Residents wishing to learn about the most pressing issues affecting the beach cities are now able to tune into a show airing on Adelphia’s Channel 10 that highlights topics ranging from budget cuts and education to local elections.

Hosted by The Beach Reporter’s former managing editor, Garrison Frost, the “South Bay Journal” brings its audience in-depth debates on the most relevant subjects at the local level.

“I think the program’s going fairly well. We haven’t become so desperately short of ideas that we’ve had to invite Burgie on yet,” said Frost, referring to the colorful former Hermosa Beach Councilman Robert Benz. “We’re still tinkering with the format, getting used to the medium. It’s a lot of fun to try something new.”

The show is basically mediated by a panel of three men including Frost, Scott Gordon and Justin Houterman. Frost, who is now a communications officer for a nonprofit organization in downtown Los Angeles, also runs his own online journal of arts and ideas called “The Aesthetic.” Gordon was the press secretary for former Republican Congressman Steve Kuykendall and Houterman, an attorney, was once a writer for the Los Angeles Business Journal.

“Since I’m just the producer, I haven’t really gotten a lot of feedback, but I know quite a few people have walked up to Garrison, Justin and Scott,” said City Councilman Art Yoon. “The only time we really get together is to decide on a show topic and I usually set up schedule times for the guests.”

Yoon, who is also a Hermosa Beach councilman, describes the format like ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.”

“Garrison is our George,” said Yoon. “I hope that more people will tune into the show. There aren’t that many people like Garrison, Scott and Justin who really have a pulse on what’s going on within the local community. I purposefully picked these three men who all have three different ideologies.”

Yoon conceived the show after supervisors at Adelphia Cable approached him and encouraged him to broadcast the office hours he holds every Monday night at Java Man coffeehouse.

“My office hours are a casual setting and I wanted to insulate those people who came to me with a concern or issue from the media,” said Yoon. “But that got me thinking about producing a talk show focusing on local issues.”

Yoon is somewhat a silent partner and he has given all three hosts free license of what they can say and the kind of questions they ask their guests.

“These three guys are all about my age and I think this is very important because I wanted to show the public that there are many young, good and mature people waiting in the wings who are willing to try and make an effect on the beach cities,” added Yoon. “My next goal is to bring in a woman panelist and I think in about six to eight months, I will probably kick myself off the show because I have so many other things I’d like to do. I’ve picked some good people who have already exceeded my expectations.”

Frost, Gordon and Houterman recently sat down with the Los Angeles Press Secretary for California Gov. Gray Davis to discuss the state’s current budget deficit and how it might affect schools and governments within the beach cities.

“We’re trying to do a local news show that is similar to the Sunday morning political talk shows,” explained Frost. “We want to talk to the key players and exchange ideas without getting into shouting matches or cheap shots. A lot of shows on cable spend a lot of effort trying to be funny or entertaining. It’s as though everyone woke up and wanted to be Bill Maher. If on occasion we’re funny, it’s probably not intentional. We’re just trying to be informative.”

The trio recently interviewed guests for shows centering on the Redondo Beach School Board election and the Beach Cities Health District along with an interview with outgoing Manhattan Beach Mayor Walt Dougher.

“Right now, I don’t think anyone’s thinking beyond the war in Iraq,” added Frost. “It’s hard to get too excited about Metlox or Greg Hill taking a shower on TV when we have troops on the ground in the Middle East. But a lot can happen locally when people are glued to CNN. If I was a local politician with some scummy idea, I’d try to slip it by right now. So, even with the war going on, this is just a good time for people to pay attention to what’s going on at home.”

The monthly show that first aired in February is broadcast every Monday and Wednesday night at 7 p.m. The most recent show included a representative from Harbor/UCLA Medical Center and Beach Cities Health District board member Joanne Edgerton.

“The issue of the North Redondo Attendance Agreement really bothers me because it’s a betrayal of leadership that will hurt a lot of people,” said Frost. “I’m wondering about the direction of the BCHD. I’m concerned about the proposed redevelopment zone in the Heart of the City area.”