Triple J and the ABC are farewelling Group Music Director Richard Kingsmill after a three-decade career.
While hosting his long-running Australian Music Show on Triple J, Richard was also one of the architects of Triple J Unearthed, back in 1995.
“Coming up with the Unearthed brand and initial concept was one thing. Being able to uncover the likes of Missy Higgins, Grinspoon, G Flip and Genesis Owusu is one of the great thrills and privileges for me,” Richard says in a media release.
His time as Triple J Music Director, which started in 2003, opened the door for more local artists.
“The single thing I’m proudest of was seeing triple j increase its Australian music content from 30 per cent to 60 per cent,” Richard says. “And for years, all I ever heard from the commercial radio sector was Australian music was bad for ratings. Well, we did what we did, and more than doubled our audience reach in the process.”
Listeners were treated to in-depth reviews by Richard with artists from our own backyard and overseas – like David Bowie, Radiohead, Björk, Nick Cave, Daft Punk, Flume, Gotye, Lana Del Rey and Kendrick Lamar.
Richard began his tenure as Triple J Music Group Director in 2017, where he has overseen music content through Triple J, Triple J Unearthed, Double J, ABC Country, and ABC Local Radio. Just this year, another station – Triple J’s Hottest – was added to his remit.
Richard reflects on his time with the ABC.
“I started with a lot of passion, but pretty modest skills to be honest. I’m incredibly grateful in how the ABC kept encouraging me to grow and gave me time to develop. I’ve worked with so many amazing and talented people, you can’t help but learn and be inspired every single day. I started with two main loves – music and radio. Those have been constants for me across all these years.”
“I’ve given my heart and soul to everything I’ve done here. The best feeling now, at the end of all that, is knowing how much I’ve still got left in the tank in continuing to contribute to the Australian music industry.”
