problem with my reciever

Yes, it's not putting out 12 volts and it's a 94 Civic and yes there was a radio in it before. Can I just run a fused wire straight to the battery until I can figure out the problem?

I'd first recommend checking all the fuses--even ones that seem like they would have absolutely nothing to do with the radio.  I've seen blown dome-light fuses cause stereos not to work.  And when you check the fuses, check each of them visually--I have had multi-meters give many false readings on blown fuses (make sure to check both the fuse box under the dash, as well as the one under the hood).  If after checking all the fuses you don't find a blown one, then you can either run a power wire from the battery to the stereo (make sure to fuse the wire), or you could tap power from the ignition harness (check below the steering column for a solid white wire, about 12guage)--if you use this wire, make sure to fuse the wire you run from it to the stereo.