Frank Lenzi

KIRO News Director

Frank Lenzi

News Director KIRO Radio

About

Frank Lenzi runs the newsroom at KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. He has spent nearly two decades covering the people, politics, and problems of the Puget Sound region. He came to Seattle from Portland, Oregon in 2008 and never left. Frank’s reporting is shaped by a belief that local journalism should be useful — that a story should tell you something you didn’t know, about a place you care about, from someone willing to dig. That belief was forged in part by personal loss: his brother, Maj. Gregory L. Stone, was killed serving with the Army’s 101st Airborne Division during the Iraq War. Telling Gregg’s story — and the stories of others like him — remains the work Frank is most proud of. He is also unreasonably passionate about Depeche Mode, AC/DC, and the career of Roger Federer.

Expertise

  • Journalism
  • Radio and Web Reporting
  • Radio News Anchoring

Experience

News Director, KIRO Newsradio (December 2024 – Present)

  • Leads the KIRO Newsradio team with a focus on excellence in journalism and storytelling

Program Director/News Director, KOMO Radio (now KNWN)

  • Held roles including Morning Editor, Managing Editor, News Director, and Program Director

Managing Editor/Reporter/Anchor, AM 860 KPAM

  • Progressed from Morning Editor to Managing Editor at Portland’s news talk station

Newsroom Staff, 1190 KEX Portland

  • First commercial radio job in Portland’s heritage station newsroom

High School Radio (1991)

  • Began radio career at age 15 on a high school station

Education

Bachelor of Arts, University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication, 1997

Certifications

Achievements & Awards

  • Led teams at KPAM and KOMO Radio that won multiple awards for breaking news, best newscast, and overall excellence

Social Media Profiles

Seafair CEO, a Las Vegas shooting survivor, details security for weekend festival after deadly Bite of Seattle

The deadly shooting at the Bite of Seattle that claimed three lives came less than one week before the Seafair Weekend Festival.
17 hours ago

Car slams into Port Orchard Domino’s, driver flees scene

A car slammed into a Domino's restaurant in unincorporated Port Orchard Monday night, leaving behind extensive damage — and no driver.
22 hours ago

Massive scrap pile fire in Longview triggers air quality warning; residents urged to stay indoors

A large scrap pile fire at PNW Metals in Longview sent a massive plume of smoke into the sky Saturday, prompting fire officials to issue an air quality warning urging nearby residents to stay indoors. The Longview Fire Department and Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue were on scene as of Saturday afternoon and anticipated remaining […]
4 days ago

Missing girl: Everett Police search for Jocelyn Mora after she left Cascade High School with unknown male

Everett Police are asking for the public's help finding a girl who went missing from Cascade High School on March 26.
6 days ago

Seattle Fire Department proposes adding drones to emergency response fleet

The Seattle Fire Department (SFD) wants to start using drones.
6 days ago

Mariners fan takes home run ball to face, but gets signed apology from Julio and message from favorite player Muñoz

Longtime Seattle Mariners fan Nikki Jones went to T-Mobile Park Tuesday night hoping to score an Andrés Muñoz bobblehead.
7 days ago

New Washington law says landlords can’t ban portable AC units

A new Washington law took effect June 11, prohibiting landlords from banning or restricting portable AC units in rental properties.
7 days ago

Council approves 9.5% Seattle City Light rate hikes, puts transit tax on November ballot

Seattle City Light customers are about to see their monthly electricity bills go up.
8 days ago

PSE Flex program faces first real test as heat hits Puget Sound

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) is about to put its new Flex program to the test for the first time, and Tuesday's heat is the trigger.
9 days ago

Jimothy the Raccoon to be honored with official Seattle City Proclamation in Ballard

Jimothy the Raccoon — Seattle's "newest local icon" — will soon be honored with an official City Proclamation in Ballard.
9 days ago

Bullet fired through Bremerton apartment wall; Kitsap County deputies investigate

Kitsap County deputies are investigating after a bullet was fired through the wall of an apartment complex in unincorporated Bremerton over the weekend.
9 days ago

4-year-old girl found safe after Kennewick Amber Alert, suspect still at large

The Washington State Patrol (WSP) located a young child Saturday evening after she went missing from Kennewick, prompting an Amber Alert.
9 days ago

WSDOT spends $17M a year cleaning up highway litter — now Jimothy the raccoon has a message for you

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) said highway litter is gross to look at and bad for the environment.
12 days ago

Car crashes into Hungry Dawgs Diner in Bonney Lake; 2 hospitalized with minor injuries

A car smashed into the Hungry Dawgs Diner in Bonney Lake Thursday morning, sending two people to the hospital with minor injuries.
12 days ago

‘That person probably could have died’: King County Jail inmates are turning tablets into weapons, corrections guild warns

Some King County jail inmates are turning the tablets issued to them into weapons, the King County Corrections Guild told KIRO Newsradio.
12 days ago

Metro bus shooting suspect faces life in prison as three-strike offender

A Seattle man charged with shooting a passenger on a King County Metro bus could face life in prison as a three-strike offender.
14 days ago

More than 30% of WA school districts have no cell phone policy as Reykdal pushes statewide ban

More than 30% of Washington schools have no restrictions on student cell phone use, raising concerns among educators and parents.
14 days ago

Tacoma Police arrest suspect in 2024 homicide near Emerald Queen Casino

Tacoma police have arrested a man in connection with a 2024 homicide near I-5 and the Emerald Queen Casino.
15 days ago

2 suspects sought after man viciously attacked at Parkland apartment complex on July 4

Pierce County deputies are searching for two suspects who viciously beat a 37-year-old man at a Parkland apartment complex on July 4.
15 days ago

‘It was cartoonish’: Federal Way mayor shares how city slashed car theft 80% in three years

Car thefts in Federal Way have plummeted 80% since 2023, a decline Mayor Jim Ferrell ties directly to reinstated police pursuits.
16 days ago

Wanted man jumps nine stories to his death during SWAT standoff in Seattle

A man wanted by King County authorities jumped nine stories to his death Thursday night in Seattle during a SWAT standoff at an apartment building near Spring Street and 8th Avenue.
19 days ago

Pierce County Sheriff: Homicide ‘suspect was shot and killed by police in Seaside, Oregon’

The man wanted in connection with two Pierce County homicides was shot and killed by police in Seaside, Oregon, Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank announced on X Wednesday night.
21 days ago

Seattle surveillance cameras shut off after FIFA World Cup — privacy audit coming this fall

Seattle shuts off Stadium District surveillance cameras after the FIFA World Cup.
22 days ago

Man sentenced to 73 years for killing 1, wounding 2 at Kent gas station in 2021

A King County judge has sentenced Joseph Dixon to 73 years in prison for a deadly 2021 shooting at a Kent Circle K.
27 days ago