Until Wednesday, it was understood that there was no future for NJ PBS. A unit of The WNET Group focused on viewers of educational public broadcasting content in New Jersey was ceasing operations due to the federal government’s rescission of previously approved funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and a loss of dollars from the State of New Jersey.
Guess what? NJ PBS will live on, thanks to an institute of higher learning.
New Jersey State Treasurer Aaron Binder and Montclair State University united yesterday to announce that the school some 30 minutes west of Midtown Manhattan 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, and the choice brings back New Jersey public television to a Garden State-based operator.
WNET had stewarded NJ PBS since 2011, and until now was poised to be its last operator. In late September 2025, The WNET Group announced that it was 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.
With less than one month to go, Montclair State scored a winning bid. However, there’s more steps involved, as the contract between the New Jersey Public Broadcasting and the University will now be submitted to the Legislature for their review in Trenton.
The New Jersey State Legislature, which has a desire and support of the continuation of public television in New Jersey, has 15 days to review the contract.
The agreement with Montclair State is for five years with two five-year extensions. The school will be 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 newscast 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.
“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 New Jersey Gov. Mikie 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.”
Binder added, “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. 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.”
As Dr. Keith Strudler, Dean of Montclair’s College of Communication and Media, sees it, “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. 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.”
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.”
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.
The station will be housed in Montclair’s College of Communication and Media.
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.
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.
