Remembering Leslie Stoval

• Details are still pending, but we are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of popular longtime Bay Area radio personality Leslie Stoval, best known for her stints at KMEL, KBLX, KDIA and KSOL back in the day. She was most recently working at Bay Area Jazz station KCSM/San Mateo, as co-host of Jazz In The Afternoon and host of Places & Spaces. KCSM posted this nice tribute to Leslie HERE.

Veteran label executive Keith Naftaly, former PD of KMEL during its late ’80s/early ’90s heyday, posted his own tribute to his former colleague on Facebook, which reads, in part, “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.”

Naftaly added, “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.” [Photo courtesy of KCSM]