NJ College Is Taking Over State's Public TV Stations: What To Know
The university will manage four public TV stations and provide at least six hours of New Jersey-focused programming each week, officials said.
- On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, the New Jersey Department of the Treasury announced Montclair State University as the new operator of New Jersey Public Broadcasting , with management beginning July 1.
- WNET, which managed NJ PBS since 2011, announced last year it would not renew its agreement after facing significant federal and state budget cuts.
- Montclair committed $1.2 million annually in in-kind assets, including studio access and infrastructure, to support at least six hours of New Jersey-centric programming weekly.
- The five-year contract awaits review by the state Legislature within 15 days, with the university planning more than 20 full-time employees to initially staff the network.
- Montclair plans to "reimagine public media" by leveraging the state's 300-plus news organizations, aiming to create a collaborative network representing diverse New Jersey communities.
12 Articles
12 Articles
(The) Public('s) Media: The New Jersey Model
I am delighted that Montclair State University (MSU) has won its bid to take over New Jersey public television, for in this moment I see an opening to reimagine and reinvent public media in a new image — as the public’s media. And nowhere better for that to happen than in New Jersey, where threads have been coming together over years — most running through MSU — to support and grow the broader news ecosystem in the state. This support has come …
Montclair State University won a competitive bid process to manage four NJ PBS TV stations; the WNET Group in New York had managed the stations since 2011 (Julian Wyllie/Current)
Julian Wyllie / Current: Montclair State University won a competitive bid process to manage four NJ PBS TV stations; the WNET Group in New York had managed the stations since 2011 — Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 / Via Wikimedia Commons — Montclair State University has won a competitive bid to manage NJ PBS on behalf …
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