On July 18, 2025, Congress passed H.R. 4, the Rescissions Act of 2025. This decision "clawed back" $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 — money that was allocated for local stations and communities in all 50 states and territories. This is a somber moment for public media nationwide. While the funding in question makes up less than 0.01% of the federal budget, its loss threatens to disrupt public broadcasting operations across the country.
CapRadio has been proactively adapting to the stark reality facing public media by pioneering a new approach to sustainability that relies exclusively on community support — not government funding. We are focused on sustainability and continue to make improvements that bolster our new community-supported business model so we can build a robust future for public media in the region. As a community-funded resource, we are empowered to operate in service of our community as an independent organization.
Our Public Service Mission
CapRadio is a mission-driven public media organization that exists to create more informed, involved and educated communities. We are the only nonprofit broadcaster in the region that operates a 20-person local newsroom and develops locally produced news, classical music and jazz shows. We connect with communities through 32 radio broadcast towers, live streaming, newsletters, on-demand audio, live experiences and more.
CapRadio is recognized for our fact-based, nonpartisan news coverage, state politics and government accountability reporting that is aired daily by NPR stations throughout California, hyperlocal community-engaged journalism and locally hosted classical music and jazz programs. Each week, nearly 500,000 people in the greater Sacramento region choose CapRadio as a valued source of news, storytelling, music and events.
CapRadio is Funded by the Community
CapRadio has been operating sustainably despite not receiving federal CPB funding for the past two years, and we continue to take a conservative approach to budgeting for our future. With nearly all of our funding coming from individual donations and local businesses, we are focused on sustaining our local public service journalism and cultural programming through community support.
Funding Facts
- CapRadio is a community-funded resource that operates in service of our community.
- Only 1 in 10 listeners support CapRadio with a donation. If 2 out of 10 CapRadio listeners supported us with a donation, CapRadio would be fully funded for the rest of the year. That’s the power of community support.
- Almost all of our funding comes from 35,000 members and 250 local businesses who empower us to deliver on our public service mission.
At a time when public media faces a growing threat to its future and sustainability, everyone in the community can make a difference in keeping CapRadio’s trusted and respectful news coverage accessible for all.
The Value We Bring to Our Community
Access to credible information is a right, not a privilege. Public media is a source of stability, providing accurate and timely information that keeps our community safe and informed. As actions are being taken that threaten the future of a free press and increase the dissemination of misinformation, CapRadio and NPR stand as a beacon of truth that is relied on for our trusted, respectful and informative coverage of news, politics and major events.
With local journalism continuing to decline, CapRadio has a responsibility to improve and expand essential public services that keep our community informed and engaged. We actively combat the growing abundance of sensationalism and fear-mongering in the media by offering fact-based, nuanced coverage that is focused on digging for the truth, sharing untold stories and reporting on the world as it really is.
Recent Public Service Journalism Highlights
As the only public media organization with a dedicated state government and politics team stationed in the capital, NPR stations throughout California rely on our government reporting to serve their communities every day — reaching over 1.5M listeners a week.
CapRadio has developed a robust partnership with the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative to increase important public service journalism in the Central Valley, including a live broadcast of the pivotal District 13 Debate in Modesto between Congressman John Duarte and Adam Gray.
When misinformation around deportations spread locally, causing fear and uncertainty in our community, CapRadio’s newsroom mobilized to debunk false claims, serve as a resource for trusted, timely information and offer in-depth coverage on the economic and emotional toll felt in our region.
With a teen vaping crisis impacting the health and well being in our communities, the CapRadio newsroom embarked on a six-month investigative reporting series to bring awareness to the issue, educating parents and students, amplifying student voices and highlighting community-driven solutions.
CapRadio operates a critical network of Emergency Alert Systems that are often the last resort during a crisis. In last year’s Park Fire, the fourth largest wildfire in state history, CapRadio worked directly with CAL Fire to deliver all 106 evacuation notices that helped result in no fatalities.
Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty recognized Insight host Vicki Gonzalez as a Woman of Distinction for her impactful journalism. Especially her reporting on her personal cancer diagnosis and the awareness she raised through stories and interviews.
Transparency
CapRadio continues our practice of openness and transparency with the community. It has been 18 months since the September 27, 2023, California State University audit was released, identifying numerous accounting and oversight deficiencies. Additional audit findings from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting also found issues with past accounting practices under the oversight of a former general manager.
Under new management and leadership, we have taken swift corrective actions and implemented internal controls to prevent this failure in compliance and reporting from happening in the future. We have provided a list of these corrective actions below, and we are proud to say that we are fully compliant with all CSU and CPB policies.
Due to past noncompliance issues, CapRadio is not currently eligible to receive CPB funding, which is an outcome that we have prepared for. CapRadio has not been receiving CPB funding for the past two years, and we continue to take a conservative approach to budgeting for our future.
With nearly all of our funding coming from individual donations and local businesses, we are focused on sustaining our local public service journalism and cultural programming through community support. At a time when public media faces a growing threat to its future and sustainability, everyone in the community can make a difference in keeping CapRadio’s trusted and respectful news coverage accessible for all.
Accounting Practices
We now use accounting practices that are compliant with applicable GAAP, GASB, FASB, and CPB requirements; we have set up discrete accounting practices to separately track and record revenues and expenditures for CapRadio, NSPR, and KHSU stations; we have controls in place that require supporting documentation for all journal entries, account reconciliation, and batch transactions; we have updated processes to document and retain donation records that comply with auditing requirements; and we have engaged a new third-party financial auditor.
Transactions
We have updated financial reporting practices to comply with all applicable CPB requirements related to premium offsets and indirect administrative support; we have implemented strict controls for financial transactions, including separation of duties, delegation of authority, and new payment authorization processes; and we have systems in place to properly manage and report “in-kind” donations as defined by CPB.
Public Notice
We now publish all Board of Directors and subcommittee meeting notices and agendas on CapRadio’s website, ensuring that we maintain proper notice to meet CPB and other applicable state regulatory requirements; we publicly post in-person and virtual attendance options, meeting minutes, and current board roster; and available financial documents are publicly posted and accessible via our website.
