“It’s not our audience yet, we have to win them”: Ben & Liam on Rising Stars

Staff Writer

Up next in the special Rising Stars season of Game Changers: Radio with Craig Bruce is triple j breakfast team Ben Harvey and Liam Stapleton.

From community radio in Adelaide to one of the most prestigious gigs on Australian radio, landing at triple j is a “dream-come-true” for the pair, who are still only in their early twenties.

“We still pinch ourselves everyday,” Stapleton said. “Nothing was really off the cards for us. We’ve got a job we’re happy with now, still kissing industry bum.”

“It’s all part of it,” Craig replied.

The boys opened up about “the shit” they’ve dealt with since taking over the national breakfast show from popular duo Matt & Alex in 2017.

“It gets pretty grim – that was be expected,” Harvey revealed. “It would be a worrying thing if we just walked into this job and everybody immediately loved us. I like that we have to win people over and show them that we can do a good show.”

After praising a range of key mentors in their young career including triple j content director Ollie Wards and talent manager Brad March, Craig touched on the frequent comparisons made between Stapleton’s voice and one of the best Australian radio comedians of all time – Hamish Blake.

“Some people think I put the voice on,” he started. “I’ve had to give away the podcast,” referring to his decision to stop listening to Hamish & Andy.

“It’s hard because you don’t want to be associated in a way because you’re all about finding a point of difference in the market,” Stapleton explained. “When those comparisons are constantly being drawn, some people may think it’s a blessing, but it’s really a curse.”


Every day this week, Radio Today will exclusively premiere the Rising Stars series of Game Changers: Radio, featuring interviews with Ash LondonDave MatthewsZoe MarshallRyan Jon and Ben & Liam. 

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Neil
11 May 2017 - 9:12 am

So refreshing to see two very hard working guys doing good things in our business.

Dave
11 May 2017 - 1:23 pm

I wish someone would compare me to Hamish Blake !

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