SYN first launched at 12pm on 28 January 2003 as
SYN FM, following a successful application to the then-
Australian Broadcasting Authority for a
community radio FM license in 2001. This followed the amalgamation of 3TD at
Thornbury Darebin College and the Student Radio Association based at
RMIT University into
SYN Media in 2000. In May 2004, the Australian Broadcasting Authority removed a power restriction on the station's signal, which was in place to avoid interference from the
ABNT television service broadcasting from
Launceston, Tasmania on VHF channel 3. The restriction also applied to
89.9 LightFM and the then-unallocated
smoothfm 91.5. This saw the station rebrand as
SYN Radio. On 7 May 2013, the station ceased transmitting on both FM and DAB+ for 24 hours in protest of funding cuts to the
community radio sector in the
2013 Australian federal budget. This formed part of a larger
call to action "Commit to Community Radio" by industry body the
Community Broadcasting Association of Australia, as well as the
Community Broadcasting Foundation. On 1 April 2014, the station ceased broadcasting on DAB+ digital radio, and was replaced with a digital radio-only sister station
SYN Nation. Following an organisation-wide rebrand, SYN Radio was rebranded as
SYN 90.7, emphasising content made by young people in Melbourne. On 22 April 2019 the station was again rebranded as
SYN, as the station became available on DAB+ digital radio once again. Today, SYN operates on a schedule updated with new presenters – all under the age of 26 – and programming every 12 weeks, across two tiers of programming: flagship shows and seasonal shows. Flagship shows operate year round in fixed timeslots under the management of an
executive producer, a role rotated yearly, while seasonal shows air for up to six months at a time, and cover a variety of topics and music. ==Programming==