KX FM's New Leaders Are Charged Up For Laguna Beach's Reopening

LAGUNA BEACH, CA—In the six weeks since founder/station manager Tyler Russell McCusker stepped down from KX FM, the new four-person leadership team has been brainstorming their ideal local, nonprofit radio station.

Meanwhile, every song, every playlist aired continues to be selected by a living, breathing human being. No robot choices will be heard from the little studio on Coast Highway at Pearl Street.

New station manager Alyssa Hayek isn’t ready to reveal specifics yet, but she is absolutely sure her vision for KX FM brings the community back to the station: “It isn’t about us,” she says, taking a break from prepping her weekday afternoon on-air show.

Her stance boils down to this: “Have the community more involved in us; us more involved with the community."

Already underway is a call for Laguna Beach residents with an artistic bent to submit a new T-shirt design. The graphic must include “KX FM,” “Laguna Beach” and “104.7.” July 16 at 5 p.m is the deadline. After a vote by listeners, the winner will be announced at a party for station members. The winning design will be screen-printed.

New development director Jayne Herring aspires to rep KX FM at every fine art and performing arts event the city has going. You’ll find her downtown at Fete de la Musique this Saturday, June 19, and the following weekend on the Promenade for Pride! 365’s first of four summer events.

Herring brings ebullient energy, plus more than a decade of Big Apple event planning to her role at the member-supported station. Her mission is to keep KX FM funded, so it can provide free, unbiased information as well as its alternative-music mandate. Judging by her grin, her plans entail more fun, serious fun.

Herring lives downtown and has been keeping her ears open for what the city wants right now. The emphatic answer is: “more live music!"

Erica Delamare, the new music director, has already started answering that call. In-studio performances returned June 8 with Trapdoor Social. And a couple who started making music together during the shutdown is slated next. Delamare is receiving rapidly growing numbers of tickets to live shows for on-air giveaways.

If you live local but tune in to KX FM online or its updated app, you may not have noticed its frequency slid up the dial to 104.7—or as they say in radio-speak: “one-oh-four-seven.” The move has furthered the station's reach south into Dana Point and north to Corona del Mar.

Due to a diverse slew of volunteer DJs, KX FM has pocket audiences all over the globe, including South Korea, South Africa, Brazil, Canada, Germany and Finland. Two programs spin only vinyl.

But the voice of the station is also its "dad" (per Herring) and self-described Jedi Master: Ed Steinfeld.

The morning host, who has lived in Laguna for 25 years, went to the station alone every day during the lockdown to keep the town up-to-speed on the unfolding pandemic.

When Patch visited on a recent morning, he emerged from the sound booth to chat with Hayek during a 7-minute song. “I’m loving it!” he declaired when asked about easing COVID restrictions.

Why is he the Jedi Master? Steinfeld's a multi-tasker, and an expert at every job at the station, as well as a superb interviewer and storyteller.

“And I’m not bad with a light-saber,” he quips, as he answers the station phone. Then he’s back in the booth before the long tune ends.

Steinfeld loves to bring the voices of Laguna on air. Anyone who drops by is recruited to record a few station identifications, including yours truly.

The core four are riding enthusiasm for their new jobs and the town's reopening energy into the station's future, so stay tuned.