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Bay Area Radio Veteran Leslie Stoval Has Died
Veteran BAY AREA radio talent LESLIE STOVAL has passed away. She was most recently heard on Jazz KCSM/SAN MATEO, CA. She hosted and produced several live, weekly shows. Her career spanned 40+ years.
Her broadcasting began at STANFORD UNIVERSITY’s KZSU. She later held on-air roles at KDIA, KSOL, and KMEL during its “PEOPLE’S STATION” era. She also worked at KBLX, where she helped establish the station’s “Quiet Storm” programming.
Her passing was acknowledged with a tribute from KCSM and a personal reflection from former KMEL PD KEITH NAFTALY.
He posted on social media, “LESLIE had been one of those ‘voices’ that I heard on the radio in high school and college & thought, ‘whoa, now that is the definition of effortless smoothness.”
“I’d heard her on KDIA & then doing morning drive on KSOL with flair and finesse. The late great STEVE RIVERS hired her for KMEL middays while I was MD, where she conveyed class, musical knowledge, intelligence and got the job done.”
“There was even an on-air playfulness & swag component (this is L-S, Lady Slick’) that I savored, and while that self-assured cheer was genuine, there was a performative component to it. She was a pro.”
“Her crossover bits with RICK CHASE at 2pm were always a wildcard: the Valedictorian versus the deliciously mischievous troublemaker, both attempting to gel over a 12-second song intro. Off-air she was more shy and mysterious, Scholarly and beautiful.”
“The last time I saw LESLIE was at our spirited KMEL reunion in 2009. She’d been reading a lot of books, volunteering at her neighborhood library (forever the academic), listening to a lot of jazz & we both wished each other well.”
“And now she’s gone, just like that. Yet another reminder that every day is a gift. LESLIE STOVAL was one of one who provided ‘an ear near’ alongside a tasty variety of music to literally millions of listeners spanning over four decades. That right there is an indelible legacy.”