Facing cuts in state funding – and uncertainties over federal funding of PBS – NJ PBS and NJ Spotlight News have laid off seven of their staffers, Current reported today.
“Regrettably, we must now make reductions to some of our staff at NJPBS and Spotlight,” said Neal Shapiro, the CEO of WNET, which operates NJ PBS, said in a staff memo obtained by Current. “Their last day with us will be March 28th. We did not make this decision lightly and we deeply appreciate their hard work [and] dedication.”
Deb Falk, a spokesperson for NJ PBS, declined to identify the employees who received layoff notices.
According to Current, NJ PBS operated at a $1.4 million deficit.
Gov. Phil Murphy’s budget proposal reduces state funding to NJ PBS, formerly NJN and NJTV, from $1 million to $250,000.
The staff memo obtained by Current quotes NJ PBS general manager Joe Lee as saying, “The budget cycle is not over.”
“We will be working with our lobbyist to help identify influential legislators to advocate for the restoration of our full appropriation,” Lee said. “The good news is that we are still in the Governor’s budget. I’ll keep you posted as things progress.”
NJ PBS retained Trish Zita, a well-connected lobbyist, to help them.
In 2021, Scott Kobler, the chairman of the NJ PBS Board of Trustees, told the New Jersey Globe that state funds would be used to purchase new equipment and not for salaries.
“It has nothing to do with news and editorial,” said Kobler at the time. “It has to do with nuts and bolts equipment and keep us as reliable as we can be.”
In 2011, then-Gov. Chris Christie closed down the state-run New Jersey Network (NJN) and transfer their operations to WNET Channel 13 in New York. NJN had received $4 million in the 2010 budget and offered about 120 employees – many of them members of the Communications Workers of America – state health care and pension benefits.
Christie claimed that the state could no longer afford the cost of running a public television station.
As part of the deal, the state sold its public radio licenses to New York Public Radio and WHYY in Philadelphia for about $4.3 million.