Major ABC star quits the national broadcaster after more than three decades in the business

ABC star Richard Kingsmill, who started out as a producer for Triple J in 1988, has announced he is leaving the national broadcaster.

Triple J’s music boss said on Monday he was resigning after a storied career spanning more than 35 years.

“Coming up with the Unearthed brand and the initial concept was one thing,” Kingsmill said.

“Being able to discover people like Missy Higgins, Grinspoon, G Flip and Genesis Owusu is one of my greatest thrills and privileges.”

Kingsmill said he was most proud of “seeing Triple J increase its Australian music content from 30 per cent to 60 per cent”.

ABC star Richard Kingsmill (pictured) has announced he is leaving the national broadcaster.

He couldn’t resist arguing with commercial music stations about their music selection.

“For years, all I ever heard from commercial radio was that Australian music was bad for ratings,” he said.

“Well, we did what we did, and more than doubled our audience reach in the process.”

At Triple J, the number of residents in the five capital cities – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide – grew from 980,000 in 2006 to 2.3 million in 2022.

Kingsmill said that when he started working for the national broadcaster he had “a lot of zeal but rather modest skills”.

“I’m incredibly grateful that ABC has continued to encourage me to grow and give me time to develop,” he said.

“I have worked with so many wonderful and talented people, it is impossible not to learn and be inspired every single day.

“I started with two main hobbies – music and radio. All these years they have been constant for me.”

He says being involved in external broadcasts and major events are some of his fondest memories of working at Triple J.

“When the Triple J team work together, on Splendor In The Grass or the Hottest 100, it’s the greatest feeling in the world.

“We encourage each other, we all act and think about the audience and what they expect and want from us.

“I will never forget the dedication to what we do. This is very important for all of us because we know what value we bring.”

Not all …

Richard Kingsmill pictured at the ABC building in Ultimo, Sydney, 18 June 2003.