This is a list of programs that have been broadcast by Australian national youth radio station Triple J. For a list of current and departed presenters, see List of Triple J presenters.
Mainstay
On weekdays, Triple J broadcasts at least five mainstay programs; on weekends and during the summer holidays, variants of these programs are broadcast with different presenters and time-slots.
Hack is a half-hour segment broadcast in the middle of Drive. In 2023, it was announced long-running program Good Nights would be axed– this would usually have followed Hack, but now the final hour of Drive succeeds it.[1]
Music
Speciality music programs
Triple J has several genre-specific programs broadcast typically once per week. In 2024, these shows include:
House Party: live DJ mixes from the presenter; launched in 2008.[3] Triple J used to issue annual compilation CDs featuring the best mixes, but discontinued this practice in 2017[4]
Mix Up: DJ mixes from local and international guests
The Nudge: dance and club music; launched in 2021[5]
Currently hosted by Ash McGregor, Home and Hosed is a flagship Triple J program that plays only Australian music, typically from local and unsigned artists. The show also includes interviews with musicians, premieres of new releases, and gig guides. Home and Hosed is broadcast most weekday evenings.[15] It has had several time-slot changes throughout the years– it launched as The Local, a two hour show in the late night from 2003, before reducing to one hour in 2011, earlier in the evening.[16] From 2024, the program has again expanded to two hours.[15]
Live at the Wireless
Live at the Wireless is a weekly segment that broadcasts live recordings from gigs and festivals around the country.[17] Triple J used to issue compilation CDs that included some of the best recordings from the segment, but a new version has not appeared since 2010.[4]
Like a Version
Like a Version is a Friday weekly segment during the Breakfast show which features musicians and bands performing two songs; one original and one cover of the artists choice. The segment was created by Mel Bampton as part of the morning show Mel in the Morning. Triple J used to issue compilation CDs that included some of the most popular covers, but discontinued this practice after 16 years in 2022.[4] During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, Like a Version went on hiatus for the first time in 16 years.[18]
J-Files
The weekly J-Files show has had two incarnations over the years. From 1996 to 2003, it was a three-hour late weeknight show hosted by Richard Kingsmill. Each show was topical; it might feature an artist, a particular year in the past, or songs with a certain theme. Examples of themed shows include cats & dogs, New Zealand bands, and banned songs. From 2003, J-Files was a one-hour Saturday afternoon show, hosted by various Triple J presenters, specifically focused on one particular artist. The final episode File was aired in November 2007. On Thursday 21 August 2014, the J Files made its debut on digital station Double J.
News and current affairs
News and Hack
Triple J has their own independent news team, specifically covering news and issues that are relevant to young Australians, such as education and climate change, as well as general music news. A short news break is delivered on the hour during weekdays, and every half-hour during Breakfast.
The station's flagship current affairs program, Hack, is broadcast every weeknight during the Drive time-slot. It is hosted by Dave Marchese. Young people across the country are encouraged to text or call in for discussion among a panel of experts depending on the relevant news topic.[19]
The Hook Up
A late night program launched in 2016 with discussions about sex and relationships.[20]
Talkback Classroom
Triple J broadcast Talkback Classroom from 1998 to 2003, a program where secondary school students from around Australia interviewed various prominent politicians, business and community leaders on current affairs issues. The program now airs on ABC Radio National.
Heywire
Heywire is where youth in outback Australia can air their views through a youth forum. Entrants must be between 16 and 22, write and engaging story relating to the countryside and must work well on radio. There are 41 regions like Unearthed. The winner receives airplay of their story and one winner from each of the 41 regions, wins an all expenses paid trip to Canberra at the Australian Institute of Sport for the youth forum.
Breakfast is Triple J's flagship mainstay program. In the late 1980s, it was hosted by Rusty Nails, and later by Maynard. In the early 1990s it was co-hosted by Helen Razer and Mikey Robins, and later by Mikey Robins, Paul McDermott, and The Sandman (Steve Abbott). From 1999 until 2004, it was co-hosted by Adam Spencer and Wil Anderson. The pair were known for their unusual sense of humour, highlighted by regular segments including Mary from Junee, Essence of Steve, and Are You Smarter Than Dools?.[21]
Spencer and Anderson broadcast their final program for the station on Friday 26 November 2004 from the University of Sydney's Manning Bar, the site where Spencer got his start in stand-up comedy. In 2005, Jay and Lindsay (a.k.a. "The Doctor") from Frenzal Rhomb took over as hosts of Breakfast. From 8 January 2007, former Lunch presenter Myf Warhurst joined Jay and Lindsay as a permanent member of the Breakfast team. Henry Stone contributed to the Triple J Debate Night series in 2013.
Alex Dyson (left) and Matt Okine (right) at Tropfest 2013
On 23 November 2009, it was announced that Tom Ballard and Alex Dyson, hosts of the 2009 Weekend Breakfast show, would take over as hosts of Breakfast in 2010. In December 2013, Tom Ballard resigned and was replaced by Matt Okine in January 2014.
Okine and Dyson hosted the annual Matt & Alex Legend of the Year Awards from 2014 to 2016, presenting awards including Crumb of the Year to Richard Wilkins, and Legend of the Year to: Mark from Cromer, Tuesday rave advocate;[22] Niamh from Hobart, live professor of love;[23] and Dave 'Ruggsy' Rugs, former Hey Hey It's Saturday contestant.[24] Okine and Dyson's last show was broadcast on 16 December 2016.[25]
In 2017, it was announced the Breakfast team would consist of former Adelaide community radio presenters and comedians Ben Harvey and Liam Stapleton, with current affairs from journalist Brooke Boney. Paralympian Dylan Alcott and comedian Gen Fricker were also regular guests.[26] At the end of 2018, Boney and Alcott announced they would be leaving Triple J.
As of January 2019, the Breakfast team consists of former Adelaide community radio presenters and comedians Ben Harvey and Liam Stapleton, with current affairs from journalist Alice Matthews.
Weekend Breakfast
Past presenters have included Jim Trail, Paul Verhoeven, Costa Zouliou, Gaby Brown, Scott Dooley, and Sam Simmons. Caroline Tran returned in 2010. The very popular Club Veg, featured Malcolm Lees and Vic Davies, from 1984 to 1986. They then moved to 2SM & Triple M.
This Sporting Life
This Sporting Life (TSL), which ran from 1986 to 2008, was a parody of sporting panel programs, created and hosted by actor-writer-comedians John Doyle and Greig Pickhaver (under the pseudonyms Roy Slaven & HG Nelson). As well as sport, the duo cast a wide comedic net that encompassed the worlds of entertainment, politics and celebrity. TSL was remarkable as one of the few successful comedy programs that was substantially improvised.
The longest-running show in Triple J's programming history, TSL commanded a large and dedicated nationwide audience. Special editions of TSL were broadcast to coincide with the NRL and AFLgrand finals (The Festival of the Boot) as well as for all three of rugby league's State of Origin series matches. (see Roy and HG's State of Origin commentary). In 2009, after 22 years at the ABC, the duo left to work for the commercial rock station Triple M.
Raw Comedy Competition
Triple J used to support, promotes and broadcast clips from the Raw Comedy Competition, which is produced by the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Podcasts of competition sets were available via the Triple J website.[27]
Restoring the Balance
Restoring the Balance was broadcast sporadically on Sunday afternoons during 2004. The primary concept behind the show was a satire of the contrasting political views between the conservative Australian Howard government, and the left-wing government-funded Triple J radio station. The show suggested that the station was forced to broadcast a segment of right-wing political views in order to "restore the balance."
Today Today
Today Today was the name given to the drive show in 2004 and 2005, hosted by Chaser members Chris Taylor and Craig Reucassel. The show's name was derived from Today Tonight, a controversial Australian TV current affairs show screened on the Seven Network. Their humour was in a similar vein to CNNNN and The Chaser, being more politically driven. One of their more popular skits was "Coma FM", a parody of commercial radio stations.
Radio plays
Triple J currently has had several comedic radio plays:
Coma FM - satirical radio station performed by Today Today hosts Chris Taylor and Craig Reucassel.
Space Goat - a parody radio sci fi performed by the breakfast show's Jay and the Doctor which borrowed many features of early radio science fictions such as a long intro for very little story which leaves many questions open, which the narrator spends some time pointing out at the end.
Battalion 666 - a comedic radio drama which takes place on a fictional Royal Navy ship, HMS Beezlebub. It came about when, in 2004, the Royal Navy officially recognised LaVeyan Satanism as an official religion in which its personnel can partake. The show features Jay and the Doctor, John Safran, and various sound clips of famous people taken from recorded interviews such as Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe.
Saturday Night and Graveyard Shift
In 2005 Dave Callan started at Triple J presenting the Saturday night/Sunday early morning program the Graveyard Shift.
In 2006 Dave hosted the Saturday evening timeslot, called Saturday Night. The show followed the pattern of Callan's mid-dawn shifts from previous years. In January 2007 this show was renamed Pirate Radio after one of the personae commonly adopted by callers. Listener interaction plays a significant role in Callan's programmes with regular callers such as "Steph from Tamworth", "Snake Charmer Farmer", and "Ukulele Guy", as well as an assortment of "randoms" and "carnies". On 27 January 2008, Dave returned to the Graveyard Shift (01:00-06:00 Sunday mornings). From January 2009 the show was shortened, finishing at 04:00. As of 2011 Dave is no longer on Triple J.
From 2005, John Safran and Father Bob Maguire co-hosted a Sunday night talk show interviewing international guests, generally discussing serious topics like religion and politics.
The Race Race
Beginning on 27 October 2008, Chris Taylor and Craig Reucassel co-hosted a comedy program centred on the 2008 United States presidential election entitled The Race Race. The programme aired at 17:00 weekdays until the wrap-up episode, which aired on 5 November 2008, after the elections had concluded.
The program derived its name from the fact that Barack Obama, the first African–American to be nominated by a major American political party for president, was running a formerly exclusively white political race against the white Republican candidate, John McCain. The program became the number one podcast in Australia, and Triple J released a number of commemorative Race Race T-shirts which featured the show's catchphrase "I Like Pie".
