Still have “'87 Right On Track” on vinyl record.
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I’ve got a CD version of 87 Right on Track
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I completely agree. The Rock in NZ is quite up to date as is Power 100 in Townsville.
Triple M Perth is onto something, go after the old J’s audience who are familiar with tracks featured in previous Hottest 100’s. There are spikes in the key demos over the last few surveys.
Maybe they’re happy where they’re sitting, just think they have a great asset to reinvent & make a splash again
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I would also add Rebel FM to that list. Personally I prefer Rebel over Power 100
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2MMM and 3MMM haven’t reinvented themselves since the “Music that Rocks” era, followed by their hard return to “Triple M Rocks”.
The moment they switched back to a “rock” format was when it sounded fresh.
I agree, the 2/3MMM of today sounds very much like the 2/3MMM of last decade.
Stations like WSFM/Gold104.3 have moved with the times to remain relevant, however, the M’s just won’t budge from Chisel, etc.
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I think one challenge Triple M has is that rock music has dropped in popularity since probably late 00s, there hasn’t been a lot of since then that was popular enough for them to play it these days.
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Hence why 2/3MMM should still look at targeting younger men, whilst being somewhat forced to broaden their playlist further than just rock.
Ie: look at Triple M Perth. A station skewed towards men, but they play hip-hop, RnB and dance as well as rock.
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Their ratings are still not good however, but make for interesting reading - highest share is amongst 40-54s, not so much the younger men that their format suggests… not sure whether they are listening for the rock or other genres or both…
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I’m 43 and I love 6MMM’s music. As mentioned above, it’s mostly music that was popular when I was in my teens and 20’s (played by Triple J, and Nova when they first launched), so they have the nostalgia factor. When they switch back to the “traditional” Triple M playlist, during networked shows, I switch off.
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And I assume you’re a male.
If SCA wish to continue growing their male target audience, why do they have to ONLY play rock music?
Men love more than just rock.
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Even Syd/Melb aren’t just “rock” anymore, there’s new wave and pop in the playlist these days eg. A Flock Of Seagulls, Wang Chung
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absolutely this.
Not MMM - but not too distantly related - there was analysis of the JJJ hottest 100 throughout the years, and it shows how much rock has dropped off the mainstream since the 90s.
Less mainstream rock would narrow the options for MMM
There were hottest 100 staples from the 90s, eg Pearl Jam that are MMM’s bread and butter, but less so in the current era.
For those that want some light reading:
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Listnr now have an online store selling a single item - a Triple M beanie.
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I saw an ad on Nine Sydney for Mick & MG In The Morning a little while ago… only got a quick glimpse but I think Mick Molloy was riding a pushbike?
Couldn’t see it on YouTube or anywhere yet.
First time I’ve seen a Triple M ad on TV for quite a while.
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It’s the worst radio show… ad campaign.
Quite amusing
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Irrespective of the Music Programming, it seems that SCA want a male skewed radio network across the country. Sport and Comedy deliver the men. Music programming might vary from city to region to state, but it’s still skewed to males. The east costs bogans cling to MMM Melbourne and Sydney. Brisbane and Adelaide seems to have great radio personalities for their respective cities on their roster. I’m yet to listen to MMM Perth. The regional MMMs are obviously being developed to a formula that national advertisers will find attractive. Here’s their real problem - there’s a whole generation of listeners that have grown up without ever tuning in an FM radio that like to skip through ads as often as possible and have never seen a guitar played in anger…
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That aligns with my comments on the lack of popular rock music in the last 15 years or so.
New music is skewing towards rap, hip hop, and more disposable pop.
I tremble to think what Smooth, WS/Gold and Triple M will be playing in 20 years time when their target demos are all new millennials.
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Probably 5 Seconds of Summer. Even though they had a teeny bopper audience initially, they have moved into the rock music genre since then.
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By then, they’ll probably have AI generated rock music instead since there won’t be anyone left who can play the real thing. Surely even the Rolling Stones will be dead by then.
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My two cents is Triple M need to broaden the playlist and the definition of rock. In its heyday FM104 was “Rock in Stereo” and certainly played some heavier rock and “Chisel”. But they also played plenty of softer rock, new wave etc.
Triple M of today is too narrow and also seems stuck in a rut. Even bands like Chisel had other songs than the ones that still get flogged to this day. And the broader definition of classic rock should include the likes of Bob Seger, Richard Clapton, Dire Straits, Heart, Pat Benatar, Jenny Morris, and lots of 90s stuff now of course.
The fact is Classic/Mainstream/Active Rock still rates in North America and NZ. But it’s got to be done well. They’ve either got to do it well, or move towards what Virgin and Radio X are doing in the UK. They do need to pick a lane here.
Personally, I still think rock can work, even in 2023. Rebel FM manages to find new rock to mix in with a broad classic rock base that spans soft to hard rock. I would love to actually see how a station like Rebel would rate in a capital city on FM. I reckon it would shock the socks off SCA. But they don’t have the balls to try it, nor the abilities to program it. Heck they could just copy the Rebel playlist on FM104 and let it rip if they had any sense.
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