At home on the air in San Mateo

The new KCSM station manager, Robert Franklin, is bringing a drive for accessible education and a mission of community outreach to the prominent Bay Area jazz station.

With more than 25 years of experience in public radio under his belt, Franklin said he knew exactly the kind of station manager he wanted to be once he came out west. 

“I think collaboration is very, very important,” Franklin said. “That was one of the things that I said during the interview that I really wanted to do. I didn’t want to be a manager that sat in the office, I want to get out and be among the individuals that comprise the community.”

Since his start in July, Franklin has maintained that KCSM has a responsibility to its listeners, and those who have not yet bet introduced to the station, to emphasize the educational nexus between the community college on which the station is based — College of San Mateo — and public radio at large.

The jazz station has been long known for its 24-hour programming and diligent entertainment, but that has slightly shifted to a more holistic approach to what is covered on air. Franklin himself, for example, hosts a show on Sundays pertaining to public affairs. 

“The feedback has been initially ‘You guys are jazz and you should just be jazz, that’s what you do best,’ but I looked at it from a different perspective,” Franklin said. “That is true, but we have a bigger mission to also be education. We do sit on a college campus.”

With a background in education, Franklin said he tries to never miss a teachable moment, and believes public radio has a responsibility as one of the most accessible forms of information sharing. Though the station is not run by the students at CSM, he said he is often thinking about how he can teach them. 

“When we can actually work with students to help that lightbulb go off, we want to do that and provide them with that opportunity, even if it requires us to go above and beyond,” he said.

This educational effort will materialize through training and networking events Franklin said he hopes will provide interested students firsthand information from industry individuals.

After identifying his own journey of understanding jazz inspirations within the rock music he grew up enjoying, Franklin said it is essential for educators and those at the station to find ways to connect with a younger demographic and invite them into the “jazz experience.”

“We really have to refurbish or replenish with programming that is interesting, exciting and enticing to that particular audience,” Franklin said. “When you can find genres that can be made relatable to a younger audience, that will help to introduce them. A lot of what they’re hearing in hip hop has jazz origins and any chance we get to communicate that particular message to young people is vital.”

Beyond inspiring the next group of possible radio presenters or musicologists, Franklin said that station is looking to establish more partnerships with local organizations to provide news that has been identified as pertinent by community members. 

For instance, there is now a monthly show “Beyond City Hall” with San Mateo Councilmember Amourence Lee.

“We’re glad to make that an opportunity for the community to represent and speak to a broad audience about issues that are central to San Mateo residents,” Franklin said. 

Franklin said his goal is to increase innovation within the station and will ultimately look to focus these continued discussions more so on their forthcoming HD-2 channel, which is associated with the station and would be available to stream online. 

“If you’re willing to think outside the box and be willing to invest the time, I think we can tackle or challenge those voids that are not currently on our main station,” he said.

Franklin credits the station’s presenters and daily staff for making his transition easy and said they have been the ideal team to work with on these goals.

“I knew that if I was lucky enough to get to work with these guys, we could really do some amazing things thinking outside the box,” he said. “They bring it in terms of their expertise and their knowledge of their craft. That’s a real treat for me to work with such dedicated and creative individuals.”

While the closest relation to the Bay Area Franklin possessed before this position was only a “hotter than warm” spot in his heart for the Oakland Raiders — he still refers to them as such despite their move to Las Vegas — he said he is excited to set up roots here and meet more people.

“Being able to work with different cultures, different groups of people, that’s really what jazz is about,” Franklin said. “It’s a rainbow of colors and cultures and then being able to hear that musically is quite beautiful. The opportunity to be apart of that was, and is, inspiring.”