Triple M fills Hottest 100 Australia Day radio void with ‘Ozzest 100’

IN a stunning move, Triple M has launched its own January 26 music countdown after Triple J’s controversial Hottest 100 move, saying their rival station panders to “hipsters”.

TRIPLE M has filled the Australia Day radio countdown slot vacated by Triple J’s Hottest 100.

The blokey rock station is planning an “Ozzest 100” on January 26, featuring only Australian songs and not the “hipster” or computer-driven songs they think Triple J favours.

AUSTRALIA DAY HEAT ON ABC OVER HOTTEST 100 CALL

An email to Triple M subscribers read “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.”

A radio industry insider said they were shocked a station waited so long to fill the void Triple J left when by moving the Hottest 100 to January 27.

Triple M’s Mike Fitzpatrick (inset) and Triple M’s logo this past Australia Day. Picture: Radio I Love It

“All the commercial networks have been jealous of Triple J’s Hottest 100 being ‘event’ radio, with people across the country holding parties to listen to it,” the source said.

“It makes perfect sense Triple M would try and hijack that audience and target the percentage of Triple J listeners who didn’t want to move the date. Triple M now basically play all the bands Triple J used to play 10 or 20 years ago anyway.”

Triple M’s Ozzest 100 wants to “include all the songs that define Australian music” and the email reads: “we don’t care about a Top 40 chart position, who wrote it or even awards, it’s just got to be Aussie”.

Triple J moved the date of the Hottest 100 — the largest music poll in the world — to be sensitive to those who don’t celebrate Australia Day; a ‘Move the Date’ campaign has been running for several years.

Sixty per cent of Triple J listeners were in favour of the change.

Ironically, Triple M changed its website logo to the colours of the Aboriginal flag for the past two years.

Luke Darcy, Eddie McGuire, Mick Molloy and Wil Anderson at Triple M. Picture: Nicole Garmston

Last August, Triple M head of content Mike Fitzpatrick told website Radio I Love It the station’s core listener was moving from a Hugh Hefner type to more of a Justin Trudeau type.

“(Trudeau) is a sex symbol for women, and he’s the kind of bloke every man wants to be friends with. He’s a family man, a deep thinker, and a futurist, but he was also a boxer, he’s covered in tattoos, and he loves rock music. He’s complex; he’s different. This is the face of the new masculinity.”

He admitted the Aboriginal flag colours on their logo was a subtle statement from the station over the Australia Day vs. Invasion Day debate.

“Triple M has always worn its heart on its sleeve. We just need to change the tonality of how we do that”, Fitzpatrick said.

Of the Ozzest 100 Fitzpatrick said “At Triple M, we are avid supporters of Aussie music and like we do throughout the year and every Australia Day, we will celebrate Aussie artists!”

Triple J moved the Hottest 100 forward a day next year. Picture: ABC

Originally published as Triple M fills Hottest 100 Australia Day radio void with ‘Ozzest 100’