television interview program Enough Rope. He is known for his comedy and interviewing technique...
.
At the start of 1996, Tim Smith left the breakfast show to join forces with Steve Bedwell
Steve Bedwell
Steve Bedwell is a comedian and comedy writer from Melbourne, Australia. He has appeared on Triple M, Russell Gilbert Live and Tonight Live With Steve Vizard. He is also a fill in host on Melbourne radio station 3AW....
in a morning show called The Squirrel Grippers, while Duclos moved to drive for The Grill Team, a reworking of the original Grill Team format pioneered by Triple M Melbourne in the early 90's, merging sport, comedy and music – a formula to filter throughout the station. The Grill Team also included ex-footballer Dermott Brereton
Dermott Brereton
Dermott Hugh Brereton is a former Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League, regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. Of Irish descent , he is known for his aggressive style of play. Brereton kicked 464 goals and played in five Premierships for during...
and future Channel 9
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
CEO Eddie McGuire
Eddie McGuire
Edward Joseph "Eddie" McGuire AM is an Australian television presenter and businessman known for his long association with Australian rules football and the Channel 9 television network....
.
In breakfast, Richard Stubbs continued with two new team members until the end of 1997, when he retired from radio, much to Triple M's disappointment. (He did, however, return to radio in later years with other networks).
The Squirrel Grippers were chosen as Stubb's replacement, moving from the mornings to breakfast. Renaming themselves as Timbo & Bedders for Breakfast, they continued Stubbs' success from 1998 to 2001.
After The Grill Team departed from the drive slot, Triple M moved the eccentric show Crud with Tony Moclair
Tony Moclair
Tony Moclair is an Australian actor, writer and comedian. He has worked on various Australian radio networks, often appearing in character rather than as himself.-3RRR Breakfasters:...
and Julian Schiller, which began life on community station 3RRR
3RRR
3RRR is a popular Australian community radio station, based in Melbourne. It is the largest per capita subscribed radio station in the world....
, from the evening slot into drive. Crud became best known for the character of Guido Hatzis, a self-confessed ‘adonis’ of ethnic descent who would call people with the intention of stirring them up. (A common radio theme)
Triple M tested the concept of FM talkback in 1999 with The Spoonman
The Spoonman
The Spoonman was an Australian late night talk back show hosted by radio personality Brian Carlton. Carlton used the alias "The Spoonman" on the show, which was syndicated on the Triple M network across Australia...
adding his controversial opinion every weeknight. The program was shelved at the end of the year, but returned in 2005 in almost exactly the same format.
At the start of 2002, seemingly to capitalise on Smith and Bedwell’s success, the station moved Smith to the drive slot (following Cruds departure) to create a new show The Cage
The Cage (radio show)
The Cage is the name of two different breakfast shows on Australian radio network Triple M, broadcasting in Brisbane and Melbourne.Previously Sydney and Adelaide received the Melbourne version, however these cities now have their own individual shows....
with previous colleague Brigitte Duclos, leaving Bedwell to head a new breakfast team. Called The Morning Madhouse, it included former Big Brother
Big Brother (Australia)
Big Brother Australia is the Australian version of the international Big Brother reality television series. Big Brother Australia was produced from 2001 and ran for 8 seasons before it was cancelled in 2008. It has been renewed in September 2011 for a 2012 season. All eight seasons were produced by...
contestant Rachel Corbett, with ex-cricketer James Brayshaw
James Brayshaw
James Antony Brayshaw is a former state cricketer and now Australian television and radio personality. As a cricketer he was known as Jamie Brayshaw. He is the son of former Western Australian cricketer and Australian rules footballer Ian Brayshaw, and the brother of Mark Brayshaw, a former...
featuring as a sports reporter. It was a ratings failure.
The Cage involved a revolving door of guests and comedians including Matt Parkinson (Parko), Matt Quartermaine (Quarters) (who together were the Empty Pockets comedy duo) Trevor Marmalade
Trevor Marmalade
Trevor Marmalade is the stage name of a comedian from Melbourne, Australia of Dutch descent. Jason grew up in Surrey Hills in Melbourne....
and Russell Gilbert
Russell Gilbert
Russell Gilbert , is an Australian comedian and actor from Footscray, Victoria.-Television:He has appeared in several Australian TV comedies, first attracting notice as 'Russ the Postie' on The Comedy Company , which led to a nine year stint on Hey Hey It's Saturday...
. The show performed well and was moved to the vacant breakfast slot only 3 months after it began. A relay of the breakfast show, with about 20% new content, kept the drive slot warm for the following few months. James Brayshaw
James Brayshaw
James Antony Brayshaw is a former state cricketer and now Australian television and radio personality. As a cricketer he was known as Jamie Brayshaw. He is the son of former Western Australian cricketer and Australian rules footballer Ian Brayshaw, and the brother of Mark Brayshaw, a former...
remained at breakfast and eventually joined The Cage full time, which at the same time lost Marmalade and Gilbert.
Triple M eventually decided in July 2002 to concentrate The Cage on breakfast only, and filled the drive slot for next 13 months with a couple of one-announcer shows.
Following the success of outdoor concerts such as Big Day Out
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth by 1993, with the Gold Coast and Auckland joining in 1994...
and Rumba, Triple M ran their own full-day concert, called M-One. It featured Garbage
Garbage (band)
Garbage are an alternative rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994. The group consists of Scottish singer Shirley Manson and American musicians Duke Erikson , Steve Marker and Butch Vig . All four members are involved in songwriting and production...
, Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
, Goo Goo Dolls
Goo Goo Dolls
The Goo Goo Dolls are a Grammy-nominated American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik and vocalist and bass guitarist Robby Takac. Since the end of 1994, Mike Malinin has been the band's drummer, a position previously held by George Tutuska...
, Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil , were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...
and Nickelback
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
. In Melbourne, it was held at Colonial Stadium (now Telstra Dome
Telstra Dome
Docklands Stadium is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the Docklands precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
) on Saturday 12 October 2002. It was moderately successful, but didn’t sell as many tickets as expected. It was therefore seen as a financial failure and not run again.
Networked Radio
While Triple M Melbourne’s line-up was proving successful during 2003, the Sydney station was in a ratings dive, partly due to the popularity of a new competitor, Nova.In August 2003, Triple M again tried networking Melbourne’s successful breakfast show in Sydney, with The Cage gaining former Sydney breakfast member Peter Berner
Peter Berner
Peter Berner is an Australian comedian, radio and television presenter, probably best known as host of television's The Einstein Factor.-Comedy:He has been involved in the Australian comedy scene since the 1990s...
to ease in the new market. (Matt Quartermaine had departed a few months earlier). Slowly, but surely, Sydney began to accept the new show, which featured local breaks for traffic and news. (Brisbane also has a breakfast show called The Cage, but it is in name only and comprises a different team.)
At the same time a fresh new show began in the drive slot – The Whole Shebang. It starred comedians Marty Sheargold
Marty Sheargold
Martin "Marty" Sheargold is an Australian stand-up comedian and radio broadcaster. He is best known for his role on the Triple M radio show The Shebang with Fifi Box...
, Jo Stanley
Jo Stanley
Joanne "Jo" Stanley is an Australian television and radio personality.Stanley has appeared as the host of Network Ten's Bread TV program, a show that focuses on small business and is currently the host of The Matt and Jo Show on Austereo's FOX FM, a show she joined in 2003.- Biography :She...
and Jodie J. Hill with Fifi Box
Fifi Box
Fifi Box is an Australian radio broadcaster and television personality, formerly hosting The Shebang with Marty Sheargold on Triple M, and presenter on the Seven Network's Sunrise program....
and Byron Cooke, plus another Sydney breakfast show ex-member, Mikey Robbins. The show was initially broadcast into both Sydney and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, with Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
added later and Adelaide receiving it for a brief time.
Triple M also began a new frequent listener’s initiative in August 2003 with the Freq Club. It involved listening for code words, which could be accumulated and redeemed for prizes.
At the end of 2003, Matt Parkinson left The Cage to pursue other interests, and The Whole Shebang
The Shebang
The Shebang was a radio show broadcast weekday mornings from 6am to 9am AEST in Sydney, Australia on 2MMM, the local Triple M outlet. It was hosted by Marty Sheargold, Fifi Box and Paul Murray with Anthony Maroon as the show anchor...
dropped most of the team (and the 'Whole' part), leaving Sheargold and Box as a duo, with Cooke as anchor (Cooke later moved to the US, to be replaced by Rohan "Brownie" Brown, a morning announcer). Parkinson eventually rejoined The Cage in 2005 when Tim Smith left to try other things at Triple M, before eventually leaving the station after almost 14 years there. (He moved to rival station Mix FM
Mix FM
Mix FM is a radio name and format. It is given to certain radio stations around the world with that name, while having the "mix" format. Although some stations don't have the name "Mix FM", they can still have the format of Mixed Hits - a variety of established songs, from old to new.Radio formats...
3 months later)
In 2004, Mick Molloy
Mick Molloy
Michael "Mick" Molloy is an Australian comedian, writer and producer who has been active in the fields of radio, television, stand-up and film.-Biography:...
returned to Triple M with Tough Love
Tough Love with Mick Molloy
ToughLove was an Australian comedic radio talk program broadcast from Melbourne through the Triple M network from 12:00PM - 1:00PM AEST in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide....
from 10am – 12noon. He was joined by Robyn Butler
Robyn Butler
Robyn Butler is an Australian writer, actor and producer who is best known for her starring role in the television comedy series The Librarians. Butler hosted a radio program called Tough Love on the Triple M network...
, Alan Brough
Alan Brough
Alan Brough is a New Zealand actor and comedian.Brough worked as an actor in Wellington and Auckland, mainly in live theatre...
and Richard Molloy
Richard Molloy
Richard 'Roo' Molloy is the younger brother of Mick Molloy and was the co-host of Tough Love with Mick Molloy radio show on Triple M.Molloy also co-wrote the Australian films Crackerjack and BoyTown with his brother.-References:...
(aka "Roo"). Alan left the show at the end of 2004 and it shifted to 12noon – 1pm, presumably to allow Molloy to work on other projects. At the end of 2006, Molloy ended the show, sarcastically saying "The relentless grind of a one-hour national radio show has finally taken its toll. The midday starts were also brutal, often playing havoc with my sleeping patterns."
Molloy’s sparring partner Tony Martin
Tony Martin (comedian)
Tony Francis Martin is a comedian and writer from Te Kuiti, New Zealand who has had a successful TV, radio, stand-up and film career in Australia.- Career :...
also re-joined the station in 2006 with Get This
Get This
Get This was an Australian radio comedy show which aired on Triple M and was hosted by Tony Martin and Ed Kavalee, with contributions from panel operator, the late Richard Marsland...
. The show was co-hosted by Ed Kavalee
Ed Kavalee
Edward Robert Kavalee is an Australian actor and radio host. He is currently co-host of a comedy program on the Nine Network, The Joy of Sets, with Tony Martin....
with a different guest each day. During 2006, the show ran from 9-10am weekdays, moving to 11am-1pm and then 2pm in 2007.
At the end of 2006, Triple M confirmed that The Shebang would be moved to breakfast in Sydney, while The Cage would focus solely on Melbourne, ending the breakfast networking experiment again. Chas and Dom from The Chaser filled the drive slot during the summer break, with Wil & Lehmo
Wil & Lehmo
Wil & Lehmo was an afternoon drive time radio program broadcast nationally on Triple M and was hosted by Wil Anderson and Anthony "Lehmo" Lehmann. It began broadcasting on 2 April 2007....
moving in permanently from 2 April 2007, broadcasting to all Triple M stations.
The Freq Club was eventually ended in 2005, replaced with a 'Music Jury' in 2006, where anyone can sign-up and are then sent, on a weekly basis, a survey of 30 songs which are judged by how liked it is and how tired you are of it.
In 2005, Triple M’s slogan became "You’ll Never Know What We’ll Play Next". Coupled with this was the suggestion that the Music Director was a monkey called Barry, and featured an ad campaign where on-air talent were subjected to his mood. By the end of 2006, the Barry aspect featured less in the station ids. Since that time, it was jokingly mentioned on Get This
Get This
Get This was an Australian radio comedy show which aired on Triple M and was hosted by Tony Martin and Ed Kavalee, with contributions from panel operator, the late Richard Marsland...
that 'the monkey is not to be mentioned'.
Beginning the week of 29 January 2007, Triple M began using a new slogan, "At Least We Take The Music Seriously", however this has slowly reverted back to "You'll Never Know What We'll Play Next".
From 17 September 2007, Get This was moved to the 2-4pm slot - the third move since the program started. The reason was to provide one long stream of talk: from 2pm when Get This starts, till 6pm when Wil and Lehmo finishes. On the 15 October 2007, Tony Martin revealed to listeners that "Get This" would be axed at the end of November. This has caused many listeners to voice their unhappy opinions in TV/Radio guides (such as The Age's Green Guide), on petitions and on Wikipedia. The last show was broadcast on 23 November 2007.
The Cage
The Cage (radio show)
The Cage is the name of two different breakfast shows on Australian radio network Triple M, broadcasting in Brisbane and Melbourne.Previously Sydney and Adelaide received the Melbourne version, however these cities now have their own individual shows....
was also axed at the end of 2007, shortly after member James Brayshaw announced he was leaving. "The Cage had run its cycle in Melbourne," according to Austereo's group program director Guy Dobson. "It's all a fiscal decision. Nothing is done lightly and nothing is done with malice." The Cage ended on Thursday 22 November 2007 after 5 years, with the Essential 2007 Countdown filling for the usual Friday show.
Current Situation
Beginning December 2007, Triple M has revived the slogan "Home of Rock, Sport and Comedy", previously used in the late 90's, which announcers and advertisements have been using instead of "You'll Never Know What We'll Play Next".Peter Helliar
Peter Jason Matthew Helliar is an Australian comedian, actor and writer. Most famous for his work on television as Rove McManus' sidekick on The Loft Live from 1997 to 1998 and on Rove from 1999 and 2009...
has been chosen to lead a new breakfast show in Melbourne in 2008, joined by Myf Warhurst
Myf Warhurst
Myfanwy "Myf" Warhurst is an Australian radio announcer and television personality, best known for her work at Triple J and on ABC Television's music-themed quiz show Spicks and Specks. Before her career as a radio announcer and TV personality, she was editor-in-chief of Melbourne street press...
. The show began 21 January 2008, with the late Richard Marsland
Richard Marsland
Richard Kemble Marsland was an Australian comedy writer, actor, comedian and radio personality.-Radio:...
(previously on Get This
Get This
Get This was an Australian radio comedy show which aired on Triple M and was hosted by Tony Martin and Ed Kavalee, with contributions from panel operator, the late Richard Marsland...
) joining as anchor from 29 January 2008.
On 11 July 2008, Triple M celebrated their 28th birthday, playing many of the original EON FM jingles throughout the day, with Lee Simon, Peter Grace, Karl Van Est and Jennifer Keyte reminiscing from 12noon - 2pm. During that time, Keyte reprised her role as news presenter.
During September 2008, Triple M Melbourne re-located from their St Kilda Road studios, to brand new upgraded studios in South Melbourne. In early 2009, the building was named the Richard Marsland
Richard Marsland
Richard Kemble Marsland was an Australian comedy writer, actor, comedian and radio personality.-Radio:...
Memorial Studios, in honour of the popular panel operator and on-air presenter who had taken his own life in December 2008.
At the end of 2008, Will & Lehmo finished their drive-time show, which was replaced by Roy and HG (Monday and Friday) and local announcers (Tuesday-Thursday)
On Tuesday 7 July 2009, due to low ratings, the station announced that Peter Helliar and Myf Warhurst's breakfast show had been axed, with the last show aired on Friday 31 July.
On 7 September 2009, the new breakfast show, The Hot Breakfast
The Hot Breakfast
The Hot Breakfast is an Australian breakfast radio show that broadcasts weekday mornings from 6 am to 9 am AEST on Triple M Melbourne. It commenced broadcasting on Monday, 7 September 2009....
with Eddie McGuire
Eddie McGuire
Edward Joseph "Eddie" McGuire AM is an Australian television presenter and businessman known for his long association with Australian rules football and the Channel 9 television network....
commenced broadcasting.
Weekday Announcers
Breakfast: The Hot BreakfastThe Hot Breakfast
The Hot Breakfast is an Australian breakfast radio show that broadcasts weekday mornings from 6 am to 9 am AEST on Triple M Melbourne. It commenced broadcasting on Monday, 7 September 2009....
with Eddie McGuire
Eddie McGuire
Edward Joseph "Eddie" McGuire AM is an Australian television presenter and businessman known for his long association with Australian rules football and the Channel 9 television network....
, Luke Darcy
Luke Darcy
Luke Darcy is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Western Bulldogs who now juggles roles in media and administration.-Early life:...
and Mick Molloy
Mick Molloy
Michael "Mick" Molloy is an Australian comedian, writer and producer who has been active in the fields of radio, television, stand-up and film.-Biography:...
Mornings: Dangerous Dave Williams
Lunch: Rock of Ages with Lee Simon (1 hour)
Afternoons: David 'Higgo' Higgins
Drive: Rush Hour with James Brayshaw
James Brayshaw
James Antony Brayshaw is a former state cricketer and now Australian television and radio personality. As a cricketer he was known as Jamie Brayshaw. He is the son of former Western Australian cricketer and Australian rules footballer Ian Brayshaw, and the brother of Mark Brayshaw, a former...
and Billy Brownless
Billy Brownless
Anthony William "Billy" Brownless is a former Australian rules footballer with the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League and media personality.- Football career :...
with David 'Higgo' Higgins (Monday -Thursday)
Evenings: The Peanut Gallery with Jeff and Paul
Triple M
Triple M
The Triple M Network is an active rock radio network in Australia owned by media company Austereo, who also own the Today Network.- History :...
Footy (Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
) airs Friday night, Saturday afternoon/night and Sunday afternoon during the football season
James Brayshaw
James Brayshaw
James Antony Brayshaw is a former state cricketer and now Australian television and radio personality. As a cricketer he was known as Jamie Brayshaw. He is the son of former Western Australian cricketer and Australian rules footballer Ian Brayshaw, and the brother of Mark Brayshaw, a former...
, Garry Lyon
Garry Lyon
Garry Peter Lyon is a former professional Australian rules football player and was captain of the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League. Since his retirement from football, he has been mainly an Australian rules football media personality, featuring on television, radio and in...
, Rex Hunt
Rex Hunt
Rex James Hunt is an Australian television and radio personality, and a former Australian rules football player. He is an Australian rules football commentator, currently on the 1116 SEN radio station with son in law Lee Raynor conducting a program called Off The Hook. He is better known around...
, Danny Frawley
Danny Frawley
Danny Frawley is a former Australian rules footballer and coach and a current football commentator with Fox Sports.He is the nephew of Collingwood player Des Tuddenham and the uncle of current Melbourne Football Club player James Frawley.- Football career :Recruited from Ballarat, after attending...
, Jason Dunstall
Jason Dunstall
Jason Hadfield Dunstall is a former Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club of the AFL. He is the third greatest goalkicker in the history of the VFL/AFL. Dunstall is regarded as one of the greatest full-forwards to have ever played, kicking 1254 goals, a feat only...
, Bill Brownless, Dennis Cometti
Dennis Cometti
Dennis Cometti is a former Australian rules football player and coach for West Perth in the West Australian Football League and Footscray in the Victorian Football League but is best known as a commentator. In a career spanning almost 40 years, his dry humour and smooth voice have become his...
, Dr Peter Larkins, Ashley Chua, Stephen Quartermain, Damian Barrett, Mark Stevens, Hamish McLachlan, Nathan Brown
Nathan Brown
Nathan Brown may refer to:* Nathan Brown , American religious leader* Nathan J. Brown , political scientist & academic...
, Michael Christian, Barry Denner and Michael Roberts.
Former Announcers
- Fifi BoxFifi BoxFifi Box is an Australian radio broadcaster and television personality, formerly hosting The Shebang with Marty Sheargold on Triple M, and presenter on the Seven Network's Sunrise program....
- Marty SheargoldMarty SheargoldMartin "Marty" Sheargold is an Australian stand-up comedian and radio broadcaster. He is best known for his role on the Triple M radio show The Shebang with Fifi Box...
- Brigitte DuclosBrigitte DuclosBrigitte Duclos is an Australian television and radio presenter.Currently she is a co-host of the breakfast radio program on Mix 1011 in Melbourne titled Mix Mornings alongside Anthony 'Lehmo' Lehmann.-Media career:...
- James 'Turbo' Anderson
- Tim SmithTim Smith (comedian)Tim Smith is an Australian comedian, actor and writer.Tim rose to prominence as part of The Comedy Company, sketch comedy television series. He has also written for many other comedy series including Eagle & Evans....
- Matt Quartermaine
- Peter HelliarPeter HelliarPeter Jason Matthew Helliar is an Australian comedian, actor and writer. Most famous for his work on television as Rove McManus' sidekick on The Loft Live from 1997 to 1998 and on Rove from 1999 and 2009...
- Myf WarhurstMyf WarhurstMyfanwy "Myf" Warhurst is an Australian radio announcer and television personality, best known for her work at Triple J and on ABC Television's music-themed quiz show Spicks and Specks. Before her career as a radio announcer and TV personality, she was editor-in-chief of Melbourne street press...
- Matt Parkinson
- Kevin Hillier
- Ed KavaleeEd KavaleeEdward Robert Kavalee is an Australian actor and radio host. He is currently co-host of a comedy program on the Nine Network, The Joy of Sets, with Tony Martin....
- Mick MolloyMick MolloyMichael "Mick" Molloy is an Australian comedian, writer and producer who has been active in the fields of radio, television, stand-up and film.-Biography:...
- Jo StanleyJo StanleyJoanne "Jo" Stanley is an Australian television and radio personality.Stanley has appeared as the host of Network Ten's Bread TV program, a show that focuses on small business and is currently the host of The Matt and Jo Show on Austereo's FOX FM, a show she joined in 2003.- Biography :She...
- Jodie J Hill
- Ugly PhilUgly PhilUgly Phil O'Neil is a radio DJ/announcer. He was born in the United Kingdom, and lived the majority of his life in Australia. Before adopting the on-air name of Ugly Phil he was known on-air as Phil O'Neil...
- Daniel Gawned
- Mieke BuchanMieke Buchanthumb|250px|Mieke BuchanMieke Buchan is an Australian television and radio presenter.-Early life:A native of Sydney, Australia, she majored in Film and Television Production in her BA Communications degree at University of Technology, Sydney, and also competed for them in netball in the Australian...
Sport at Triple M
In 1992, Eddie McGuireEddie McGuire
Edward Joseph "Eddie" McGuire AM is an Australian television presenter and businessman known for his long association with Australian rules football and the Channel 9 television network....
was given the green light and the Saturday morning timeslot to launch The Grill Team, a groundbreaking 3 hour sport show which also featured Jane Kennedy
Jane Kennedy (actor)
Jane Kennedy is an Australian actress, comedian, radio presenter, and television producer best known for her work with the Working Dog Productions – a tight-knit group of performers responsible for a variety of television and films....
and comedians Trevor Marmalade
Trevor Marmalade
Trevor Marmalade is the stage name of a comedian from Melbourne, Australia of Dutch descent. Jason grew up in Surrey Hills in Melbourne....
, Tim Smith
Tim Smith (comedian)
Tim Smith is an Australian comedian, actor and writer.Tim rose to prominence as part of The Comedy Company, sketch comedy television series. He has also written for many other comedy series including Eagle & Evans....
, Matt Quartermaine and Sergio Paradise. The Grill Team rapidly gained momentum and ratings with its unique blend of Rock, Sport and Comedy, a format which was rolled out across the entire station in the ensuing years.
The introduction of The Grill Team on Triple M Melbourne in the early ‘90’s is considered by many industry insiders to be the precursor to Channel 9’s long running AFL The Footy Show
The AFL Footy Show
The Footy Show is a Logie Award winning Australian sports television program, shown on the Nine Network and its affiliates.This show, which is dedicated to the AFL and Australian rules football, made its debut on 24 March 1994 at the same time as the other version which relates to the NRL and rugby...
which debuted in 1994 with Eddie McGuire, Trevor Marmalade and former Geelong great, John “Sammy” Newman
Sam Newman
John Noel William "Sam" Newman is a retired Australian rules football player and current television personality. He is a featured presenter on the AFL version of The Footy Show.-VFL career:...
.
The success of the Saturday morning Grill Team led to the introduction of even more sport based programming on Triple M including The World According to Pig, Jimmy and Rooboy with AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
legends Jason Dunstall
Jason Dunstall
Jason Hadfield Dunstall is a former Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club of the AFL. He is the third greatest goalkicker in the history of the VFL/AFL. Dunstall is regarded as one of the greatest full-forwards to have ever played, kicking 1254 goals, a feat only...
, James Hird
James Hird
James Hird is a former professional Australian rules footballer and the current coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League....
and Wayne Carey
Wayne Carey
Wayne Carey is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the North Melbourne and Adelaide Football Clubs in the Australian Football League ....
, Dougy and Dunstall, and more recently, The Gospel and Dead Set Legends.
In 1995, Program Director, Lee Simon noted that Triple M’s ratings were dropping off over the weekends in increasing numbers. Most of Triple M’s audience were watching or listening to Australian Rules Football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
. (known as AFL, or footy)
Simon suggested that Triple M broadcast footy on weekends. Triple M's board initially resisted, but Simon was persistent. 3MMM finally won broadcast approval in 1997, and has since become the top-rating AFL broadcaster.
Triple M began using the slogan "Rock, Sport and Comedy" on the back of the gaining of the football rights, until early 2000.
In October 2006, Triple M was granted AFL broadcast rights for a further 3 years.
Occasionally, if the Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
NRL team play on Monday night, 3MMM will broadcast its games. However one of their games in the 2009 season coincided with a Monday night AFL match between Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
and St Kilda, so 3MMM chose to broadcast the AFL match rather than the NRL match (the Storm were playing the Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
at Gosford) which was, ironically, broadcast on 2MMM.
Transmission
3MMM transmits from the ATV-10 transmission tower on top of Mount DandenongMount Dandenong, Victoria
Mount Dandenong is both a mountain and small township/suburb of Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 35 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, as does its sister station FOX. It is an NEC FBN-11K10E FM transmitter with a base power of 6 kW.
Digital Radio
Triple M is simulcast on Digital RadioDigital radio in Australia
Digital radio in Australia uses the DAB+ standard and is currently available in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and Darwin. The national government owned networks, the ABC and SBS, provide their current services and a few digital-only services on the new platform, while the...
in Melbourne.
Triple M launched High Voltage Radio
High Voltage Radio
High Voltage Radio was a pop up Digital Radio station broadcasting nationally in Australia while AC/DC were touring the country in 2010...
, a "pop up" Digital Radio station that exclusively plays AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
for the duration of the band's 2010 tour of Australia. High Voltage stopped being on air on 15 March 2010.
Other References
- 3 Triple M, "3 Triple M – Rock of the 90’s", Triple M Company Profile, circ. 1991
- "Austereo Group Profile", http://www.austereo.com.au/profiles/index.php, retrieved 7 March 2005
- Brady, Nicole, "Radio Waves: Melbourne show makes a splash in harbour city", The Age Green Guide, page 6, 20 November 2003
- Brady, Nicole, "Radio Waves", TheAge.com.au, 1 September 2005
- Crawford, Anne, "Birth of FM radio was an EON ago", TheAge.com.au, 11 July 2000
- Molitorisz, Sacha, "How FM changed the mix", smh.com.au, 15 April 2004
- "Richard Stubbs Profile", http://www.abc.net.au/backyards/presenters/richardstubbs.htm, retrieved 8 March 2006
- "Triple M website", retrieved 3 February 1999, 6 July 2001, 26 July 2002, 13 October 2003, at http://web.archive.org
- Unknown, "Rebels without a pause", smh.com.au, 17 March 2004
External links
- Triple M Melbourne - Official site