Our History

3MBS Melbourne 103.5FM was conceived in 1968 by music enthusiast and radio engineer Brian Cabena, who recognised a gap in classical music on Australian radio. He placed a letter in The Age, inviting others to join in creating a listener-run classical station and the Music Broadcasting Society of Victoria Limited was formed.

After several years of advocacy, an independent FM broadcasting inquiry in 1974 (the McLean Report) recommended clearing television from the FM band, paving the way for community FM radio.

3MBS officially launched on 1 July 1975, becoming Victoria’s first licenced FM radio station and setting a precedent for community broadcasting across the state. From its home in Brian Cabena's electrical workshop in Cotham Road, Kew, 3MBS went live for its official first broadcast, Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, at 6.30pm.

In 2007, the station moved to the Abbotsford Convent cultural precinct. The relocation marked a technological leap, including the building of a dedicated performance space allowing 3MBS to record and broadcast live performances by local, national, and international artists.

50 years later, 3MBS continues to be at the heart of Melbourne’s classical music scene. It is an inclusive and innovative community broadcaster that strives for the highest quality in programming and presenting classical music, and in supporting and promoting local artists and performances. 

3MBS presents Made in Melbourne, an annual series of live performances, alongside its diverse broadcast of classical, jazz, and genre-spanning programs, which reaches over a quarter of a million monthly listeners.

The team consists of a small number of paid staff and approximately 200 dedicated volunteers.