Former KBLX General Manager Harvey Stone died on August 4. For 31 years, Stone guided KBLX from Inner City Broadcasting’s acquisition of KRE through the station’s sale to Entercom in 2012. The Quiet Storm format that became KBLX’s signature grew out of Stone’s vision, blending contemporary R&B, smooth jazz and mellow instrumentals under the station’s “Soft and Warm” branding. At a time when many advertisers overlooked Urban radio, Stone pushed back on outdated assumptions by demonstrating the buying power and loyalty of KBLX’s audience, work that is credited with shifting how national advertisers viewed minority-owned radio. He also created the Stone Soul Picnic, which grew into one of Northern California’s premier live music events.