The recent turmoil at KHSU and the possibility of exploring a radio endeavor will be one of the discussion topics at KEET’s Board of Directors meeting Thursday but no decisions are slated to be made at this point, according to station Executive Director David Gordon.

Meanwhile, the Humboldt State University Department of Journalism and the University Senate have both come out against the administration’s decision to dismantle the campus public radio station, which stunned staff and the community.

In a Facebook posts and in an interview with the Journal, KEET’s Gordon emphasized that KHSU is just one topic on the agenda for the board’s regularly scheduled meeting and that time for public comment and seating will be limited.

“It’s just basically do we have any interest in pursuing any sort of radio venture,” Gordon said, noting recent events brought the issue to the forefront.


Over the course of 48 hours last week, KHSU was left without a single employee and no local programming in the wake of Humboldt State University’s sudden “reorganization” of the public radio station, which has existed in one iteration or another since the 1930s.

Read previous Journal coverage here, here, here and here.

The 4:30 p.m. KEET Board of Directors meeting takes place at the Adorni Center in Eureka.

The HSU Department of Journalism issued a statement Tuesday night saying faculty members were “surprised and dismayed” at the administration’s actions and clarified that the department was not involved or consulted in the decision.

“We are strong supporters of local media, and it is our hope that out of the current turmoil, a strong community-run station will rise,” states the letter, which also emphasizes the distinction between KHSU and the student-run station KRFH.

On the same night, the University Senate passed a resolution condemning the administration's decision to dismantle KHSU, demanding that staff be rehired and volunteers be allowed to return to their shows. The resolution also asks California State University Chancellor Timothy White to step in.

“In an era of news fabrication and hate, local programming and trusted media are at the heart of our daily lives,” the resolution reads. “The voices we hear and the concerns they share, are those of our neighbors, our students and our friends.

“Yet this resolution is about more than public radio,” it continues. “It is about a brazen breach of trust. During a time when leadership has required that faculty and staff document assessment, planning and shared governance processes for even modest budget allocations, the KHSU decision came with absolutely no consultation. This is destruction without consequence for the decision makers. This action is unacceptable.”

Read the full University Senate resolution and the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication letter below:

See related PDF University_Senate_KHSU_Resolution__1_.pdf See related PDF JMC_statement_letter_on_KHSU.pdf