In February when Frank Lanzone announced he was stepping down from his role as president and general manager of KCBX, retirement meant something different than it would for most people. It meant he was at the station five days a week instead of six. It meant he kept handling contracts and operations for the Live Oak Music Festival. It meant he continued passing along four-and-a-half decades of institutional knowledge, ensuring that the technical aspects of KCBX were running smoothly, and carrying on with duties like filling soap dispensers, rolling out the trash bins, and changing fluorescents.
Those of us who worked with him understood why. Frank cared. He cared about the station, the people in it, and the community it served, and he cared above all about the mission of KCBX and public radio.
Frank died on Thursday, September 10, 2026, after a brief illness, with his sons, Paul and Brian, at his side. He was 77.
Frank was destined for a career in radio. His interest in technology showed up by the time he was five or six. In sixth grade, Frank could be found drilling holes in his family’s living room floor with plans to wire a whole-house speaker system before heading to bed hours early to tune into a radio drama program on his new transistor radio. That fascination blossomed at the College of San Mateo, where Frank studied — and eventually taught. He discovered KCSM, the radio and TV station there, where he started as a student and advanced over the years to become manager of the radio station.
In March 1980, Frank arrived in San Luis Obispo to become KCBX's general manager — a job he would hold for the next 46 years. The station's studios were then in the Tower Building at 1026 Chorro Street, directly above Bull's Tavern. Frank liked to claim that so many station meetings took place at Bull's that KCBX ran a phone line downstairs so no calls would be missed.
That was Frank's humor, and listeners heard it too. During on-air pledge drives, he and Operations Manager Hank Hadley fell into the kind of banter only two people with dry wit and deep affection for each other can pull off. Anyone who worked with Frank had an inside joke with him. The jokes were never just jokes, though — they were how he set people at ease, defused a tense room, and got the work done. He guided us with patience, calm, and charm.
Frank gave many young people a start in public radio by believing in their potential and providing them with opportunities to grow — and some stayed for years because he made KCBX feel like home.
Hank Hadley was spending so much time sitting on the couch in the station’s lobby looking for a public radio job that Frank figured he might as well hire him. Marisa Waddell started as a volunteer classical music host as a teenager and Frank eventually brought her on as Director of Programming and Content. Like many others, Music Director Neal Losey, came to KCBX after getting hooked on radio through Cal Poly’s KCPR. Neal started as a host on Night Train, and later, Frank believed in his vision to change the format of Morning Cup. That is, as long as Neal played an occasional Frank Sinatra song. Even if you had moved on from the station, you’d still hear from Frank — perhaps on your KCBX anniversary, to arrange dinner at Cafe Roma, or just to check in.
Frank’s dedication to public radio extended beyond KCBX. For many years Frank was the president of California Public Radio, a station collective that represented legislative and regulatory interests of the state’s public radio stations both in Sacramento and in Washington, D.C. Through the years, he cherished relationships with colleagues at stations throughout the country, along with NPR staff and on-air hosts. Public radio colleagues appreciated Frank for his generosity, wisdom, and, of course, his sense of humor.
And Frank held tight to such connections over decades. Ken Schreiner and David Gillette were buddies from his College of San Mateo days; though they each had their own careers, Frank convinced Ken to come on board as KCBX's chief engineer for many years and he talked David into serving as technical coordinator for Live Oak.
Station co-founder Steve Urbani said, “I think Frank’s ability to meet a lot of people in the community is mind boggling.” Relationships with businesspeople, listeners, staff, volunteers, and colleagues in the public radio system helped Frank grow the station’s reach to encompass three counties, keep the station’s finances secure, establish the KCBX newsroom, and move the station into the digital age.
Frank loved a party — and he relished acting as host. He was a good cook, appreciated a fine glass of wine, and had fun dreaming up custom cocktails for our annual KCBX holiday gatherings, many of which were held at his house. He was delighted to invite public radio colleagues to San Luis Obispo to enjoy our region’s landscape, wine, and cuisine. And at conferences he could draw out shy folks with a smile and engaging conversation.
KCBX, public broadcasting, and the Central Coast community are richer because of Frank Lanzone. He cared, it showed, and it mattered. Everyone at KCBX holds Frank’s family in our thoughts, along with all who were touched by his warm smile, his tireless work, or the quiet joy of realizing he’d just pulled one over on them with a straight face.
KCBX will be celebrating both Frank Lanzone and long-time station Operations Manager Hank Hadley, who passed away on August 30, 2026, during the upcoming second annual Central Coast Sessions event at The Rock in San Luis Obispo on November 7, 2026. Additional details will be announced soon.
