Student Youth Network - History

History

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 full-time community radio broadcasting license. SYN began broadcasting in 2001. SYN evolved out of MSR (Melbourne Student Radio) which consisted of Thornbury High's (then Thornbury Darebin College) 3TD, RMIT’s SRA, Latrobe University’s SUB FM, Swinburne University’s 3SSR, Monash University’s 3MU and Deakin’s BAS radio. MSR had a one month temporary aspirant broadcast licence in 2000 between August and September. Due to in-fighting at the board level of MSR, SRA station manager Jesse Nonneman approached Colin Thompson and Paul Van Eeden (the teachers from Thornbury High) and proposed a split from MSR to form a new youth radio station that would have 50% content from Primary and High School students and 50% University content. The new station was briefly called SAY FM (Student And Youth Network). Jo McCarthy (current ABC journalist) presenter on SRA and future board member on SYN suggested the change to SYN FM.

The full-time licence application was co-authored by Jesse Nonneman (Station Manager SRA), Simon Goodrich (Assistant Manager SRA) Paul Van Eeden (President 3TD) and Colin Thompson (Treasurer 3TD). The public hearings held at the Melbourne Town Hall in 2000 (to hear the claims of the 22 aspirant radio stations) with Professor David Flint saw Simon Goodrich, Paul Van Eeden Jo McCarthy and RMIT University Lecturer and ABC Media commenter Lee Burton represent SYN. The tag line for the application was "creators not just consumers of media". The budget plan for SYN was paid for by the Victorian Education Department with the backing of the Education Minister Mary Delahunty, who also donated her own money towards the costs of the lawyers developing the SYN Constitution. Mary Delahunty personally launched the SYN incorporated company in 2000 with two students from 3TD, Moshidi Manaka and future comedian Danny McGinlay. SYN had the backing of a number of ministers including state minister Justin Madden (Youth Affairs) and Federal Minister Martin Ferguson. The original board included members from YACVIC (Youth Affairs Council of Victoria) and other Victorian Peak Youth bodies. When the Licence was allocated to SYN in 2001 the then ABA (ACMA) commended SYN for being inclusive of all youth groups citing in particular the involvement of Multicultural Youth Affairs Victoria and the DAV (Debaters Association of Victoria).

Rorie Ryan (Thornbury High’s junior student of the year in 1992) was crucial to SYN’s success having created 3TD in 1994 by applying for the first ever Australian aspirant High School radio station licence on 89.1 while he was in year 10. Rorie’s technical expertise saw him go on to work for 3SRA, 3MSR, 3TD, 3SYN and NU Country Radio (an unsuccessful bidder for a full-time licence) and he then went on to work for SBS radio and currently works for FOX FM. 3TD began broadcasting in 1996 attracting the interest of Nigel Slater of Latrobe University’s SUB FM and he invited 3TD to join 3MSR, knowing that teens were under represented in the community radio sector and would be crucial in obtaining a licence. No university radio station had previously been successful in any state in pursuing a full-time licence. This was the reason why 3SRA’s Ryan Egan and his successor Jesse Nonneman were focused on getting 3TD to play a crucial role in the bid for a Melbourne wide licence.

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.