Capital Public Radio will remain licensed to Sacramento State, but it will broadcast from new facilities downtown, leaving the University where it first broadcast in 1975. (Capital Public Radio)

For much of the past four decades, listeners across California could often hear Capital Public Radio hosts sign on with the words, “From the campus of Sacramento State.”

That will change next year, as the station moves into new, state-of-the-art headquarters in the heart of downtown Sacramento. The new location at 8th and J streets will provide greater access to what is expected to be a hub of journalism and community engagement.

Sacramento State will continue to hold the license for CapRadio, a National Public Radio member station serving the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada.

The station launched in 1975, broadcasting from campus until 1985, when it moved to American River Drive before returning to Sacramento State in 2004. A major reason for the upcoming move, planned for mid-2020, also is good news for journalism: As the popularity of public radio has increased, CapRadio has grown to nearly 75 employees – and in the process it has outgrown its current location.

“When you hear on air that CapRadio is licensed to Sacramento State University, those are not empty words. We got our start here and have been located on campus for most of our 40 years,” said Rick Eytcheson, CapRadio president and general manager, adding that the new location will “proudly carry the ‘licensed to Sacramento State’ message on our signage.”

Although CapRadio is leaving campus, an important piece of its legacy will remain: the CapRadio Garden at Sacramento State, which produces more than 3,500 pounds of food each year for the student food pantry and local food banks. The station is working closely with Sac State Sustainability, which will take over the day-to-day management of the garden following the move downtown.

“We imagine that our opportunity to collaborate with the university will only increase as we have more space to host events downtown and continue to work together on the garden,” Eytcheson said. – Jonathan Morales