New Jersey PBS is expected to shut down in July 2026 after WNET, the parent company of THIRTEEN in New York, decided not to renew its operating agreement, according to the New Jersey Globe.
The move follows the federal government’s decision to end funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supported WNET. Without a new non-profit funding source, New Jersey could be left without a public television station for the first time in decades.
Employees of New Jersey PBS were called to a staff meeting Monday to be informed of the assumed closure. The impact on New Jersey Spotlight, the NJ-focused public news operation, is not yet clear. New Jersey Spotlight offers viewers coverage of local issues, politics and more.
New Jersey PBS, previously known as New Jersey Network, has faced financial challenges for years. The station has conducted multiple rounds of layoffs in recent years.
State support has been limited since Governor Chris Christie ended four decades of funding for public television 15 years ago. The state cut $750,000 in NJ PBS funding this year, but the loss of federal funds is considered the straw that broke the camel’s back, leading to the station’s inevitable closure.
For proponents of public broadcasting, the loss of New Jersey PBS is monumental.
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.