On this day in 1975, 2JJ – which later became Triple J – started broadcasting, exposing Australia to banned songs, swear words and radical politics. Those who were there reflect on the anarchy and the legacy

Fifty years since the launch of 2JJ, or Double Jay – the station that became Triple J in 1981 – radio’s former enfant terrible is now legacy media. Once the cornerstone of Australian popular music and youth culture, it risks irrelevance as listener numbers dwindle in the face of social media and streaming services. Or, as its defenders will argue, maybe the critics are simply nostalgic for when Australia’s youth radio station was aimed at them: there is a saying within the ABC that on the second day that Double Jay was on air, someone rang up and complained that it wasn’t as good as it used to be.

When Double Jay launched at 11am on Sunday 19 January 1975, the brief from Arthur Wyndam, then ABC’s head of radio, was that the station should: give public concerts, expose the public to new music, and record the music made in its studios and at its concerts for broadcasting purposes. At the time, youth radio was serviced by Top 40 AM stations; Double Jay was established along the lines of “underground” radio stations, playing an eclectic selection of music unconstrained by formats.