Triple M Plan To Host Their Own Countdown On Australia Day 2018

Just a timely reminder that Triple M is shit. 

Australian radio station Triple M has – for some fucking reason – decided to fill the now-vacant Australia Day countdown slot with their own “hottest 100” countdown: aptly titled ‘Ozzfest 100’.

I mean, I do understand why they’re planning to make this move: the other, vastly more popular national radio station that also shares six letters with their name has now freed up a primetime spot and MMM are looking for all the coverage they can damn well get. Even so, it’s just a totally bone-headed and utterly tone-deaf decision on their part to do so. As it's all about the principle and the why behind Triple J choose to move the Hottest 100 from that date - something that we feel Triple M have completely overlooked or not even cared for in their plan; ignoring the wider discussions and debates about Australia Day in the process. It's a move born of business competition instead of leadership and example setting. (Not that we expect much of the latter from Triple M but that's beside the point).

The bogan-centric rock music station, whose regular audience I imagine isn't all that culturally sensitive, is now set to sweep right into the free spot that Triple J decided to leave behind in favour of hosting their Hottest 100 countdown on Saturday, January 27^th instead of on January 26^th, 2018. Or as our nation has consistently called said day since 1994: Australia Day.

Triple M’s countdown is also set to feature only Australian songs and artists in this audience poll (only their subscribers can vote in it), with the company having little concern for the “hipster” and ‘Mac-based’ music of the Triple J crowd. In an email [found below] sent out to Triple M subscribers yesterday, listeners, Dare iced coffee drinkers and people who say 'cunt' far too often in everyday conversation alike were told that:

“So, the taxpayer funded FM has decided that there’ll be no soundtrack for Australia Day. Let’s face it, that’s usually full of hipsters or kids making music on a Mac. At Triple M, we’re going to give you what you’ve asked for. The perfect Australia Day soundtrack.”

Triple M’s 'Ozzest 100' also plans to “include all the songs that define Australian music” as stated in the aforementioned email, adding that “we don’t care about a Top 40 chart position, who wrote it or even awards, it’s just got to be Aussie”. Well, shit Triple M, that’ll mean you’ll now have to focus on current 2017 releases and not just fall back on songs like ‘Holy Grail’ or bands like Cold Chisel, Foo Fighters, Nirvana, AC/DC or whatever other “classic”, “true-blue” rock band you’re flogging that day.

As we all know, Triple J moved the date of the Hottest 100 countdown after sixty percent of Triple J listeners were in favour of moving it to a more sensitive date in a recent poll. Chasing Ghosts frontman and all-round legend, Jimmy Kyle recently gave us his thoughts on the matter, saying that “...thank you Triple J for showing the kind of leadership that many so-called leaders don’t seem to possess or are at least, afraid to show. Thank you for having the courage of your convictions and listening to the people. Trust is created when your words and actions are the same things and Triple J has just shown that they’re legit, authentic and respectful”. (Be sure to read the full piece from Kyle right here).

However, the real humorous part in all of this - other than the idea of MMM playing the same half-dozen or so bands for six hours straight - is that Triple M actually changed its website logo two years ago to the colours of the Aboriginal flag. A good point that Cameron Adams at The Herald Sun wonderfully pointed out in his own coverage the other day too. And the irony of the company's recent idiotic announcement combined with their brand's current colour scheme is not at all lost on me, I assure you. Either way, all of this is a timely reminder that at the end of the day, Triple M is shite and that there are far better things you could be putting in your ears instead.