Who’s Gonna Save Us? won the CCN (Covering Climate Now) Award in the audio – radio/podcast category.
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The ABC farewells Richard Kingsmill
After a remarkable three-decade career, the ABC has announced the departure of triple j’s Group Music Director Richard Kingsmill.
Throughout his career, Richard has demonstrated a dedication and passion for supporting Australian music and musicians. While hosting his long-running Australian Music Show on triple j, he was one of the architects of triple j Unearthed in 1995.
“Coming up with the Unearthed brand and initial concept was one thing. Being able to uncover the likes of Missy Higgins, Grinspoon, G Flip and Genesis Owusu is one of the great thrills and privileges for me,” Richard said.
In 2003, as triple j Music Director, he again increased the opportunities for local artists.
“After all this time, the single thing I’m proudest of was seeing triple j increase its Australian music content from 30% to 60%. And for years, all I ever heard from the commercial radio sector was Australian music was bad for ratings. Well, we did what we did, and more than doubled our audience reach in the process.”
triple j saw its five capital city reach grow from 980,000 in 2006, to surpassing 2 million in 2017, and reach its current record of 2.3 million in 2022.*
Richard has brought listeners in-depth interviews with thousands of local and international artists including David Bowie, Radiohead, Björk , Nick Cave, Daft Punk, Flume, Gotye, Lana Del Rey and Kendrick Lamar.
In 2017, Richard became triple j’s Group Music Director, overseeing music content at triple j, triple j Unearthed, Double J, ABC Country and ABC Local Radio.
“Watching Double J grow across the years, and to see ABC Country reaching bigger and bigger audiences is a testament to the talent of the team around me”.
In 2023, another station was added to his remit, triple j’s Hottest.
“Building and establishing that station was something we’d long talked about. The audience reaction and appreciation for it has been swift and incredibly satisfying, given how much work we’ve put into that brand.”
Of his time with the ABC, Richard says: “I started with a lot of passion, but pretty modest skills to be honest. I’m incredibly grateful in how the ABC kept encouraging me to grow and gave me time to develop. I’ve worked with so many amazing and talented people, you can’t help but learn and be inspired every single day. I started with two main loves – music and radio. Those have been constants for me across all these years.”
Of his most notable memories during his time with the ABC, Richard said:
“When the triple j team works together, at Splendour In The Grass or on a Hottest 100, it’s the greatest feeling ever. We drive each other, we all pull our weight, and we think about the audience, and what they expect and want from us. The dedication to what we do is something I’ll never forget. It’s such an important thing for all of us because we know the difference we make.”
“I’ve given my heart and soul to everything I’ve done here. The best feeling now, at the end of all that, is knowing how much I’ve still got left in the tank in continuing to contribute to the Australian music industry.”
It’s a hell of a legacy he has, there wouldn’t be many people who’ve done more for Australian music than he has. And it’d be fair to say modern day triple j really is shaped in his image.
Having said that, there’s now an opportunity for the station (and ABC’s music offerings more broadly) to be shifted in a different direction, a post-Kingsmill world if you will. It will be fascinating to see how that looks, and who gets to shape it.
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Not missed by me, should’ve been moved on years ago. Well done Ben Latimer and staff.
It seems that Mr Kingsmill did not go willingly:
Good, would’ve received a handsome payout. Perhaps of a size to attract the attention of Senate Estimate committees.
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Yeah, I got that impression from the wording in the article and Kingsmill’s quotes about continuing to contribute to Australian music.
It was a bit of an oddity, a Boomer running JJJ, but he wouldn’t have lasted for as long as he has if he wasn’t decent at it.
I’m a much bigger fogey than RK though when it comes to my own music taste so I’ll leave the granite throwing to others.
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Triple J Good Nights is ending tonight:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C00go09L25G/
Have also seen a rumours on Reddit about Hack becoming a podcast.
Seems like major changes are coming for Triple J.
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Hip Hop artist Miss Kaninna has been sacked from Triple J after her remarks about genocide relating to the Israel-Hamas conflict were deemed to have breached the ABC’s standards for impartiality, according to an ABC ombudsman’s report. Miss Kaninna was guest presenter on The Hip Hop Show when she made the comments. The episode was pre-recorded and broadcast on November 24 this year. The ABC received 10 complaints after the comments went to air.
As the result of the ombudsman’s findings, a number of other staff were disciplined for airing the controversial episode, the audio has been deleted from the Triple J website and app and the remaining guest hosted programs on the Hip Hop Show will be axed.
Oh man, Good Nights is one of the good shows on the station. Just features the music, introduces new stuff, and is fairly waffle-free. Let’s hope they don’t go swapping it for another commercial-lite giggle duo instead.
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I hear some very questionable content on triple J at times, but I have come to expect thats how the station rolls and move on with my day. I think it is a bit extreme to start putting the axe through things because of it.
I mean some of the absolute bullshit K&J talk about and they get to keep their jobs despite many many investigations
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…ABC Country and triple j.
Prior to her nearly 14 years with the national broadcaster, she helped launch Sydney community station FBi Radio.
Her last day is today.
I think the main difference is that K and J are on a commercial station, and there’s more latitude there to push the boundaries (as ultimately it’s the advertisers they answer to) while Triple J is ultimately taxpayer funded.
I’ve got no issue with them presenting a diverse range of opinions (even ones I disagree with) as long as it’s done in a mature manner, whereas lately it has become an issue is that some presenters have gotten egotistical and are resorting to stunts and slogans to try and get their point across. Not sure that’s entirely appropriate for something that is being paid for by taxpayers.
Ben Latimer not messing around in his ABC clean out.
As a long time Triple J listener since the late 80’s, this is Barry Chapman all over again.
Radio has always evolved and changed, but it’s still another reminder that we’re all getting older.
Incredibly sad however it’ll be exciting to see if they can be a great BBC Radio 1 + grow share 
I’ll always have a soft spot for the J’s
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