A plan · published October 20, 2026 · nothing on air yet

A radio station for El Segundo. Then one for every town next door.

Radio El Segundo starts as a weekly show and a stream, grows into a 24/7 station with live local hours, and becomes the flagship of a network of 6 sister stations from Playa del Rey to Torrance. Each town keeps its own voice. They share a newsroom, an automation system, a schedule and a set of rules.

The stations

Working names. Phase is when the station gets its own local hours.

Flagship · 90245

Radio El Segundo

El Segundo · Network origin. Local all day; feeds the network block.

  • Main Street and Richmond Street
  • Smoky Hollow makers and breweries
  • Rec Park courts and the Plunge
  • Dockweiler and the beach
  • City Council and school board
  • LAX, the refinery and the plant next door

First show: The Town Desk — a weekly half hour of what happened in 90245 and what is coming.

Phase 1 · 90266

Radio Manhattan Beach

Manhattan Beach · 4 local hours a day; network the rest.

  • The pier and the Strand
  • Volleyball and youth sports
  • Downtown and North Manhattan Beach businesses
  • Schools

First show: Sand Report — beach, volleyball and youth sports, Saturday mornings.

Phase 2 · 90254

Radio Hermosa

Hermosa Beach · 4 local hours a day; network the rest.

  • Pier Plaza and live music rooms
  • Surf and the Strand
  • Small-city politics

First show: Pier Plaza Live — local bands recorded in the rooms they play.

Phase 2 · 90277 / 90278

Radio Redondo

Redondo Beach · 4 local hours a day; network the rest.

  • The harbor, the pier and King Harbor boats
  • Riviera Village
  • North Redondo neighborhoods

First show: Harbor Hour — boats, fishing reports and the people who work the pier.

Phase 2 · 90293 / 90045

Radio Playa

Playa del Rey and Westchester · 2 local hours a day; network the rest.

  • Ballona wetlands
  • Westchester's Triangle and Loyola Marymount
  • Living under the LAX flight path

First show: Under the Approach — the neighborhoods north of the runways.

Phase 3 · 90250 / 90260

Radio Hawthorne

Hawthorne and Lawndale · 2 local hours a day, bilingual; network the rest.

  • Aerospace workforce
  • Hawthorne Boulevard businesses
  • Schools and youth leagues
  • Spanish-language programming

First show: Turno de Noche — a bilingual evening show for people coming off shift.

Phase 3 · 90501–90510

Radio Torrance

Torrance · 2 local hours a day; network the rest.

  • Old Torrance
  • Japanese American community and businesses
  • Del Amo and the industrial corridor

First show: Old Torrance Exchange — merchants, history and a call-in.

The hour clock

Every station runs the same hour so the network can stitch together. Local slots are where each town sounds like itself.

AtLengthSegmentWho
:002 minStation ID, time, top local headlineLocal, live or recorded
:0218 minProgram segment (show, music block or feature)Local or network
:206 minTown Desk — two or three local items, sourcedLocal
:264 minConditions — tides, swell, air, sun, LAX flowNetwork desk agents, read by a labeled synthetic voice or a host
:3015 minProgram segmentLocal or network
:455 minCommunity calendar and lost-and-foundLocal
:508 minNeighbor voice — one resident, one story, recorded with consentLocal
:582 minUnderwriting credits and legal IDLocal

The weekly schedule

WhenShowWhat it is
6–9 am weekdaysMorning Edition on AirThe PointCast 6:45 paper read out, plus traffic, conditions and school notes. Network feed with local cut-ins at :20 and :45.
9 am–noon weekdaysSmoky Hollow SessionsLocal and South Bay musicians, recorded in shops, garages and breweries.
Noon–3 pm weekdaysThe Town Desk (local)Each station runs its own midday: interviews, call-ins, city business.
3–6 pm weekdaysCourts & CoastYouth and rec sports, pickleball ladders, beach volleyball, surf and run clubs. Scores from teams that opt in.
6–8 pm weekdaysNeighborhood Hour (rotating town)One sister station per night takes the whole network.
8 pm–midnightListener ShiftVolunteer DJ shows. The best training slot on the schedule.
Midnight–6 amNight Shift (automated)Ambient and local music on automation, hourly IDs, conditions. Labeled as automated.
SaturdaySand Report · Kids Hour · Game DayHigh school and youth game calls with volunteer announcers; a show made by kids, edited by adults.
SundayCouncil Recap · Main Street · Sunday RecordsA human-written recap of the week's public meetings, a merchant hour, and a record collector's show.

How the signal gets out

Four paths, cheapest and fastest first. The network starts online and works toward the dial.

Path 1 · Phase 0. Start here.

Internet stream and podcast feed

A 24/7 stream per station plus on-demand shows, played on pointcast.xyz, in apps, on smart speakers and in cars through phones.

Reach: Anyone with a connection. No range limit.

  • Automation and streaming server (open source: Liquidsoap and Icecast, or a hosted service)
  • Music licenses: a statutory webcasting license from SoundExchange for recordings, and performing-rights licenses (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR) for compositions
  • A talk-heavy launch keeps licensing small

Watch: Webcasting rules limit how many tracks from one artist or album can play in a window. Automation must enforce them.

Path 2 · Phase 2 pilot, one location.

Part 15 street transmitter

A very low power AM transmitter that needs no license under FCC Part 15 rules (47 CFR 15.219: 100 milliwatts input, antenna plus feed line plus ground lead no longer than 3 meters).

Reach: Roughly a block or two. Enough for Main Street, a park, a beach lot or a drive-in event.

  • A certified, compliant unit and a fixed host site (a storefront, the library, a park building) with permission
  • A sign that says what to tune to

Watch: Modifying a unit for more range makes it unlicensed broadcasting. Stay inside the rule.

Path 3 · Phase 2 conversations, Phase 3 launch.

HD Radio subchannel lease

Rent an HD2 or HD3 multicast channel from an existing licensed FM station. Listeners with HD radios, which are standard in many newer cars, find it on that station's frequency.

Reach: The host station's whole coverage area, which in Los Angeles means the full South Bay and more.

  • A host station willing to lease
  • A written agreement on terms, content responsibility and fees
  • A clean network feed

Watch: Terms are negotiated. The licensee stays responsible for what airs, so expect content rules.

Path 4 · Phase 3, if a window opens and a channel exists.

Low Power FM license

A noncommercial FM license of up to 100 watts, issued by the FCC to local nonprofits, schools and public-safety bodies during filing windows the FCC announces. The last window was in December 2023.

Reach: A few miles. One LPFM in El Segundo would cover most of the town.

  • A local nonprofit applicant with a board and an educational mission
  • An engineer's channel study showing an open frequency at the site
  • A tower or rooftop site and the money to build within the construction deadline

Watch: The Los Angeles dial is crowded. There may be no usable frequency here at all. A channel study comes before anything else.

General notes on how each path works, not legal advice. Check with a broadcast engineer or counsel before buying gear or filing anything.

Phases

  1. Phase 0 · Weeks 1–6

    Pilot

    Radio El Segundo exists as a weekly show and a stream test.

    • Pick a host (or two) for The Town Desk and record four episodes before launch
    • Stand up the stream and podcast feed on pointcast.xyz
    • Write the station rules and the consent form
    • Start a list of 50 neighbors with a story to tell

    Done when: Four episodes published, stream plays on phones and smart speakers, 100 listeners a week.

  2. Phase 1 · Months 2–4

    Station

    Radio El Segundo runs 24/7 on automation with live local windows.

    • Run the hourly clock on automation
    • Add three weekly shows, including Courts & Coast and Listener Shift
    • Open the listener line (voicemail and web form)
    • Sign up first underwriters
    • Launch Radio Manhattan Beach as local windows on the El Segundo stream

    Done when: Ten regular volunteers, five shows, 500 weekly listeners, first underwriting dollars.

  3. Phase 2 · Months 4–9

    Network

    Five stations share one newsroom, one automation system and one network feed.

    • Add Hermosa, Redondo and Playa as their own streams
    • Hire or appoint a part-time network editor
    • Pilot one Part 15 street transmitter on Main Street
    • Open HD subchannel talks with nearby licensed stations
    • Run the first live remote from a town event

    Done when: Five streams, one shared calendar and news desk, one over-the-air pilot, a published annual budget.

  4. Phase 3 · Year 2

    On the dial

    The network is on real radios and covers seven towns.

    • Launch on an HD subchannel, or file for LPFM through a nonprofit partner if a window opens and a channel exists
    • Add Hawthorne/Lawndale (bilingual) and Torrance
    • Sign an emergency relay agreement with the cities
    • Start a member drive

    Done when: Over-the-air signal in at least one town, seven stations, members paying part of the bills.

Take part

A ladder, like PointCast Guides. Start by listening; end up running a station. Every seat is open.

RoleDoesHow you get there
ListenerListens, calls the line, sends a tip or a correction.Nothing.
ContributorRecords a neighbor voice, sends a calendar item, reports a game score.Accepts the station rules.
VolunteerRuns the board, edits audio, books guests, runs the remote kit.One training shift with a host.
HostOwns a show on the schedule.Eight Listener Shift episodes and a station desk lead's sign-off.
Station desk leadRuns one town's station: schedule, sources, local underwriters.Appointed by the network editor and the advisory board.
Network editorKeeps the network consistent: clock, standards, corrections, the shared newsroom.Appointed by the board.
AgentsClerical work: logs, transcripts, show notes, calendar cleanup, conditions data, automation playlists.Draft only. A human approves anything that airs.

Station rules

  1. Local first. Every hour on every station carries at least one item from its own town.
  2. A human airs it. Agents draft scripts, logs and notes; a named person approves anything broadcast.
  3. Synthetic voices are labeled on air, every time.
  4. Consent before anyone's voice or name. Minors by first name only, with a parent's sign-off.
  5. Emergencies: relay official sources (the city, the county, the National Weather Service) word for word with attribution. Never originate an alert.
  6. Corrections go out on air in the same slot as the mistake, and in the public log.
  7. Underwriting credits name and describe; they do not sell. No calls to action, no prices.
  8. Every station publishes its schedule, play log and corrections as JSON.

Budget and money

PhaseRangeCovers
Phase 0About $1,500–3,000 to startTwo mics, an interface, headphones, a field recorder, streaming host, first-year licensing minimums.
Phase 1About $8,000–15,000 a yearAutomation hosting, licensing, a small studio corner, insurance, a remote kit.
Phase 2About $40,000–80,000 a yearPart-time network editor, five streams, Part 15 pilot, event remotes, legal review.
Phase 3Depends on the pathHD lease fees, or LPFM engineering, antenna site and build-out.

Planning estimates, not quotes. Licensing fees, hosting and lease terms change; get current numbers before committing.

Where the money comes from

  • Underwriting from local businesses, credited on air the noncommercial way.
  • Listener members, with a yearly drive and a monthly option.
  • Live remotes and event broadcasts, paid by the event.
  • Community and arts grants through a nonprofit partner or fiscal sponsor.
  • Merch: station shirts, stickers and a printed schedule card.

Open decisions

For Mike before Phase 0 starts.

  • The network name and whether to seek real call letters later. Station names on this page are working names.
  • Talk-first or music-first launch. Talk first is cheaper to license.
  • Which nonprofit partner or fiscal sponsor holds the money and, later, any license.
  • Who hosts The Town Desk.
  • Whether synthetic voices read the conditions segment, or only hosts.
  • Whether to pay for an LPFM channel study now or wait for an FCC window.

Already on PointCast

Mike Hoydich Radio

The existing one-listener station. Its log and sleeves can become a Listener Shift show.