The parent organization of the NPR Member stations serving Sacramento and much of Northern California, mired in a state of fiscal fragility, has confirmed that it is planning to end its operating agreements with public radio stations serving listeners in nearby Chico, Calif., and across Humboldt County — putting these operations in an unknown state come 2026.
Thus, North State Public Radio and its future have suddenly become key concerns for listeners of KCHO-FM 91.7 in Chico and sibling KFPR-FM 88.9 in Redding; and Cal Poly Humboldt-owned KHSU-FM 90.5 in Eureka-Arcata. CapRadio has been managing daily operations for NSPR in Chico-Redding since 2020 and for KHSU since 2021. Those agreements were signed by former CapRadio General Manager Jun Reina, who has been sued by the station for embezzlement and has denied any wrongdoing.
The decision to discontinue running NSPR and KHSU comes as the CapRadio Board of Directors prepares to vote on the station’s budget for fiscal year 2025-26.
CapRadio Interim General Manager and President Frankie Maranzino said in a staff announcement that all parties “are committed to building a strong, sustainable future for local public media so that the stations remain trusted and reliable news sources for their Northern California 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.”
Chris Bruno, CapRadio’s chief marketing and revenue officer, told CapRadio reporters this was a “business decision” and that an estimated combined loss of $280,000 for NSPR and KHSU during the first two months of the fiscal year.
“The reality of the situation,” Bruno said, “is that the current arrangement does not work … Based on our community-supported business model, we would not be in a position where we would have enough support to sustain the current model as it exists.”
