Triple M
Australian commercial radio network

Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo, part of the Seven West Media group. The network consists of 45 radio stations with flagship stations broadcasting a mainstream/classic rock music format in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, 37 regional stations broadcasting a modern adult contemporary/adult hits format and five digital radio stations.
The network dates back to the launch of Triple M Sydney in 1980. On 15 December 2016, the network was amalgamated with the LocalWorks network of regional radio stations.
History
The first Triple M station was Triple M Sydney, which commenced broadcasting in Sydney on 2 August 1980. Triple M Sydney and 2Day FM were the first commercial FM radio stations in Sydney. Throughout the 1980s, Triple M was one of the highest-rating radio stations in Sydney, spearheaded by its morning show presented by Doug Mulray and featuring the writing of and occasional appearances by Andrew Denton. For all of this period and into the 1990s, Triple M's promotional campaign featured the character "Dr Dan", a guitar-playing satyr with wings, inspired by artwork by legendary Australian cartoonist Peter Ledger, and a theme song that was an extended reworking of the Mike Batt track "Introduction (The Journey of a Fool)", from his 1979 album Tarot Suite.
In November 1986, Melbourne radio station EON FM was purchased by Triple M. EON FM was Australia's first commercial FM radio station, commencing broadcasting on 11 July 1980.
Brisbane radio station Triple M Brisbane was launched in 1980 and took on the FM104 identity soon after.
The public source identifies “Triple M” as australian commercial radio network. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Triple, Australian and commercial.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Triple M”, the useful work is to connect “australian commercial radio network” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7843450. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1980, 2016, 1979 and 1986.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Triple M”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Triple M primary sources, Triple M archive and Triple research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Triple M”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Triple M” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.