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Public-TV Station Gasps for Air
GSCS: New Jersey needs to have its own news network, read here for 11-20-10 Wall Street Journal article on the shakey future for New Jersey Newtork 's (NJN) sustainability... TRENTON, N.J.—Reporters and producers at New Jersey's public television and radio network have found themselves in a peculiar role of late—lobbying the lawmakers they cover.

"The New Jersey Network, known as NJN, is scheduled to go dark Jan. 1 due to state budget cuts. Its nearly 150 workers received layoff notices this week amid last-minute private and legislative huddles to try to salvage a path forward...

"It's very uncomfortable to be put in a position of having to lobby the people I cover and talk about on television," said Michael Aron, a longtime member of the Trenton press corps. "But the situation is dire, and as acting news director, I'm part of management, and I'm trying to preserve the core function of NJN, which is to educate."It is one of only two statewide public stations in the country with nightly news productions, according to an August report on the station by New Jersey Policy Perspective, a think tank. There are also weekly, half-hour discussions with lawmakers and reporters...."

Public-TV Station Gasps for Air Article Comments (9) MORE IN NEW YORK » EmailPrint Save This ↓ More + More Text By LISA FLEISHER TRENTON, N.J.—Reporters and producers at New Jersey's public television and radio network have found themselves in a peculiar role of late—lobbying the lawmakers they cover. The New Jersey Network, known as NJN, is scheduled to go dark Jan. 1 due to state budget cuts. Its nearly 150 workers received layoff notices this week amid last-minute private and legislative huddles to try to salvage a path forward. Options include a new non-profit collaboration with local universities or other public television stations. Meanwhile, reporters at the station were drawn into awkward conversations by lawmakers this week at an annual municipal convention, the biggest gathering of the year for local and state elected officials covered by the station. "It's very uncomfortable to be put in a position of having to lobby the people I cover and talk about on television," said Michael Aron, a longtime member of the Trenton press corps. "But the situation is dire, and as acting news director, I'm part of management, and I'm trying to preserve the core function of NJN, which is to educate." The station, which launched in 1971, provides a mix of public TV programming—cartoons and cooking shows, as well as a lineup of news programming and documentary-style shows. It is one of only two statewide public stations in the country with nightly news productions, according to an August report on the station by New Jersey Policy Perspective, a think tank. There are also weekly, half-hour discussions with lawmakers and reporters. As such, it's the primary way for New Jersey's politicians—otherwise sandwiched between New York and Philadelphia media markets—to get television air time. "Programming is expensive, but it's important," said Janice Selinger, the acting executive director of NJN. "It's what differentiates what we do from what some others do." The station was one of the casualties of the $29.4 billion state budget signed in June. Overall, in-kind and direct state funding had provided more than half the station's roughly $18 million budget last year. But this year, direct funding dropped to $2 million from $4 million. Administration sources say Gov. Chris Christie is open to putting more money into the station to give it breathing room past Jan. 1—provided legislation is also in place to transfer the operations and equipment to another entity. The administration is leaning toward keeping control of the broadcast licenses and simply leasing them out, because that would likely be quicker and ensure the network remains New Jersey-focused. There has been interest from universities and WNET, the New York public television network, to work toward some kind of partnership. A group of about 30 people working in public and non-profit media organizations, foundation representatives, lawmakers and Christie administration officials gathered in a off-the-record session Friday in an ongoing discussion about the future of public media in New Jersey, including NJN. "There's a huge opportunity here to produce, distribute and promote excellent quality New Jersey-centric programming moving forward in the new year," said Steve Adubato Jr., president of Caucus Educational Corporation and the host and producer of several shows in the region. "To say exactly what that looks like is premature." Write to Lisa Fleisher at lisa.fleisher@wsj.com