Commonly referred to as SYN, the organisation produces new and independent media that is made by and for young people in Melbourne.
However, talks broke down due to disagreements around giving high school students access to the station in less desirable timeslots and less board access, leading SRA general manager Jesse Nonneman to approach 3TD managers Colin Thompson and Paul Van Eeden about splitting away from the consortium.
The organisation operates a radio station: SYN, broadcasting content created by young people aged 12–26 at SYN in Melbourne, as well as in various regional hubs partnered with community radio stations in Victoria, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania and Western Australia.
Launched in 2003, SYN TV's current flagship production for C31 is 1700, a live, hour-long youth music show airing weekdays.
[14][15] In late 2008, SYN launched Get Cereal TV, a morning television alternative aimed at the youth of Melbourne.
In order to achieve this outcome, the station rotates on-air presenters frequently (approximately every three months) and all crew and executive positions annually.
[17][18] In it, Rennie 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.
The most recent slogan is "Click, Switch, Watch" and was intended to reflect SYN's three media platforms – online, radio and television.