As the year wraps up, Triple M Adelaide is enjoying having the city’s #1 FM breakfast show and preparing for a huge 2022.
Mediaweek spoke to Triple M Adelaide content director, Matthew O’Reilly about the station’s lineup changes and why being local is so important.
One of the biggest changes to the Triple M Adelaide lineup this year has been Laura ‘Loz’ O’Callaghan jumping behind the mic alongside Mark ‘Roo’ Ricciuto and Chris ‘Ditts’ Dittmar on Breakfast. O’Reilly says she was the right person at the right time.
“Loz going in wasn’t because we needed to make a change to breakfast, that was just because the right person came along. She started doing some segments and it really grew organically. I think from the first few weeks, it sounds really good.
“It’s still the same show that our core absolutely loves, but there’s just a slight little twist to it, which I think is the perfect thing you want when you make a change to a show.”
Roo, Loz, and Ditts
On the other end of the work day, Andrew Jarman, Greg Blewett, and Bernie Vince will be moving forward from their current 6pm timeslot to 4pm. The Rush Hour with Bernie, Blewey and Jars will be part of Triple M’s local Rush Hour Drive shows across the country. O’Reilly says that the new Drive team is another good example of an organically grown show.
“From the moment they first started together, they just got along really well – they have a great chemistry. We started the show on Saturday mornings, and then we’ve moved them into the 6pm slot for the last couple of years, now they move up to four o’clock. For us, it’s a real point of difference in Adelaide – it’s the only local FM drive show, and we know they’ve got a core following that follows that show wherever it goes. It will be largely sport, but also very local, and also we’ll cover any big news that happens in Adelaide during the day.”
Overall, 2022 is looking like a particularly bright year for Triple M Adelaide.
“We’ve changed Breakfast, we’ve got local Drive back in at four o’clock. We’ve got the cricket which is running all summer – which we know brings in a new audience and gives a reason to listen across the break. We’ve also launched the Triple M beer here in Adelaide which will be out in bottle shops, so we’ll have been promotionally active all summer. It’s probably the best we’ve ever gone into the start of a new year, certainly in my time here, so I think it could be a really exciting year for us.”
Out and About
As events big and small spring up throughout the year, Triple M Adelaide is right in amongst them.
“We can run all the straplines we want about being local, but you’ve got to show people,” says O’Reilly. “People in their car need to hear that we’re out at Adelaide events and doing things. It’s very important to establish that local Adelaide position, so the more we can be out and about the better.”
What Listeners Want
After another year of different rules for different states and constantly changing border situations, O’Reilly says that people want to hear their own experiences being spoken about on air.
“One thing that Covid has taught me is that localism is really, really important. Compared to Melbourne and Sydney we haven’t had a long lockdown, so a lot of those national news programmes I’ve found really hard to watch because they don’t relate to me. So localism is a big thing that we’re aiming for at Triple M Adelaide.
“But I also think having a laugh is very important – no matter what time of the day, people want escapism and entertainment. I also still think there’s a place for the way radio can move for breaking news. A story can break and we can have an on-air in 30 seconds, I think that’s something we should be striving for and trying to own as an industry.”