PREVIOUSLY

Control of KHSU, for the last four years managed by CSU Sacramento NPR affiliate CapRadio, will be returning to Cal Poly Humboldt by the end of this year. Control of NSPR will also return to Chico State University. 

CapRadio has controlled the day-to-day operation of KHSU since 2021, when they obtained the managing agreement from Humboldt State University. The news broke June 18, when CapRadio’s Interim General Manager and President Frankie Maranzino announced the change after a monthly board meeting was postponed. (It’s now scheduled for July 2 at 5:30 and is open to the public.) 

CapRadio’s chief marketing and revenue officer, Chris Bruno, said it’s a money-saving “business decision.”

“Our goal at the end of the day is to think about how we can be good partners and work collaboratively to transition operations back to the universities,” Bruno told CapRadio reporters in a briefing last month. “Our goal is to think about the future and the opportunity for CapRadio to operate sustainably and position ourselves for growth.”

CapRadio has struggled to stay solvent and has been accused of mismanaging funds. An audit done this year by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) found that CapRadio reported earnings over three years of almost $6 million that didn’t exist. Now, the CPB wants $200,000 from CapRadio to repay CPB grants.

In January, CapRadio sued its former general manager Jun Reina for embezzling over $370,000, accusing him of using CapRadio’s funds to cover personal expenses such as family vacations and golf course fees.

Bruno also claimed that CapRadio had lost over $280,000 running KHSU and NSPR the first two months of this fiscal year.

Representatives from Cal Poly Humboldt and Chico State shared this statement with employees on June 18:

As CapRadio shared with employees today, Chico State and Cal Poly Humboldt are in discussion with the organization to transfer the current operating arrangements of NSPR and KHSU back to our respective campuses. We are all committed to building a strong, sustainable future for local public media so that the stations remain trusted and reliable news sources for our Northern California and North Coast communities. We will ensure broadcasting continuity throughout the process. We look forward to sharing more details after the budget vote on July 2 and continuing discussions among the three university partners and license holders, Sacramento State, Chico State, and Cal Poly Humboldt.

Full article and reporting from CapRadio’s Chris Nichols and Sarit Laschinsky.