triple j listener poll saw the countdown moved from January 26th.

Last year, as reported by radioinfo, triple j announced it was moving its annual Hottest 100 countdown from January 26 to January 27th. 

There were almost 65,000 responses to the station’s nationwide survey, according to documents tabled with the Senate Estimates Committee on Environment and Communications, which was prompted by debate over the appropriateness of holding the countdown on a day Indigenous people and supporters find offensive.

The broadcaster yesterday confirmed it spent $38,690 – not including GST – to poll triple j listeners. 

Fairfax today reports that ​the first survey found 60% of listeners supported moving the date of the Hottest 100, but a second qualitative survey found 55% of people supported a change of date.

In this study, 24 per cent did not support moving the countdown from January 26 and 22 per cent did not mind either way.

“Moving the date of the Hottest 100 was well received, with a record number of votes and 3.34 million people tuning in to the countdown on the day,” the answer on notice reads. 

“Further, by moving the date of the Hottest 100, triple J was also able to run dedicated Australia Day coverage on 26 January alongside the ABC’s extensive coverage on its television and online platforms.”

triple j has not confirmed the date of next year’s Hottest 100, with content director Ollie Wards previously telling Fairfax “The way the weekend falls does change, which is out of everyone’s control. We’ll review how it all goes and make an announcement about the 2019 dates in the near future.”