Why I Started SYNK Radio

I've been obsessed with anything radio-related since I was 11.

Back then, I used to "run" my own stations using those free web radio sites. They weren't exactly professional. I didn't have a license, so I couldn't really let anyone else listen. It was mainly just for me and a few friends. I kept it quiet because I didn't want PPL or PRS chasing me for broadcasting without a license.

A lot has changed since then, but the reason I made SYNK Radio is pretty much the same.

Underground artists need to be heard

I wasn't really into the "underground" scene when I was 11. That started later, around when I was 14.

Don't get me wrong. There is some really bad music by underground artists out there. But there are also golden songs that just amaze me. The kind of tracks that never get airtime on commercial radio but hit harder than anything in the Top 40.

That is basically the entire reason I made SYNK Radio. I wanted to be the bridge between the mainstream and the underground. I wanted a place where those two worlds could actually meet.

Built from scratch

I could have just paid for hosting, but where is the fun in that?

SYNK runs on AzuraCast for the backend with PocketBase handling the data. Everything else is custom-built. I wrote the code, built the site, and I manage the servers.

Speaking of servers, I finally moved the infrastructure to a proper VPS. For the longest time, I ran this off a Raspberry Pi. Living in constant fear of the SD card frying itself got old fast. Now I can manage SYNK alongside my other services without praying the hardware gives out.

I am live (and legal)

SYNK Radio has technically been running for almost two years as a private project. But I am not hiding it anymore.

I secured the PPL UK license, so I don't have to worry about broadcasting laws like I did when I was 11. It is live, legal, and playing 24/7.

Check out the station at synkradio.co.uk.

– Blake
December 26, 2025