Sale of Auburn's KAHI radio station aims to preserve local voice

Auburn's longtime local radio station KAHI is set to change ownership after nearly three decades under Jerry Henry. The sale is expected to keep the station locally owned and operated, as KAHI Corporation has reached a deal to sell Talk station KAHI (950 AM) and its 104.5 FM translator to Popp Talk Media, LLC, a company headed by longtime KAHI host Mary Jane Popp. According to industry publication RadioInsight, the station is being sold for $300,000. Henry confirmed the pending sale in an email to the Auburn Journal but said details remain limited because of a non-disclosure agreement with the buyers. Still, both the seller and buyer point to a shared goal of keeping KAHI local in an era when many independent radio stations have been absorbed by larger corporations. For Popp, that mission was personal. "Let's be honest about it. We just didn't want to see it go away," Popp said of her decision to acquire KAHI. "It would have been a treasure lost for a community." Popp said she and her business partner, Kenneth Segura-Knoll, began discussing the possibility of purchasing the station last summer as it became clear no local buyer had stepped forward. "We said, we've got to do something," she said. "Because once it's gone, it's gone." Henry said that was exactly what he had been hoping for during years of searching for the right buyer. "I've had offers from what I would call networks. People that were more interested in just the transmitter, not the station," Henry said. "And I passed on them." Instead, he said, the goal was always to find someone who would maintain KAHI's identity as a local station. "I was holding out in hopes that we would find somebody who would be willing to step up and keep it similar to what it is, so Auburn still has a local radio station," he said. Popp said there was concern that a corporate buyer could have reduced KAHI to little more than a license, eliminating its local programming and presence in Auburn. "He didn't want to see it become just a line on a corporate reporting list," she said. "A lot of corporations are buying up independent stations. They keep the licenses, but that's it. They don't do anything with it." A longtime local presence For nearly seven decades, KAHI has served as a source of local news and information for Auburn and surrounding foothill communities. Listeners tune in during their commutes for updates on local news, traffic, weather and sports, as well as coverage of city council, county and school board meetings. Weekend programming features live local shows highlighting community issues and events. KAHI has also long been the radio home of Placer High School sports broadcasts, along with coverage of other local teams, a connection both Henry and Popp said is important to restore and expand. "It's all coming back," Popp said of local sports coverage. Henry acknowledged that coverage dipped in recent years as resources became stretched but said the demand never went away. "We tried really hard, but I could not get all of the football games covered," he said. "It can be done with somebody on site, and it will be done again." Despite decades of consolidation in the radio industry, KAHI has remained independent and locally focused. The station continues to operate its studios on Lincoln Way in Auburn with a staff of local voices. "This is what radio used to be," Henry said. "Every town had their own voice, and it's not that way anymore." He added that losing stations like KAHI would leave communities without coverage of local government, events and schools. "If it goes away, it will never come back," he said. Henry's long career Henry began working at KAHI in 1993 as a part-time board operator and rose through the ranks over more than three decades to become the station's majority shareholder, president and general manager. He said one of the biggest milestones during his tenure was bringing FM back to Auburn about eight years ago, expanding the station's reach beyond its longtime AM signal. As he transitions into retirement, Henry said he will remain involved in a limited role to help the new ownership group. "I'm staying available to the new folks in an advisory role," he said. "After 30 years, you don't even know what you know until something pops up." Looking ahead Popp, who has been with KAHI since 2007, said listeners should not expect immediate sweeping changes as the transition begins. "It'll stay the same for about six months to a year," she said. "We don't want to make a drastic change." Instead, she said the focus will be on gradual growth both in modernizing the station and expanding its reach in the community. Part of that includes upgrading aging equipment and making improvements to the station's Lincoln Way studio, which she said has been in place for decades. Beyond infrastructure, Popp said she wants to expand local programming at a time when many stations rely heavily on syndicated content. "We want to have more local programming," she said. "Most stations don't do that anymore." Plans also include taking the station outside its walls more frequently, with live broadcasts from community events and increased on-the-ground coverage. "We want to be out in the community," Popp said. She also envisions KAHI evolving with changing media habits by creating opportunities for podcasts and other digital content, potentially allowing community members to produce their own shows using the station's platform. "We want to make it more than just the station," she said. "A place where people can do other kinds of shows or podcasts." At the same time, Popp emphasized that KAHI's identity as a news and talk station will remain unchanged. "It'll be news and talk," she said. "That's not going to change." She added that community feedback will play a key role in shaping the station's future. "We want input from the community," Popp said. "Let us know what you would like to see or hear." Popp said she also expects to take on a more visible role as an "ambassador" for the station, connecting directly with listeners and helping guide its next chapter. Henry said he will remain available to assist the new ownership group during a transition period as he prepares to fully retire. Although he still maintains a home in Auburn, Henry now spends much of his time in Mendocino County. The transaction comes as the radio industry continues to consolidate nationally, though KAHI's ownership change appears poised to keep one of the region's last independent voices rooted in the community it serves.