- CapRadio attracts national attention as trailblazer of new 100% community funded sustainability model that eliminates federal funding dependence.
- Over 200 representatives from U.S. nonprofit news organizations joined Greater Public’s webinar to hear directly from CapRadio.
- National public radio personality Ira Glass elevated CapRadio’s story and successful sustainability model into national spotlight.
Sacramento, CA – Dec. 3, 2025: After two years of achieving record results while navigating significant challenges, CapRadio has emerged as a national model on how to create a sustainable public media organization in the face of the 2025 shutdown of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the ensuing funding crisis across the country.
CapRadio Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer Chris Bruno and Senior Director of Development Jennifer Halm were featured in a Greater Public media webinar in November to help provide insights and guidance for public broadcasters facing funding peril and existential threats. More than 200 representatives from public media attended the webinar, where they heard how CapRadio came back from the brink of financial collapse and a media firestorm to reimagine how the organization serves its community and operates sustainably.
CapRadio’s Inspirational Story
Two years ago, CapRadio faced what many thought was an insurmountable challenge: a scathing audit had led to millions of dollars in government funding being put on hold by the CPB and state lawmakers, compounding an already dire financial situation that saw 15% of staff laid off and programming cuts. At the time, and due to fiscal improprieties from prior leadership, projections showed CapRadio being insolvent by January of 2024.
But CapRadio staff rallied around their public service mission and embraced collaboration and innovation across the station to ignite a stunning turnaround effort that saw the creation of a new sustainability model rooted in community support.
“We were facing the seemingly impossible, but we did not back down from the challenge,” said Chris Bruno, chief marketing and revenue officer at CapRadio, who is on a continued cycle of speaking engagements to educate and inspire others on CapRadio’s turnaround and effective funding model. “We banded together to redefine how we connect with our community and approach sustainability, trailblazing a new business model that is built around two core pillars of member contributions and local business support.”
With a commitment to openness and transparency with the community, the station has significantly increased its on-air, digital and in-person communications around its public service mission, funding model and the impact of member contributions and paid business sponsorship. Combined with expense reductions, operational efficiencies, new financial procedures and internal controls, and improved management and automation systems, CapRadio has made adjustments to position the station for long-term stability and growth.
Today, CapRadio is a healthy and sustainable organization that is not only operating undisrupted after the federal funding rescission but actively investing in public services for the betterment of the community. Over the last year, it has grown individual contributions by 8% to nearly $10M, deployed a dynamic new sponsorship team, tripled local news production across broadcast and digital platforms, increased its listening audience to 360,000 a week, launched a new mobile app, grown its 25-44 audience by 30% and offered a robust journalism internship program.
CapRadio as a National Public Media Model
The Sacramento public radio station has not only survived but thrived. And now others across the country facing financial challenges are learning from CapRadio’s demonstrated success. The Greater Public media webinar was well attended, with robust questions and answers from the participants and inquiries to learn more about the ideas presented.
“If we can share our transformational journey to help others in the industry, we are only too happy to do that since so many public media stations are struggling after the CPB funding cuts,” said Jennifer Halm, senior director of development at CapRadio. “When you face your greatest challenges, it can spark courage and resilience that leads to remarkable outcomes, especially when a community as special as ours believes in the work we do.”
CapRadio recently was put in the national spotlight by Ira Glass, host and producer of This American Life, during his keynote address at the Public Media Content Collective conference in August. Glass highlighted CapRadio as an example of a successful sustainability model during the current national public media funding crisis. Glass told CapRadio's story about how it focused on community support after suffering a financial crisis and losing CPB funding over two years prior.
A Community Focused Approach to Service and Sustainability
CapRadio’s approach involves engagement and transparency with the community, internal and external collaboration and a willingness to embrace change, looking at what’s possible beyond legacy public media funding models. Its recent successes include an unprecedented community partnership with the Sacramento Region Community Foundation to serve as the Visionary Media Partner for Big Day of Giving in support of over 800 nonprofits in the region.
Not only did Big Day of Giving set a fundraising record with nearly $14M raised in 2025, but CapRadio achieved its own fundraising record with over $200,000 from nearly 900 donations. Concurrently, CapRadio launched its new Nonprofit Showcase program as a way to help uplift nonprofits all year long, forging new paths to raise awareness and support organizations making a positive impact in the region.
CapRadio has significantly increased the amount of local audio stories it has produced over the last year, and the community has responded in kind. In FY 2025, CapRadio saw a 48% increase in its weekly news listening audience and a 58% increase in its market share compared to the previous year. In October of 2025, CapRadio achieved a new four-year combined listening audience high of 300,000 a week across its Sacramento news and music stations. It ended its first fiscal year quarter with individual contributions up 30% to budget.
CapRadio has recently hired more reporters, editors and producers to invest in content that is valued by the community. The newsroom continues to build out a more community focused news broadcast, which includes featuring a dedicated local news D segment during NPR’s flagship news magazines, Morning Edition and All Things Considered. This will result in a total of 15 minutes of local news every hour.
With the launch of its all-new mobile app, CapRadio has improved the experience of its largest streaming platform, putting the station in a position to package its growing local content into more on-demand audio experiences and reach more people outside of broadcast radio. The station has also seen robust demand for its hyperlocal SacramenKnow newsletter that has open rates well over double industry benchmarks.
CapRadio is investing in the next generation of journalists by growing its main student internship program and offering more opportunities to work with its newsroom to gain real-world experience. In partnership with Associated Students, Inc. at Sacramento State, CapRadio has launched another student program called the Public Radio Experience. Three of the station's recent new hires completed internships with the station, including former State Hornet Editor-in-Chief and UC Berkeley Fellow Tony Rodriguez who won an award earlier this year for his reporting on the teen vaping crisis in Sacramento.
View the Greater Public media webinar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JL49Jf75L4
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About CapRadio
CapRadio is a mission-driven public media organization that exists to create more informed, involved and educated communities. It is the only nonprofit broadcaster in the region that operates a 20-person local newsroom and develops locally produced news, classical music and jazz shows. CapRadio connects with communities through radio broadcasting, live streaming, newsletters, on-demand audio, live experiences and more. It is recognized for its 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 from 35,000 members and 250 local businesses, in addition to vehicle donations, planned gifts and unrestricted grants. CapRadio is an auxiliary of Sacramento State University.
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CONTACT:
Emmy Gilbert
[email protected]
