‘There’s a buzz here’: Laguna radio station KXFM to amplify the community
Laguna Beach resident Billy Fried took on a leading role as the executive director of the local radio station in May with a vision to elevate its position as a community asset.
KXFM Radio, which can be found on the frequency 104.7 within the city limits, is now poised to roll out a new programming schedule that will dedicate time during the week for shows hosted by volunteers from the community.
From noon to 4 p.m. on weekdays, the station will be turned over to these hosts for the “Neighborhood Block Party.” Those hours account for 27 of the 30 new shows that will launch on Monday.
“It’s a high-wire act,” Fried, the chairman and executive director of KXFM Radio, said of inviting new personalities to take over the airwaves. “One thing that we’ve encouraged, that we’re going to maintain, this ethos, is that we are grassroots radio. … We’ll celebrate mistakes. We think that will foster an atmosphere of authenticity, that the listener, our community, is going to have a high tolerance for mistakes, for dead air.”
Show hosts have been asked to abstain from airing their national political views.
Fried hopes to turn the station into a “virtual town square” that runs the gamut of what makes up Laguna, from sports to music, and from arts and entertainment to civic affairs and local politics.
“As a nonprofit, we make most of our money from member support from the community,” Fried said. “If we make this station hyperlocal and attuned to the needs of Laguna Beach, and more of a news source, an entertainment source of local information, would the citizens of Laguna be inclined to pay for it? That’s my big bet.
“I’m going to find out … over the course of the next few months. This is going to be a very interesting experiment, training 30 neophytes how to control a radio station, how to produce good radio, and fortunately, we have 50 other volunteers that have been doing shows that will be mentors.”
The personalities joining the lineup of show hosts include artist Jorg Dubin, former Mayor Paul Freeman, filmmaker Greg MacGillivray, business owner Heidi Miller, musicians Beth and Steve Wood and more.
“The energy around here is where it was 12 years ago when the station first opened,” said Jason Feddy, director of programming and production and host of the Feddy Factor weekday mornings from 9 to 11. “People are very excited. We have 80 hosts here at the station, and there’s a buzz here which I’ve not felt in a long, long time. People are excited to get back on the air, they’re excited to be a genuine part of this community.
“We’ve opened the doors to the hosts, really given them freedom and authority over their own shows. That makes people excited. They feel like they can be creative, so there’s a creative buzz here, which is just fabulous.”
The brass at the station expressed a confidence that the listenership would find its way to the new programming, as there is also a plan in place to make the shows available as podcasts after they go on the air.
Fried said the station has a projected budget of $400,000, which he said he hoped to account for through a combination of a recurring payment model for members, one-time donations, grant funding, and underwriters and sponsors. He added that he is looking to relocate operations from the Hip District to the downtown area.
“It would be closer to downtown,” Fried said. “It would be ground level, where we would actually have an outdoor area that the community could come and they could peek in the window and see the show being broadcast. We want to have more community events at our station.”
The radio station can also be called upon as a community asset in case of emergency, city officials said.
“One of the fundamental and critical services the station provides is as an emergency beacon in the event of an electrical grid collapse,” Laguna Beach Fire Chief Niko King said in a statement. “Laguna is prone to emergency evacuations, and the station is supported by the city with a backup generator to continue broadcasting when the internet and phone service are interrupted.
“We recommend everyone keep a battery or hand-crank radio at the ready and tuned into 104.7 in the event of an emergency.”
KXFM Radio will continue to feature a wide range of musical hosts in addition to the new programming. The semiannual fundraiser, “KX Takeover,” which invites guest hosts to compete to raise money for the station, will return in October.
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