HSU Partners with CapRadio to manage KHSU

Humboldt State University has signed a Management and Programming Agreement with Capital Public Radio (CapRadio) to manage KHSU and the other non-commercial NPR member stations licensed to the University.

The collaborative agreement is effective April 1. It was formally approved in late February after months of study and discussion.

The new agreement ensures that high-quality national and state programming for the North Coast will continue and that donations from the region will be used to support the KHSU stations. Once the agreement is underway, Humboldt State will work with station management to provide student internships in various facets of radio operations, as requested by faculty and students.

A renewal of local underwriting is planned, once core operations are in place. The agreement also includes an option, in the future, for campus-produced programming.

With the cost-sharing for programming, management, and other efficiencies, HSU expects to continue to realize annual savings of more than $250,000 that previously subsidized the stations, as well as significant savings from reduced space use and other soft costs.

Programming on Radio Bilingue will remain on 103.3 FM and 89.7 FM, which are not part of this agreement and will continue to be managed by the University. Also not included is KHSQ 107.7 FM, which will continue to air BBC and which is available for other possible uses in the future.

CapRadio entered into a similar agreement with North State Public Radio (NSPR) in October 2020. Under the new agreement with HSU, the FCC-issued broadcast licenses for the KHSU stations will be retained by the University, while CapRadio and Chico-based NSPR will be responsible for daily operations and programming in service to North Coast audiences.

Like KHSU, all of the stations that are part of this agreement are affiliated with a campus of the California State University.

“In an expanding world with a shrinking number of reliable sources, a strengthened KHSU will continue to be a conduit for North Coast listeners to learn about and connect to a rapidly changing and interconnected planet,” NSPR’s General Manager Phil Wilke said. “The partnership will also offer the ability to respond to critical and breaking news for the North Coast audience, making KHSU even more relevant and connected locally.”

CapRadio and NSPR will conduct market research and community listening sessions to determine the needs of the local audience. “With the results of the research as our guide,” CapRadio GM Jun Reina said, “we will evolve KHSU’s on-air and digital programming and will be able to ensure stronger resources to improve audience service. This includes uninterrupted access to national programming from NPR, BBC, and APM.”

As the license holder for KHSU, the University will maintain overall responsibility for the stations and a strong relationship with CapRadio and NSPR as the agreement unfolds.

“This is a promising new partnership that achieves our goals and opens up new possibilities for the future,” Frank Whitlatch, HSU’s Vice President for University Advancement, said. Whitlatch has overseen KHSU since the summer of 2019, and, along with former KHSU General Manager Ed Subkis, helped negotiate the agreement on behalf of HSU. “HSU students will continue to have internship opportunities at KHSU, with the added benefit of the expertise at CapRadio, and our North Coast communities will have a connection to state and national public radio programming.”