Montclair State University Named New Operator of New Jersey's Public Television Stations The University and its College of Communication and Media will manage NJ PBS beginning[...]

Montclair State University Named New Operator of New Jersey's Public Television Stations

The University and its College of Communication and Media will manage NJ PBS beginning July 1, 2026

The selection brings public media back home to New Jersey with broadcast-ready facilities, a statewide journalism network, and a fiscally responsible plan built for the long term

MONTCLAIR, N.J. - New Jersey State Treasurer Aaron Binder and Montclair State University today announced that Montclair has been selected as the new programming and management operator of New Jersey's four FCC-licensed public television stations. Montclair was selected from a pool of four bidders following a competitive request-for-proposals process, returning New Jersey public television to a New Jersey based operator. WNET has stewarded NJ PBS since 2011.

The contract between the New Jersey Public Broadcasting and the University will be submitted to the Legislature for their review. The Legislature, which has stressed its desire and strong support for public television to continue in New Jersey, has 15 days to review the contract.

The agreement is for five years with two five-year extensions. Montclair is responsible for programming the stations and has committed to providing at least six hours of New Jersey-centric programming a week, including a weekday nightly news cast and other public affairs programming, live broadcasts of the Governor's State of the State address, the Governor's Budget Message, and live coverage of New Jersey elections.

The new contract follows months of uncertainty over the future of NJ PBS and effectively ensures that public television will thrive in New Jersey for the long-term. Cuts to federal funding had put the future in doubt, however Governor Mikie Sherrill's commitment to transparency makes public broadcasting an integral part of the state's media landscape.

"Public broadcasting is a vital public service that ensures New Jersey families have access to trusted news, educational programming, and information about their communities. At a time when local journalism faces growing challenges, today's action keeps this essential service alive in New Jersey," said Governor Sherrill. "I'm excited that Montclair State University has been selected to lead the next chapter of public broadcasting in New Jersey. With its expertise in journalism and public media, strong community partnerships, and commitment to innovation, Montclair is uniquely positioned to expand local storytelling and help build a strong, sustainable future for public media across our state."

"Public broadcasting is a critical pillar of New Jersey media, ensuring all residents - particularly those in underserved areas - have access to quality educational and community-focused content," said State Treasurer Aaron Binder. "Given the ever-evolving nature of modern media, and recent devasting funding cuts at the federal level, protecting and supporting public broadcasting has never been more important. Treasury was pleased to play a role in ushering in the next chapter of public media in New Jersey, and we look forward to seeing this vital institution grow for many years to come."

"New Jersey has one of the most extraordinary media landscapes in the country, and we will fully leverage and highlight the breadth of voices and storytellers across the state," said Dr. Keith Strudler, Dean of Montclair's College of Communication and Media. "This includes universities across New Jersey, countless news organizations, cultural and arts centers, and sports leagues and organizations. We look forward to building a media ecosystem that resembles and is accountable to the people of New Jersey, one that provides unique educational and workforce development opportunities to our state's future leaders and media creators. We are grateful for the opportunity to ensure New Jersey's public media is truly the public's media."

"New Jersey's public television stations exist to serve every resident of this state, and this selection reflects our commitment to ensuring that mission continues on a sustainable, long-term foundation," said Rick Williams, Executive Director of the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority. "Montclair State University brings broadcast-ready infrastructure, deep community ties, and a demonstrated commitment to New Jersey journalism. We look forward to working with the University and the Legislature as this transition moves forward."

In this role, Montclair plans to reimagine public media and expand the value public broadcasting can provide to New Jersey residents. Central to that mission is building a network that fully represents New Jersey, drawing on the state's 300-plus news organizations, its colleges and universities, and its diverse communities to create and inform programming made stronger through collaboration and shared expertise. In addition to a robust broadcast presence with daily newscast and discussion programming, NJ PBS will focus significant efforts on digital and social media content as well as in-person events and public engagement, meeting New Jersey residents where and how they consume information.

Montclair's proposal leverages existing university assets to create an operational budget that recognizes the current fiscal environment for public media. This includes $1.2 million annually of in-kind contributions from the University, including studio access, engineering expertise, IT infrastructure, human resources, finance, legal, and facilities management. It also includes teaching and internship opportunities for students, helping to train future media professionals while also infusing a dynamic perspective into station programming.

The station will be housed in Montclair's College of Communication and Media, one of the nation's leading academic hubs for media education and innovation. The College has a world-class production facility, complete with professional broadcast studios and film stages, multiple control rooms, a multimedia newsroom, and engineering infrastructure built for network-level production. Faculty and staff bring extensive professional experience in the New Jersey and national media landscapes, and the College has been nationally recognized for its work while preparing the next generation of New Jersey media professionals.

The Center for Cooperative Media, housed within Montclair's College of Communication and Media, will help build the backbone of NJ PBS's statewide journalism model. The Center's longstanding relationships with hundreds of New Jersey news organizations provide NJ PBS with an existing statewide journalism ecosystem capable of supporting collaborative reporting and community-informed storytelling across all regions of the state. Montclair's operation of NJ PBS will include robust content partnerships across the state, including collaborative agreements with a range of other New Jersey colleges and universities as well as civic, arts, and news organizations, ensuring network content reflects the diversity and talents of New Jersey's residents and communities.

Montclair plans to produce a daily newscast and discussion program, a weekly public affairs roundtable, and sports coverage, including a formal partnership with the New Jersey Athletic Conference. The University has also committed to a code of journalism ethics, an independent ethics committee with external appointments, and a Community Advisory Board, with additional public accountability in being subject to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act as a public university.

More than 20 full-time employees will initially operate NJ PBS, including three reporters and a production team of 11. Students will also participate through internships and supervised experiential learning opportunities. Employment opportunities with NJ PBS will be posted on Montclair's website.

For more information/media contact:

Montclair State University: Keith Green, Director of Communications and Strategic Operations, College of Communication and Media. [email protected], 973-655-3701.

New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority: Danielle Currie, Deputy Director of Communications [email protected]

About the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority The New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority (NJPBA) is a State authority holding four FCC noncommercial educational television licenses, collectively branded as NJ PBS. The Authority's stations, WNJS, WNJN, WNJT, and WNJB, serve all regions of New Jersey with public media programming. The NJPBA operates in, but not of, the New Jersey Department of the Treasury under the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority Act of 1968, as amended by the 2010 New Jersey Public Broadcasting System Transfer Act. For more information, visit https://www.nj.gov/treasury/njpba/.

About Montclair State University: Building on a distinguished history dating back to 1908, Montclair State University has evolved from an institution that was a recognized leader in teacher education to an R2 research institution ranked as one of the 100 best public doctoral universities in the nation. The University serves 23,000 undergraduate and graduate students with more than 300 doctoral, master's and baccalaureate programs provided by 13 colleges and schools. Situated on a beautiful 252-acre campus just 12 miles from New York City, Montclair delivers the instructional and research resources of a large public university while retaining the supportive and personalized academic environment that provides a feeling of community more typical of smaller institutions.

About Montclair's College of Communication and Media: The College of Communication and Media (CCOM) offers a range of dynamic programs to a talented and diverse student population of approximately 2,000. Offering degrees in advertising, animation and visual effects, communication and media studies, film and television, journalism and digital media, social media and public relations, sports communication and an online, asynchronous MA devoted to strategic communication and media, the College prepares the next generation of communication and media practitioners and leaders. Founded in 2012 and housed in world-class, state-of-the-art facilities just 12 miles from New York City, the College is the only program in the country that offers the following opportunities for students: a radio station (WMSC), newspaper (The Montclarion), strategic communications agency (Hawk Communications), sports network (Red Hawk Sports Network) streaming platform (Hawk+), digital newsroom (News Lab) and studio, and a social media listening center (Joetta DiBella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication). The College also has a Student Success team, including dedicated Career Services and Advising professionals who prepare students for the internship and job search process. Student projects and programs have recently received national recognition from PRSSA's Bateman Competition, an Edward R. Murrow Award, several Marconi Award nominations, and College Television Awards ("Student Emmy" awards) from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The College is also home to the Center for Cooperative Media, which serves the public by working to grow and strengthen local journalism and media. Through nearly $10M in grants awarded over the last decade, the Center focuses on collaboration in journalism, media equity, media coaching and training, civic science and research. The Center is also home to the NJ Civic Information Consortium, the largest funder of media and journalism in New Jersey, granting more than $10M over the last five years to support independent local media, journalism and training initiatives.