Ex-CapRadio employees react to lavish spending linked to former GM. ‘We all trusted him’

Capital Public Radio employees laid off from the station expressed surprise, disgust and anger after they learned a former top executive is accused of spending the station’s money for his own financial gain.

Mick Martin, who hosted “Mick Martin’s Blues Party” on the airwaves from 1991 until he was axed along with more than a dozen others in August 2023, said he often raised the most money during fundraising drives. There was almost nothing else like his work in the Sacramento Valley, Martin said.

Learning about allegations that former general manager Jun Reina indulged in luxurious vacations, golf trips, fine dining and extensive home renovations using donor money tainted Martin’s perspective on his fundraising success.

“I cannot tell you how depressing it was,” Martin said.

The accusations against Reina surfaced when a forensic examination of CapRadio, an auxiliary of Sacramento State, was released in August. The report detailed how accountants could not find receipts or expense reports for nearly half a million dollars linked to a credit card controlled by Reina. Sacramento State did not include the list of transactions when they released the report.

The Sacramento Bee’s lawyers successfully argued that the public had a right to know under the public records act and the university released the omitted documents. The Bee delved into the transactions and this month published a story headlined “$10,000 hotel stays, golf abroad: CapRadio docs reveal ex-GM’s alleged credit card misuse.”

The list of transactions, which stretched from 2017 until Reina resigned in 2023, included $145,000 in travel, lodging and vehicle rental costs. It revealed vacations to the Caribbean, Fiji and Hawaii.

Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies are investigating financial improprieties at the station, a spokesperson confirmed this month. The criminal investigation was first reported in August.

Reina and his attorneys did not respond to a request for comment.

Allegations rekindle sense of loss: ‘Almost in tears’

For Martin, the work wasn’t just a job — he helped spotlight blues artists, who devoted their entire lives to playing music, while educating. He was horrified and disgusted when he read about Reina’s alleged embezzlement.

“There’s no words for it,” Martin said.

After reading The Bee’s story, former modern music director Nick Brunner was fuming. The aggravation grew on him slowly — a career in public radio was all he ever wanted. A job back on the airwaves could likely never happen again in Sacramento, he said.

“I was almost in tears again, thinking about this,” he added.

‘We all trusted him’

Former CapRadio employees who have known Reina since he started at the station in 2007 also expressed surprise that the person who projected an amiable personality could be linked to such gross spending and behavior.

Dennis Newhall, a jazz announcer until the 2023 layoff, said the news of Reina’s involvement struck harder when juxtaposed with Reina’s personality.

Newhall arrived at the station for two years before Reina began his tenure as CFO. He recalled believing Reina was a likable person and that executives made them believe their financial future was sound.

“To see this downfall,” Newhall said, “is quite a shock.”

Newhall has moved on from his days at CapRadio. He’s now the manager of Sacramento’s K-ZAP radio.

Brunner, the former modern music host, recalled how Reina never got angry and projected an even-keeled personality. Reina even offered to hear out Brunner’s frustrations about the job and took him out for drinks.

“There was a warmth about the guy to me,” Brunner said.

Capital Public Radio filed a lawsuit against Reina seeking $900,000 after they allege he stole money for enrich himself.

Reina, a soft-spoken man, spoke positively about moving the station from its cramped headquarters on Sacramento State’s campus to two downtown buildings, Newhall said. But those plans never came to fruition as the station grappled with the high costs of moving downtown.

“We all trusted him,” Newhall said.

This story was originally published January 21, 2025 at 5:00 AM.