HSU Signs Short-term Agreement With Capital Public Radio in Sacramento
This April, community and staff gathered outside of the KHSU studio after learning of Humboldt State University’s decision to lay off seven staff members and cancel most local programming. [Photo by Ryan Hutson]
Humboldt State University has recently signed a short-term, interim agreement with Capital Public Radio in Sacramento for programming assistance with KHSU Public Radio. The agreement allows KHSU to continue airing national and state programming as the University considers various approaches for KHSU’s future.
As a next step, HSU will be assessing options for maintaining KHSU as a vital public service radio station and ensuring its alignment with the University’s teaching mission.
Under the interim agreement, Capital Public Radio will provide technical and engineering support, oversee programming from National Public Radio content providers, and serve as designated station manager. The agreement is through the end of October, but may be extended if both parties agree.
Looking ahead, one of the options Humboldt is considering is joining partnership discussions now underway between Capital Public Radio and North State Public Radio in Chico. Capital Public Radio and North State Public Radio announced in late July that they are exploring ways to work together to expand local journalism and tell more of Northern California’s stories to the audiences they serve. One option under consideration is a Public Service Operating Agreement (PSOA), which would formalize cost-sharing for programming and management.
Like KHSU, all of the stations that would be part of that agreement are affiliated with a campus of the California State University system. Through a PSOA, the stations would build on the unique strengths and local coverage of their respective campuses.
HSU President Tom Jackson has stressed that a key step before joining the PSOA discussions is clarifying Humboldt’s overall goals for KHSU. Jackson wants to gather input from faculty and students to learn more about their interest in KHSU. One thing he says he has heard frequently is the importance of the station’s presence and news role in connecting communities stretching from Petrolia to Crescent City
Earlier Chapters:
- KHSU’s Community Advisory Board Submits Vote of No Confidence in General Manager
- Do the Right Thing–a Member of KHSU’s Advisory Board Demands the General Manager’s Resignation
- ‘It’s a Death in Our Community’: Locals Reeling After KHSU Locks Doors and Streams Chico Radio Station
- KHSU’s Newly Appointed Acting Director Resigns Saying He Is ‘Saddened, Disappointed and Angry’
- Last Remaining Staff Member at KHSU Resigns
- Former and Current North Coast Lawmakers Denounce Surprise Shutdown of KHSU
- Ripples from KHSU’s Purge Spread: Sacramento Bee Has Article
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Well now I can listen to NPR and not feel bad if I don’t give them any money.
Speaking as a media person with skin in the game…that isn’t really fair. If you eat at a restaurant, you should pay even if you don’t like the waitress… You can however donate to NPR without donating to a local station that you don’t support. https://www.npr.org/donations/support
Thanks Kym,
That’s actually a great idea. I was a supporter of KHSU on and off for many, many years. I don’t feel that they deserve my money at the moment.
True statement about the restaurant. Heck, I will still leave the waitress a nice tip even if I don’t like the food.
Not to nitpick, Kym, but i disagree with your statement of “that isn’t really fair.” Your restaurant analogy is also misleading at best, and at worst false.
A restaurant is not a free service provided to others by the owners/operators. A radio station IS a free service unless it is a station only available through subscription (such as Sirius or XM stations.) Further, your website, unless you place it behind a pay-wall, is also a free service.
I wouldn’t go to a client’s house offering free firewood services, perform all the work, then be offended when they didn’t tip me or offer any sort of compensation. That would be implying the service is in fact not free and comes with strings-attached.
If you don’t want to provide a free service, no harm no foul. But if you do provide a free service, it’s crappy to expect others to pay for it, especially through guilt like NPR/PBS affiliates do.
Just my opinion.
I’m not providing a free service. I want to get paid and I know not everyone can afford to pay but I also offer a donate button. Like the rest of humanity, I like to get recompense for the work I do.
If you want a service, how do you think it is going to keep being there if you don’t help it stay? Just realistically…ask yourself, how does Kym Kemp stay in business if no one contributes…? How is she going to pay reporters and photographer to make sure that you get the news you need about wildfires and road closures?
Neither NPR or I are providing free services. We provide services that we ask those that can pay for to chip in to support.
I mean, NPR has to pay reporters, pay for computers, etc. So do I. Do you think money just appears from God? It doesn’t. You use our services, presumably they are helpful and would be missed if they were gone, so why not chip in?
Maybe you don’t have the money…hey, when I was a student first listening to NPR, I didn’t either. But as soon as my husband and I got a little on our feet, we began pitching in some once or twice a year. Later, as we got more money, I tried to figure out what it was worth to me personally. How much would I pay to get behind a paywall? Then I pitched in that much per month.
You probably throw your change on the dresser and don’t count it but, you know that if every time someone clicked on an article, they gave me just one dime, I’d make well over $15,000 a month on average, closer to $17,000 other months. (That would pay for a heck of a lot of reporting.) Maybe you can get a roll of dimes next time you are at the store and then every time you click on an article, decide if I deserve a dime. Put it in a pile and then donate when you get to $10.
And it seems like the amount of information/interest provided is worth at least a dime. Same with NPR, if you listen for a half hour a day, could you give them $.50 per day you listen? That would add up to some great reporting, if even half the people did that.
Think of how many reporters we could hire. Think of how much corruption we could expose. Think of the photographers we could encourage. Think of how much we could give back to our communities.
Now, you don’t have to pay but don’t fool yourself it’s because I don’t wish you would.
(Also, it’s crappy to expect others to work for you without paying for it and then get righteous about how they are guilt tripping you when they mention they’d like to get paid.)
You do not charge for access to your site, therefore, yes, it is a free service that you provide. Relying on donations or government support (as NPR does) does not make it any less of a free service.
Well, you think whatever makes it so you don’t have to feel like you need to contribute to a service you use and have used for some time. But when I get too tired to do this anymore, who you gonna call? Ghostbusters?
I like your idea Kym. I’m going to try and track how many articles I actually read and what my perceived value is for the information. If making donations did allow for more follow up articles and other investigate journalism then it would be money well spent.
Thanks for considering it.
I’ve thought that getting two jars might work. Put two rolls of dimes in one and then every time you read an article put how much it is worth to you in the other jar. Something of interest but not important, throw in a dime. Something that made you smile…maybe two dimes. Something that tells you whether to evacuate or not–maybe $25 bucks.
Or just estimate like I do for NPR.
still won’t be listening. hsu brass were bad actors, and until they take responsibility for how rossbacher, wruck, and fretwell conducted themselves, i won’t believe a word they say or support them one bit.
they gaslit the community for months. they lied to us. they canceled the only music shows i’ve enjoyed on the radio since high school.
I will not listen to or financially support KHSU if there is no local DJs and local input.
I no longer listen to the station because they are not a good community member (nor will I in the future). They didn’t value the years of service that the volunteer DJs (programmers) put in. They didn’t understand the importance of the shows to the community. They didn’t have the decency to let the volunteers have closure. They just pulled the plug and did not allow the DJs to thank their followers. Now it is just another corporate dehumanized entity that will provide homogenized corporate content (while NPR arts may be of interest, NPR news follows the corporate line and not the needs of the community). I have no interest in seeing the radio station succeed as they have failed to be good community members.
Fortunately we have KMUD which is real community radio. Lets support KMUD.