These are tough times for NPR Member stations, as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting winds down operations following a Republican-fueled Congressional vote to end federal funding of the organization that distributed dollars to noncommercial educational radio and TV stations across the U.S.
For NPR listeners across the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto market, the fiscal health and future of the stations offering Classical and spoken word programming are in an even dire situation because of alleged embezzlement activities conducted by their former General Manager. On Thursday, that individual turned himself in to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
Jun Reina faces criminal charges that extend to grand theft and forgery in his former role at CapRadio. That’s the operator of Classical KXPR-FM and a collection of simulcast stations one can hear across the region; and spoken word sibling KXJZ-FM, also heard on other FM signals throughout the Sacramento DMA. The stations are licensed to California State University Sacramento, and since October 2025 each has seen downward movement in the Nielsen Audio ratings for Sacramento, the nation’s 28th largest market.
Reina’s alleged activities have garnered much local media attention in recent months, putting CapRadio in a potentially devastating financial situation. As reported by CapRadio itself, prosecutors have accused Reina of “orchestrating a multi-year scheme” to divert CapRadio funds for personal use. This allegedly occurred between Dec. 6, 2016, and June 12, 2022.
The District Attorney’s office contends Reina misappropriated approximately $1.33 million, and did so through unauthorized credit card charges and payments to his personal credit card accounts. Reina also allegedly made 144 ACH payments from CapRadio’s bank account to his personal account. This activity, the prosecution believes, was hidden from the public eye through “deceptive accounting, manipulated financial statements and forged documents.” A thorough review of documents from the last nine years reveal “a deliberate pattern of fraud and concealment that exploited weaknesses in internal controls and obstructed oversight.”
Reina joined CapRadio in 2007 as Chief Financial Officer and in 2013 added Chief Operating Officer responsibilities. In 2020, he was promoted to EVP/General Manager.
By June 2023, Reina’s reign at CapRadio had abruptly ended in scandal, leading to his resignation. Some 12% of the staff saw their jobs eliminated as four music programs ceased production, impacting both CapRadio and affiliated operation North State Public Radio. In early 2025, CapRadio sued Reina in Yolo County, Calif., on the grounds that he secretly enriched himself with station funds for such needs as home improvements, family vacations and mortgage payments. Reina resides in Yolo County, home to Davis, Woodland and West Sacramento. That legal battle seeks a minimum of $900,000 in damages and for Reina’s home to be placed in a trust; it was listed for sale as of January 2025.
NSPR today operates KCHR-FM in Chico and KFPR-FM in Redding, to the north of Sacramento outside of the auspices of CapRadio, with an end to management in November 2025. Meanwhile, NSPR’s management of Cal Poly Humboldt-owned KHSU-FM 90.5 in Eureka-Arcata reverted to the school formerly known as Humboldt State University. That station had already been the subject of negative attention in the local media for the 2018 and early 2019 “turmoil” and alleged “content audit” that led to a significant staff culling and end to volunteer programming.
