VIDEO HASN'T KILLED THE RADIO STAR
The first time I walked into Triple U FM was around the time I had started writing my own songs. I was there as an interviewee on ‘The Double A Show’. Aidan Sezonenko and Angus Perry (The Double As) were a few years ahead of me at school, but we hit it off early on, bonding over bands we liked and a general appreciation for music. When they heard that I had an EP out, they asked me to come on their community radio program.
I fell in love with the energy of their show, which managed to be chaotic, easygoing and somewhat organised all at once. I didn’t think it was possible to fit so much laughter into one hour and was in awe of the fact that a couple of young people were making waves in the local music scene, by doing something totally different to anything I’d seen or heard before.
When the boys graduated and left for the big smoke, the 4pm Tuesday slot was left vacant, so I seized the opportunity. I emailed the station, asking very nicely if they would allow me to sit in on the program, and to my excitement, they took me up! I spent the next few days deliberating over what songs I would play, and prioritising ‘research’ over my schoolwork. A couple of days before I was due to go in, my mate JD visited me after school. I told him about the radio gig, and asked if he wanted to do the show with me. He was keen, but we needed to think of a name (the most important part of any good radio show according to 16-year-old boys). We landed on ‘The Double Js’, but realised that was a little bit too similar to another, arguably more popular, Australian radio station. We ended up tweaking the name slightly, and J² was born.
The big day arrived, and we raided my dad’s CD collection and walked the three blocks to the station, stopping via the supermarket to get some food (a tradition that would later be dubbed the imaginative ‘radio snack’). We had a more experienced presenter show us how the buttons worked, and then we were free to pilot the airwaves. Our early shows were pretty hectic, and would often garner ‘constructive criticism’ from our initially limited audience. We’ve never been into meticulously planning our shows, although it probably would have helped to have some idea of what to talk about when we first started.
It took us a while to find our niche, which is a major part of community radio. Every program is unique on Triple U FM; whether the host is specialising in Latin music, or providing a direct voice on-air for those who need it—there really is something for everyone. I’ve always been passionate about Australian music, so I made a conscious decision that a lot of the music I would choose to play would be from local bands and artists. JD is into standup comedy, so that gave us something else to talk about, usually with a local focus. As we became more adept, we branched out into interviewing our mates, or anyone who had something going on in the area. Our first interviews included Shoalhaven band Debbies, and an award-winning film director from a neighbouring suburb.
When the pandemic hit, it meant that we couldn’t have guests in the studio, and there was a brief time where we were off air entirely. We had to think of a way to adapt. I started interviewing people from home, and it opened up a whole new world. We were no longer limited to only interviewing people who could make it into the studio on a Tuesday afternoon. My first pre-recorded interview over the phone was with Elizabeth Stokes of The Beths (NZ). This was a new experience for a couple of reasons. It was a bit disconcerting at first to be interviewing someone you couldn’t see, and it was the first international interview we ran on the show.
Lockdown ended, but I kept chasing interviews, continuing to support the immediate local scene, but also branching out into the wider culture of Australian music. Over the next few months, JD and I interviewed a huge range of Australian musicians, including Nooky, Lisa Mitchell, Adam Newling, and plenty more creative people. These conversations opened my eyes to the important role that community radio still plays in the Australian music scene. As someone who has been on both sides of the microphone, it’s clear that community radio provides plenty of opportunities for young artists, musicians, and even kids who want to try their hand at doing something a bit different.
If anyone tries to tell you that radio is obsolete, ignore them. Not only is community radio a hub for creatives, it continues to provide essential services to all kinds of communities. During the Black Summer bushfires, community radio was a crucial source of information, and continues to be a vital aid during many tough times. Even though JD and I will be signing off in the next couple of months and embarking on new creative pursuits, we hope that we have left a mark, and done all that we can to support the diverse community of creative people in our area and beyond.
You can listen to J² on 104.5FM or https://www.tripleu.org.au/ on Tuesdays at 4pm. You can find them on Instagram and Tiktok at @j.squared.uuu