The Significance of Australian Youth Culture and Radio

Today the world in which we live in can be seen as a vastly media integrated way of life. Whether it is film, television or advertising, these forms of media constantly surround us, influencing and changing the way we live. But what about radio? Some say that radio is dying, that its use has become useless, that it was only an aid of assistance during the early and mid 1900’s. But the way I see it, I think that radio is more relevant and significant today than it ever was, especially for the diverse Australian youth cultures. Their lifestyle, education, political views and social aspects come under a large role due to what they listen to over the radio. So how do radio stations maintain and attract their listeners? What sort of impacts does radio have on the Australian youth today? Who still listens to radio, what do they listen to and why?

Radio stations such as Nova, 2Day FM, EDGE and Triple j can all be seen as the more popular stations that the Australian youth listens to. Each radio station popular in its own way, however we will be looking more closely at Triple j as its approach towards the Australian youth is slightly different from the other mainstream stations.
Eltham in his feature article described Triple j as a ‘rough diamond’, Triple j can be seen as a radio station with hidden talents and a lot of future potential. They stand out in a way that they reach out to the wider audiences such as independent bands and regional communities that other commercial radio stations would never consider due to their lack of mainstream activity and familiarity. Most of these bands and singers are just young Australians willing to give what they’ve got a go. Because of this, triple j has a constant inflow of new music. Triple j pluggers meetings are slightly different to those of commercial radio stations, a substantial amount of indie visitors that don’t go towards the commercial side. The difference between Triple j and other commercial radio stations is that