New Jersey's public television station, NJ PBS, faces shutdown next summer after its New York-based parent organization, WNET, announced it will not renew its management agreement with the state, citing unsustainable financial pressures from recent cuts.
The decision, revealed Tuesday, leaves the Garden State without a dedicated public broadcaster unless a new nonprofit steps in to operate the network after June 30, 2026.
Staff at NJ PBS were briefed on the closure during an internal meeting on Tuesday, marking a somber milestone for the station that has served the state for over five decades. WNET, which assumed control in 2011 following then-Gov. Chris Christie's elimination of state funding for the predecessor New Jersey Network (NJN), stated that the "very significant" reductions in federal and state support made extension impossible.
Despite the end of full operations, WNET pledged to keep producing NJ PBS's flagship nightly newscast, NJ Spotlight News, which will continue airing on New York's PBS affiliate THIRTEEN—accessible in most New Jersey households—and digital platforms.
"The closure stems from a one-two punch of federal and state budget blows. In July 2025, Congress—under President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill"—voted to eliminate $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the nonprofit that supports over 1,500 public TV and radio stations nationwide, including PBS and NPR affiliates. This followed Trump's May 2025 executive order directing cuts to public media, which he criticized for perceived left-leaning bias, triggering high-profile resignations and operational halts across the sector.
Compounding the issue, New Jersey lawmakers reduced state appropriations for NJ PBS from $1 million to $250,000 in the fiscal year 2026 budget signed in June, leading to layoffs earlier this year.