Triple J's Tom Ballard Announces Departure From Station

Triple j breakfast radio host Tom Ballard has announced he will be leaving the station at the end of the year.

The 24 year-old will formally finish up his duties on the Tom and Alex program on Friday 13 December to focus on his stand-up comedy career. Ballard has been with the station since he was 17 and took over the breakfast slot three years later, with co-host Alex Dyson.

Of his departure, Ballard said:

"For the past seven years I've been paid to wake up with one of my best friends in the whole world, talk shit, wear zentai suits, laugh at my dad, drink instant coffee and play good music. It's been the sweetest of gigs, but I feel like now's the right time for me to try new things. This will give me an opportunity to focus on my real passions: standup comedy and not getting up at 4am. Thanks for everything, I feel extraordinarily lucky and I love you all very much."

Dyson will continue on as one of the breakfast hosts in the new year, with a replacement for Ballard to be revealed on Tuesday 3 December.

It's been a big couple of weeks for triple j recently, with the announcement of their takeover of ABC's Dig Music and their latest Like A Version compilation album debuting at number one in the ARIA Albums Chart.