With NJ PBS slated to go off the air next June 30, the Senate’s legislative oversight committee heard testimony from policy leaders this week on how to find funding in a difficult budgetary climate so that New Jersey doesn’t lose its only public broadcast station.
But Chris Daggett, Board Chair of the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium, said this is the perfect moment for a “reimagined New Jersey local news ecosystem” in mostly dark times for local and state news coverage.
“Rather than seeing this as a potential loss, we should view it as a rare opportunity to develop a network of collaborative news outlets by and for New Jersey, where, for the first time, we will no longer be under the control and in the shadows of New York and Philadelphia media organizations,” Daggett testified.
Created in 2018 in response to declining New Jersey news coverage, the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds organizations dedicated to building and sustaining local news and information, with a focus on marginalized and news desert communities.
To date, it has invested nearly $11 million in local news across the state, supporting nearly 75 newsrooms in 18 counties.
Daggett said the NJCIC envisions a network of New Jersey news outlets that is “governed by a non-profit board and in collaboration with New Jersey’s universities, like Montclair State University, which has been a terrific partner of the Consortium since its start, where workforce development and the journalism pipeline are a key focus and studio capacity is abundant.
“Its structure and operations should be informed first and foremost by a statewide visioning process that includes input from a wide variety of stakeholders including residents, policy experts, legislators, and business, cultural, and community leaders, among others.
“Programming should include New Jersey-focused local news, education, the arts, public affairs, community activities, high school and college sports, State Legislature and Supreme Court proceedings, and civics, to name but a few,” Daggett said.
Last year’s $58.8 billion budget reduced NJ PBS’ state funding from $1 million to $250,000. NJ PBS also lost more than $1.5 million in federal funding earlier this year from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, as part of President Trump’s claw back of $9 billion in foreign aid and public broadcasting funding.
While NJ PBS is expected to go dark next year, NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi will continue to be produced by WNET and aired on THIRTEEN and its digital platforms.
State legislators from both sides of the aisle have noted the FY27 budget will be a very challenging one for the state.
Daggett urged a comprehensive solution which includes “long-term stable funding from a combination of public, private, and philanthropic sources and should include funding for both NJTV and the Consortium as part of a larger umbrella effort to support public media.”
“New Jersey must work toward establishing a resilient and inclusive local news ecosystem that supports local reporters and newsrooms, fosters civic engagement, and provides residents with reliable information on issues that directly affect their day-to-day lives,” he said.
“Creating a well-resourced, independent, and forward-looking news, entertainment, and cultural affairs entity focused on collaboration will ensure that all residents in New Jersey have the tools they need to engage with and participate in their communities.”
