| City of license | Mt Dandenong |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Melbourne |
| Frequency | 90.7 MHz FM |
| First air date | January 28, 2003 |
| Format | Community Media |
| ERP | 56 kW |
| Owner | SYN Media |
| Website | http://www.syn.org.au/ |
SYN Media (Student Youth Network Inc) is a youth-run media organisation that provides training and broadcast opportunities for young people.
Commonly referred to as SYN, the organisation produces new and independent media that is made by and for Melbourne's young people. It's a multi-media organisation utilising radio, television, and online.[1]
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The station was formed after SRA (RMIT Student Radio Association) and 3TD (Thornbury Darebin College's radio station) merged in order to bolster their bid for a fulltime community radio broadcasting license.[2] SYN began broadcasting in 2001.[2][3]
In late December 2002, SYN was awarded a permanent broadcasting license. It began broadcasting full time in January 2003. SYN broadcasts on a full power metropolitan community radio license in Victoria and can be heard throughout Melbourne, Geelong and in parts of regional Victoria on 90.7 FM. Many of their shows are podcast (or SYNcast) on their website, and also through sites like Facebook.
Approximately 80,000 people tune in to SYN's radio broadcast on 90.7 FM weekly. Volunteers are all aged 12–25 years, and fill various roles in the organization. These include presenting and producing programs and working within the various departments including radio, TV, online, music, talks, marketing and publicity, IT and tech.[4] A 2006 McNair listener survey showed a similar age group, 15-24, as the largest age group listening to community radio in Australia.[1]
SYN has three major production departments: SYN Radio, SYN TV, and SYN Online.
SYN broadcasts full time on 90.7FM and, as of January 2010, simulcast their analogue programming both online and on digital radio. While SYN programming rotates four times each year in seasons, a number of 'flagship' programmes remain consistent, including:
As well as radio, SYN also produces television for Melbourne's community television broadcaster C31. At SYN TV's height in 2010, it produced up to fifteen hours of content per week.
SYN's current television production for C31 is 1700, a live, hour-long youth music show every weekday.[10] It features music videos, interviews, reviews and music related discussion.
In late 2008, SYN launched Get Cereal TV, a morning television alternative aimed at the youth of Melbourne. The show aired daily between 7:30 and 8:30am on Channel 31. It was cancelled by SYN at the end of 2010 to allow the station to create alternative television programming
2010 saw the premiere of The Wrap, a weekly live-to-air news entertainment programme that on Friday nights on C31 Melbourne.[11]
Online, SYN publishes programme blogs and a weekly e-newsletter. The website also features 'SYNcasts' of some of SYN's radio shows as well as various SYNcast-only programmes.[1]
SYN is one of the largest youth projects in Australia and the world,[1] and has up to 1,500 volunteers.[2] It defines its aim as "to implement a national culture of young people broadcasting for themselves". In order to achieve this outcome, the station rotates on-air presenters frequently (approximately every three months) and all crew and executive positions annually. SYN does this to allow more than 1200 young people to gain direct media experience annually. Around 2500 students have also incorporated SYN's training and education programmes into their studies.[1]
SYN has contributed greatly to Community Radio both in Australia and worldwide. For example, one spinoff project, the Bentokit Project, is a FLOSS and Cross-Platform Radio Broadcasting Suite for Community Stations licensed under the GPL.
On November 25, 2011, a book will be released entitled "Life of SYN", by Ellie Rennie.[12][13] In it, she follows key SYN staff and volunteers "as they build Australia’s most unusual media empire against enormous odds. Over the course of the book, social networking becomes the most popular use of the internet and traditional media institutions are forced to acknowledge the rise of amateur content. In response, SYN rethinks its approach to the online environment, kills its print publication, deals with the introduction of digital broadcasting and teaches schoolteachers about a new kind of literacy. In just two years dozens of careers are launched, the SYN radio audience doubles and they get told off for swearing." [14]
SYN has had several different slogans. The most recent slogan is Click, Switch, Watch and was intended to reflect SYN's three media platforms - online, radio and television. Past slogans include Creators not Consumers, We May Be Young But We Know Our Shit and Where the Kids Push the Buttons. The circle logo was developed in the mid 1990s by Caroline Worsley. The launch creative, featuring an evolution narrative, was designed by Jeremy Wortsman.
Former SYN staff members include Georgia Webster, Jo Curtin, Craig Twitt and Bryce Ives, who have each had a strong involvement in the Australian Community Broadcasting sector.
Former SYN presenters include Australian media personalities Hamish and Andy, Jack Post, Ryan Shelton, The Barefoot Investor Scott Pape and Zan Rowe.
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