NJ PBS will be shutting down in 2026 after it was unable to reach an agreement with the state’s Public Broadcasting Authority to continue operating the public television station, it was announced Sept. 23.
The public television station was a victim of the recent cuts by federal and state governments. NJ PBS was rebranded from WNET 14 years ago.
“The recent cuts by the federal government and New Jersey state government have been very significant,” said NJ PBS in a statement. “Regrettably, WNET has been unable to reach an agreement with the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority to extend the management of New Jersey’s public television network beyond the expiration date of June 30, 2026.”
State legislators reduced funding for NJ PBS by 75% in the most recent New Jersey state budget to $250,000. The federal budget bill cut billions in public media funding, including $1.1 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which announced on Aug. 1 that it was beginning to wind down operations after Congress passed a measure that clawed back more than $1 billion in funds to the organization.
Conservative politicians and pundits for years have called for slashing funding for public broadcasting claiming media bias. In May, President Donald Trump called for the outlets’ federal funding to be withdrawn saying National Public Radio and PBS do not present “a fair, accurate or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens.”
NJ PBS said until next June, it will “continue to operate NJ PBS, its newsroom, and produce its nightly newscast, NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi, which will remain available on NJ PBS, THIRTEEN, and digital platforms.”
NJ PBS said that “after the current contract ends, WNET will continue producing and airing the daily New Jersey newscast on THIRTEEN and its digital platforms. At the same time, WNET is committed to supporting the state through this transition and looks forward to collaborating with New Jersey-based institutions interested in operating a public television network.”
The WNET Group, the New York City-based public television station, entered into an agreement with the state’s Public Broadcasting Authority to operate NJ PBS after then-Gov. Chris Christie cut funding to the state’s public television station in 2010.
The shuttering of New Jersey PBS “is a loss for all of us who live here,” U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said in a statement Sept. 23. “Their programming benefits all New Jerseyans young and old. I’ll continue to stand up to the attacks on public broadcasting and support local networks in Jersey and across the country.”
