New Jersey’s dedicated public television station, NJ PBS, is set to cease operations next summer after its parent company announced it would not renew its management agreement with the state.
The decision comes after significant state and federal funding cuts and it leaves the future of a New Jersey-focused public television channel looking bleak.
The WNET Group, which has managed the station since 2011, said in a statement Tuesday it was “not able to reach an agreement with the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority to continue beyond June 2026.”
WNET, the parent company of New York City market’s PBS station, THIRTEEN, stepped in to operate what was then known as New Jersey Network (NJN) after former Gov. Chris Christie, Republican, eliminated state funding for public broadcasting in 2010.
The network was later rebranded as NJ PBS and operated by WNET.
A federal decision to eliminate all funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supports public media stations nationwide, have impacted many public broadcasters. The federal cuts amounted to about $1.1 billion, according to reports.
NJ PBS also saw a 75 percent cut in its state funding for fiscal year 2025, from $1 million to $250,000, according to a report from NJ.com.
While the broadcast channel will go dark next year, WNET stated it will continue to produce its nightly news program, “NJ Spotlight News,” which will air on THIRTEEN and its digital platforms.
WNET said in a statement it is also open to collaborating with a New Jersey-based institution to operate a public television network in the future.
NJ PBS has previously seen rounds of layoffs, according to the New Jersey Globe.
The potential closure will impact local news and information in the state.
New Jersey is situated between the major media markets of New York City and Philadelphia, which often focus on regional news that excludes the Garden State.
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