NJ PBS

40°13′13″N 74°45′34″W

NJ PBS
Channels
BrandingNJ PBS (general)
NJ Spotlight News (newscasts)
Programming
Affiliations.1: PBS
.2: NHK World
Ownership
OwnerNew Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority
OperatorPublic Media NJ
WLIW, WNET
History
First air date
July 1, 2011 (2011-07-01)
Former names
NJTV (2011–2021)
Call sign meaning
All stations:
New Jersey
4th letter: See below
Technical information
Facility IDSee below
ERPSee below
HAATSee below
Transmitter coordinatesSee below
Links
Websitewww.mynjpbs.org (Station)
www.njspotlightnews.org (News)

NJ PBS (known as NJTV prior to 2021) is a public television network serving the U.S. state of New Jersey. The network is owned by the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority (NJPBA), an agency of the New Jersey state government which owns the licenses for all but one of the PBS member stations licensed in the state. NJPBA outsources the network's operations to Public Media NJ, a wholly-owned subsidiary of New York City-based The WNET Group (formerly known as the Educational Broadcasting Corporation and later as WNET.org), the parent company of Newark, New Jersey–licensed WNET (channel 13) and Garden City, New York–licensed WLIW (channel 21). In addition to PBS programming, NJ PBS airs shows distributed by American Public Television (APT); the network also produces and broadcasts its own programs, mostly related to issues in New Jersey. NJ PBS' operations are based in Englewood, New Jersey.[1] Its anchor studio is located at Gateway Center in Newark.[2] Master control and some internal operations are based at WNET's studios in the Worldwide Plaza complex in Midtown Manhattan.

NJ PBS is the successor to New Jersey Network (NJN), the state-controlled public television and radio service. NJN ceased operations on June 30, 2011, and Public Media NJ took control of the former NJN television stations the following day.

History
Further information: New Jersey Network

In 2008, officials with the New Jersey Network asked the New Jersey Legislature in 2008 for permission to explore making NJN an independent nonprofit organization. Under this scenario, the NJN licenses would have been transferred to the network's fundraising arm, the NJN Foundation.[3] However, on June 6, 2011, New Jersey's Governor during that time, Chris Christie, who vowed to end state-funded public broadcasting when he took office in 2010, announced an agreement to turn control of the NJN television network to WNET. As part of the deal, WNET.org created Public Media NJ as a separate New Jersey-based nonprofit to operate the stations.[4][5] NJN was created in 1971 partly due to concerns that WNET and Philadelphia's main PBS outlet, WHYY-TV (channel 12), were not adequately serving their New Jersey viewers.

Under the terms of the deal, the NJPBA would retain the licenses, but outsource the stations' operations to Public Media NJ for five years with two additional five-year renewal options. Public Media NJ would receive funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and all revenues related to the former NJN technical operations. The measure was defeated by the state assembly on June 23, 2011.[6] The state senate, however, passed the resolution on June 27, allowing Public Media NJ to take over NJN's television operations as scheduled on July 1, 2011.[7] The network was relaunched as NJTV; all members of NJN automatically became members of NJTV. The first program to be aired on NJTV was Charlie Rose (which was produced by its sister station WNET).[8]

On July 26, 2011, NJTV announced a partnership with the Foundation for New Jersey Public Broadcasting (formerly the NJN Foundation) to jointly fund and create additional public affairs programming. NJTV and the NJN Foundation merged in September 2012.[9]

Rebranding

On February 24, 2021, NJTV rebranded as "NJ PBS," adapting to the 2019 PBS rebrand recommended to its local stations.

Programming

The Caucus Educational Corporation (CEC), a non-profit producer of New Jersey-focused public affairs programs, is under contract with Public Media NJ and WNET to provide original programming for NJ PBS. CEC produces Caucus: New Jersey, State of Affairs, and One on One with Steve Adubato, which are hosted by Steve Adubato. CEC also produced the New Jersey Capitol Report, which ended after a seven-year run in March 2017.[10] NJ PBS also broadcasts programming distributed by PBS, American Public Television, and additional local productions.

Locally produced programming
  • American Songbook at NJPAC
  • Classroom Closeup NJ
  • Driving Jersey
  • Due Process
  • On the Record
  • Que Pasa NJ
  • Reporters Roundtable
  • State of the Arts
  • This is South Jersey

News programming

At the inauguration of NJ PBS (as NJTV), the network launched NJ Today, a half-hour newscast that replaced NJN News and was aired at its former weekday time slots of 6, 7:30 and 11 p.m. It was originally anchored by WNET personality Rafael Pi Roman.[11][12] Mike Schneider later took over the anchor role. It was renamed to NJTV News on November 4, 2013.[13] On June 12, 2014, Schneider announced his retirement as anchor on NJTV News and was replaced by veteran journalist Mary Alice Williams on July 1.[14] Williams later left the newscast after March 13, 2020 to help care for family members who were suffering from health problems. She eventually announced the following month on April 27, 2020 that she would step down as anchor of NJTV News. She was succeeded by Briana Vannozzi, who has anchored the newscast since March 15, 2020. She was an interim anchor until September 9, 2020 when she became a full-time anchor.[15][16][17][18] Schneider still appears on other WNET and NJTV-produced programs, including WNET's Metrofocus. NJTV News is produced at the Agnes Varis studio in Two Gateway Center in Newark.[19] The newscast can also be seen on sister station WNET and online via YouTube and on NJTV's website. Because of WNET (as well as its sister station WLIW) and WHYY carrying PBS NewsHour, NJ PBS does not carry that program, to avoid unnecessary duplication.

Michael Aron, NJN's news director at its closure and a former member of the foundation's board, revived his former NJN programs Reporters Roundtable and On the Record on NJTV. He also appears on NJTV News as its chief political correspondent.[20][21]

On October 5, 2020, NJTV's newsroom merged with the New Jersey news site NJ Spotlight (which was acquired by WNET in 2019) and the newscasts were rebranded as NJ Spotlight News.[22] In May 2022, NJ Spotlight News released its first podcast series, Hazard NJ, hosted by journalist Jordan Gass-Pooré.[23][24]

Lottery drawings

When NJN shut down operations, no New Jersey Lottery drawings were aired until September 8, 2011, on a tape delay. Before this happened, the New Jersey Lottery had no other outlet to showcase any of their live drawings except via online live streaming services such Ustream and Livestream.com. NJTV continued hosting the tape-delayed drawings until January 1, 2013, when the drawings were moved to two CBS owned stations, WLNY and WPSG-TV. From 2014 to 2020, lottery drawings were aired live on WPIX and WPHL-TV.[25] As of 2020, no drawings for the state lottery are televised; instead the Lottery's afternoon, evening and Cash4Life drawings are carried on the Lottery's website and social media platforms.[26] Powerball and Mega Millions drawings were never aired on NJTV as WTXF-TV and WABC-TV air these drawings (with the latter occasionally airing Powerball drawings at certain occasions).

Stations
WNJN transmitter at Montclair State University

NJ PBS' four full-power stations reach a potential audience of almost 28 million people in parts of six states—all of New Jersey, plus parts of New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and even Maryland.[27] While this gives NJ PBS one of the largest potential audiences in the country, it also must compete directly against three of the most-watched PBS member stations in the country–sister stations WNET and WLIW, as well as WHYY-TV. Additionally, WLVT-TV (channel 39) in Allentown, Pennsylvania, overlaps some of NJ PBS' broadcast area.

In the FCC incentive auction concluded in 2017, WNJN and WNJT's spectrum was sold back to the FCC for $138,059,363 and $193,892,273, respectively.[28] NJ PBS has announced that these stations will share spectrum with the two remaining stations, WNJS and WNJB respectively.[29] On January 23, 2018, per FCC filings, WNJN began channel-sharing with WNJB[30] and WNJT began channel-sharing with WNJS.[31]

NJ PBS stations
Station City of license
Facility ID ERP HAAT Transmitter coordinates First air date Public license information
WNJB[lower-alpha 1] New Brunswick58 (8)4845740.82 kW218 m (715 ft)40°37′17″N 74°30′14″WJune 2, 1973
WNJN[lower-alpha 2] Montclair50 (8)4847740.82 kW218 m (715 ft)40°37′17″N 74°30′14″WJune 2, 1973
WNJS Camden23 (23)48481281 kW264 m (866 ft)39°43′41″N 74°50′38″WOctober 23, 1972
WNJT Trenton52 (23)48465281 kW264 m (866 ft)39°43′41″N 74°50′38″WApril 5, 1971

Notes
  1. WNJB used the callsign WTLV during its construction permit until April 30, 1971.[32]
  2. WNJN used the callsign WNJM from its 1973 sign-on to 1994, and was WNJN-TV from May 1 to June 1, 1994.

Translators
NJ PBS translators (WNJB)
Call sign City of license Channel Facility ID ERP HAAT Transmitter coordinates
W23EX-D Sussex 23484663.87 kW182.2 m (597.8 ft)41°08′37″N 74°32′17.0″W
W27EC-D Belvidere 27484841.5 kW240.6 m (789.4 ft)40°46′14.3″N 75°03′50.60″W
W29EV-D Hackettstown 29484821.5 kW157.4 m (516.4 ft)40°51′08.1″N 74°52′22.5″W

Cable and satellite availability

NJ PBS is available on all New Jersey cable providers, along with most cable, satellite and IPTV providers in the New York (utilizing WNJN/WNJB) and Philadelphia (utilizing WNJS/WNJT) television markets, into New York State, Delaware, and Pennsylvania (with some limited availability in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and Cecil County, Maryland).

Technical information

Subchannels

The digital signals of the NJ PBS stations are multiplexed:

NJ PBS multiplex[33]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
xx.1 1080i16:9(Call sign)Main NJ PBS programming / PBS
xx.2 (Call sign)2NHK World

References
  1. Staff. "Home page". NJTV. Retrieved November 8, 2012. NJTV, PO Box 5776, Englewood, NJ 07631
  2. "New Jersey Public Television Inaugurates New Agnes Varis NJTV Studio in Newark with Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony". NJTV Pressroom. May 28, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  3. Behrens, Steve (May 12, 2008). "With Its State Aid Shrinking, NJN Asks for Independence". Current. Archived from the original on June 17, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  4. Press release (June 6, 2011). "Gov. Christie Selects WNET for NJN Takeover" Archived June 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. NJN (via WMGM-TV).
  5. Jensen, Elizabeth (June 6, 2011). "WNET to Oversee New Jersey Public Television". The New York Times.
  6. "N.J. Assembly Rejects Plan to Transfer NJN Management to N.Y.-Based WNET". The Star-Ledger. June 23, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  7. "N.J. Senate Fails to Block WNET Plan, Ending NJN Network". The Star-Ledger. June 27, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  8. "YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  9. "NJTV board votes to merge with former NJN foundation that raised millions for network". Star-Ledger. June 14, 2012.
  10. Aregood, JT (December 9, 2016). "Adubato and Pi Roman Announce the End of 'NJ Capitol Report'". Observer.
  11. "YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  12. Strupp, Joe (August 13, 2012). "Changing Channels: NJTV's Second Act". New Jersey Monthly.
  13. "NJTV News with Mike Schneider: Nov. 4, 2013". YouTube. November 4, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  14. "Mary Alice Williams to Take Helm of Njtv News on New Jersey Public Television; Mike Schneider Named Senior Correspondent". NJTV Pressroom. June 12, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  15. "Briana Vannozzi Elevated to Full-Time Anchor for NJTV News on New Jersey Public Television". September 9, 2020.
  16. "March 16, 2020: NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams - YouTube". YouTube.
  17. Vannozzi, Briana (April 27, 2020). "Mary Alice Williams steps down as anchor of NJTV News broadcast". NJTV. PBS.
  18. "Mary Alice Williams Steps Down as Anchor of NJTV News Broadcast". New Jersey Business magazine. April 27, 2020.
  19. "Montclair and NJTV perfect together; state's public TV station bursts with township talent". Montclair Times. August 23, 2012. Archived from the original on August 26, 2012.
  20. "2 popular NJN shows to return to air on NJTV". Associated Press. February 22, 2012. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013.
  21. "Former NJN Staple Michael Aron to Join NJTV". The Star-Ledger. July 26, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  22. "NJTV News and NJ Spotlight Combine News Teams and Rebrand as NJ Spotlight News Beginning October 5". NJTV. October 5, 2020.
  23. Vannozzi, Briana (May 20, 2022). "Hazard NJ: Why examine climate change's effects on toxic sites?". NJ Spotlight News. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  24. "NJ PBS News Division Produces First Podcast Series, Hazard NJ, Exploring How Climate Change Could Impact Garden State Superfund Sites". Insider NJ. May 17, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  25. Drucker, Judith. "Live Television Broadcast Gives New Jersey Lottery Players Even More Ways to Watch the Winning Number Drawings". New Jersey Lottery. Archived from the original on July 7, 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  26. "Mega Millions: Drawing Time & How to Watch Live on TV [October 19]". heavy. October 19, 2018.
  27. "PBS: Public Broadcasting Service". PBS.org. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  28. Federal Communications Commission (April 13, 2017). "FCC Broadcast Television Spectrum Incentive Auction: Auction 1001: Winning Bids" (PDF). Report dated April 4, 2017 but not published until 4/13.
  29. Janssen, Mike (April 13, 2017). "Sale of dozens of noncommercial signals in FCC spectrum auction earns minimum of $1.8 billion". Current. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  30. "Licensing and Management System". enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  31. "Licensing and Management System". enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  32. "FCC History Cards for WNJB".
  33. "RabbitEars TV Query for WNJB". www.rabbitears.info. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
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