Billy Fried
I’ve spent most of my career in media and marketing. Before becoming a kayak guide, I worked as both an account executive and copywriter in the advertising business, as a publisher of a magazine, as the founder of a travel website, and most recently as the host of a radio show and an opinion columnist in this newspaper. But just when I was nearing retirement age and dialing down my workload, this little opportunity to skipper our local radio station came along. It wasn’t on my bingo card 6 months ago, but when I presented the opportunity to my daughter, and questioned whether I had the bandwidth, she said, “Dad, you can’t not do this. It’s in your DNA. Perhaps the cherry atop your career cake, or something like that.
I knew she was right. I knew that if I didn’t do this, I might always regret it. Because when would I have an opportunity to run a radio station again? And do something important for the community I love. Could I in fact breathe new life into this living organism that had so much potential, but lost its way?
So the big question for mew was, what is the purpose of a radio station today? Once upon a time radio was the dominant media in the world, the first and revolutionary wireless communication system that brought news, sports, and entertainment to your home through the magic of airwaves. But it’s certainly not the first place people go for this information today.
And certainly not for music.
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 media landscape. But 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 – with the new ownership of the Times Media Group, Many of us crave the community news we get from this paper.
But there’s a lag time in publishing 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.
First of all, my hat’s off to the 60 or so volunteer disc jockeys who have come in week in and week out, year after year, to do something they truly love – bringing their love of music and conversation to you. Then there are the behind-the-scenes volunteers like John Ford who kept the station going through a difficult financial period and no staff. There was previous station manager Alyssa , lending her never-ending support from Florida while growing a baby. And the new station operators I have recruited, to begin this next chapter – Jonathan Tufano as general manager, Lex Simonton as manager, and the inimitable Jason Feddy in an expanded role of morning jock and station direction of programming and production. My hat’s off to their dedication and vision.
And finally, I want to post a warm welcome to the 30 newest members of our broadcast family, station hosts (many for the first timer) who answered the call to get on the radio and share their gifts with you. This will be an entirely different block of programming, something we are dubbing the “Neighborhood Block Party,” every weekday from noon – 4pm. I believe 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 – the artists, musicians, environment, ocean, adventure sports, health, real estate, architecture and design, our local businesses, our restaurants, growing old, and best of all, our many fascinating personalities.
On Monday, Sept. 16 we will launch this block of 25 new shows that you can listen to live on terrestrial radio (104.7), or stream on our mobile app or online. But you can also listen at your conveniences all of these shows will be saved as podcasts that you will find on your favorite platform, or on our website.
What is truly inspiring about this initiative is to see all these passionate, talented people rise to the occasion and take on a new challenge – the high wire act of live radio. It’s thrilling, and best of all, it’s becoming a unifying voice already of “collective effervescence,” a term coined by French sociologist Emile Durkheim a century ago. It’s that “feeling of energy and harmony when people are engaged in a shared purpose.” The people making radio feel it, and it will radiate out to our little community, infusing us with pride and excitement over what a special place this is.
Our mission is to be a unifying force in these divisive times. We will not be partisan, we will welcome all points of view, provided they are offered with civility and honesty. We want to be a beacon of positivity because we believe there is so much to celebrate living in this remarkably beautiful hamlet by the sea. We hope you will join us on this mission and give us a listen. As George Clinton of Parliament / Funkadelic said “Whatever ails you, put it on the radio. Radio has the power to move. And remove.” OK he meant funk, but it’s the same thing. And as Bob Marley said, “Let’s get together and feel alright.” The all new KXFM radio drops on Sept. 16. Tune in, and turn on, to Laguna’s Community Radio.
