Opinion: One from the heart

I’ve spent most of my career in media and marketing. Before becoming the first Jewish kayak guide known to man, I worked as both an account executive and copywriter in the advertising business, as the publisher of a magazine, the founder of a travel website, and most recently as an opinion columnist for this newspaper. But just when I thought I was ready to ride into the sunset, I got sucked back in to skipper our local radio station. It wasn’t on my bingo card six months ago, but when I presented the opportunity to my daughter and questioned whether I had the bandwidth, she replied, “Dad, you can’t NOT do this. It’s in your DNA.”

She was right. I knew that if I didn’t do this, I might always regret it. And if we lost that impossible-to-get FCC commercial license, we’d likely never see one again. That would be tragic for our town since we were gifted this magical asset 12 years ago by a young Tyler McCusker. Could I in fact breathe new life into this living organism that had so much potential, but whose garden hadn’t been tended in a while?

The big question for me was, what is the purpose of a radio station today, it’s USP? Once upon a time it was the preeminent media on the planet, the first wireless communication system that brought the world to your home. But not anymore.

The Internet has been the category killer of old school media like newspapers and radio, all struggling to find their place in this new, conglomerated landscape. The problem is, most of the information on the internet is aggregated from the few global news sources that still exist. And that leaves a dearth of local news available to us. Thank God we still have publishers of community newspapers, like this one, because so many of us crave our community news fix. After all, it impacts us more than anything in the national or international arena.

But there’s a lag time in print media. And the one thing that radio possesses that no other local media has is live broadcasting. And an almost unlimited capacity to create content. And that intrigued me enough to get off the Barcalounger and embark on this odyssey of community radio. But let me tell you, it takes a village.

My sincerest gratitude to the 60 or so volunteer disc jockeys who have come in week in and week out for the last 12 years, to do something they truly love – bringing their passion for music and conversation to you. You can’t comprehend what a time suck this is. Then there are the behind-the-scenes volunteers like John Ford, who kept the lights on and the airwaves filled for almost a year of uncertainty. And previous station manager Alyssa Hayek, toiling behind the scenes helping John from Florida, while growing a baby. Two labors of love!

Finally, I want to post a warm welcome and good luck to the 30 newest members of our broadcast family, program hosts (most for the first time) who answered the call to get on the radio and share their gifts with you. We call this new block of programming the “Neighborhood Block Party,” every weekday from 12 to 4 p.m. You will be blown away when you discover the breadth and scope of our lineup, which covers so much of what living in Laguna is about – art, music, the environment, adventure sports, healthy living, real estate, architecture, local businesses, restaurants, news, weather, growing old gracefully and with purpose, our many civic challenges and opportunities, and best of all, our unique and dynamic personalities. Speaking of which, we’re bringing back the inimitable Jason Feddy every weekday morning to keep you smiling, titillated, and of course at times mildly irritated. But never boring. That’s good radio.

On Monday, Sept. 16 we launch this block of 25 new shows that you can listen to live on terrestrial radio (104.7), or stream online. You can also listen at your leisure, as all of these shows will be repurposed as podcasts. So while we are an FM radio station first, we are simultaneously a podcast factory, generating over 25 hours a week of fresh content for and about Laguna. That’s 100 hours a month, and over a thousand a year. You didn’t think Laguna had that much to say, did you? Listen up.

We all get it’s beautiful here. But it’s the people that makes us unique. KXFM will be our town square, a place to gather virtually and revel in our shared experiences. We’re here to remind you to savor what you have, create rituals, experiences, memories, blessings, and be reminded of our extraordinary fortune. And that you are not alone. We have something special here, folks. Come celebrate it on the daily with the all new KXFM 104.7, Laguna’s Community Radio. Starting Monday, Sept. 16.

Billy is the Chairman and Executive Director of KXFM radio, and the Chief Paddling Officer at La Vida Laguna adventure sports company. He can be reach at billy@kxfmradio.org.