NJTV

NJTV

statewide New Jersey
Branding	NJTV
Slogan	We're for New Jersey
Channels	Digital: see table below Virtual: see table below
Affiliations	PBS
Owner	New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority (operated by Public Media N.J. under management agreement)
Founded	July 1, 2011
Call letters' meaning	all stations: New Jersey 4th letter: see table below
Sister station(s)	WNET, WLIW
Transmitter power	see table below
Height	see table below
Facility ID	see table below
Transmitter coordinates	see table below
Website	NJTVonline.org

NJTV is a public television network serving the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is operated by WNET.org, the parent company of New York City's flagship public television stations, WNET and WLIW. NJTV is a member of the Public Broadcasting Service, broadcasting their programming as well as producing and broadcasting their own programming, mostly relating to issues in New Jersey.

NJTV is the successor to New Jersey Network (NJN), the state-controlled public television and radio service. NJN ended operations on June 30, 2011, with Public Media NJ taking control of the former NJN television stations the following day. The first program to air on NJTV was a broadcast of The Charlie Rose Show, a WNET production, at midnight on July 1.

Overview

For more details on this topic, see New Jersey Network.

The seeds which led to the eventual formation of NJTV were planted in 2008, when NJN officials asked the New Jersey Legislature for permission to explore the possibility of making NJN a community licensee owned by the NJN Foundation, its fundraising arm.^[1] However, on June 6, 2011, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who vowed to end state-funded public broadcasting upon taking office in 2010, announced an agreement to turn control of the NJN television network to WNET. As part of the deal, WNET.org created a separate New Jersey-based nonprofit group, Public Media NJ, to operate the stations.^[2][3]

Under the terms of the deal, Public Media NJ will operate the stations for a five-year period, with two additional five-year renewable options. The New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority will retain the licenses, while Public Media NJ will receive funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and all revenues related to the former NJN technical operations. The measure was defeated by the state Assembly on June 23.^[4] The state Senate, however, passed the resolution on June 27, allowing Public Media NJ to take over NJN's television operations as scheduled on July 1, 2011.^[5] All members of NJN automatically became members of NJTV.

Caucus Educational Corporation, a nonprofit producer of New Jersey-focused public affairs programs, is under contract with Public Media NJ to provide original programming for NJTV. Caucus' current productions, Caucus: New Jersey, New Jersey Capitol Report and One-on-One with Steve Adubato were inherited by NJTV from NJN. Caucus also co-produces NJ Today, a news program that airs weeknights in the time slots previously occupied by NJN News. NJTV's technical operations are presumably located along with WNET in Midtown Manhattan.

On July 26, 2011 NJTV announced a partnership with the Foundation for New Jersey Public Broadcasting (formerly the NJN Foundation) to jointly fund and create additional public affairs programming. These efforts will be led by Michael Aron, a 29-year veteran of New Jersey Network and the system's news director at its closure. Aron, who is a member of the Foundation's board, will revive his former NJN programs Reporters Roundtable and On the Record on NJTV, and will also appear on NJ Today as senior political correspondent.^[6]

Stations

NJTV's four full-power stations reach a potential audience of almost 28 million people in parts of five states -- all of New Jersey, plus parts of Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut and Delaware. While this gives NJTV one of the largest potential audiences in the country, it also must compete directly with sister stations WNET and WLIW, as well as WHYY-TV in Philadelphia--three of the highest-rated PBS stations in the nation.

The NJTV television stations are:

Station	City of license	Channels TV / RF	First air date	Fourth letter meaning	ERP	HAAT	Facility ID	Transmitter Coordinates
WNJT	Trenton	52 (PSIP) 43 (UHF)	April 5, 1971	Trenton	46 kW	266 m (873 ft)	48465	40°16′58″N 74°41′11″W / 40.28278°N 74.68639°W / 40.28278; -74.68639 (WNJT)
WNJS	Camden	23 (PSIP) 22 (UHF)	October 23, 1972	Southern New Jersey	197 kW	264 m (866 ft)	48481	39°43′41″N 74°50′39″W / 39.72806°N 74.84417°W / 39.72806; -74.84417 (WNJS)
WNJN1	Montclair	50 (PSIP) 51 (UHF)	June 2, 1973	Northern New Jersey	200 kW	233 m (764 ft)	48477	40°51′53″N 74°12′3″W / 40.86472°N 74.20083°W / 40.86472; -74.20083 (WNJN)
WNJB	New Brunswick	58 (PSIP) 8 (VHF)	June 2, 1973	New Brunswick	11.2 kW	296 m (971 ft)	48457	40°37′17″N 74°30′15″W / 40.62139°N 74.50417°W / 40.62139; -74.50417 (WNJB)

Montclair station

Notes

• ¹ WNJN used the callsign WNJM (the M standing for Montclair) from its 1973 sign-on to 1994.

Translators

Areas in the northwestern part of New Jersey are served by the following low-powered translators:

• W43CH Belvidere
• W49BE Hackettstown
• W25BB Pittstown
• W36AZ Sussex

All translators directly repeat WNJN's signal.

Cable/satellite availability

NJTV is available on all New Jersey cable systems. In addition, WNJN is available on many cable systems in the New York City area, as well as the New York DirecTV and Dish Network feeds. WNJS is available on many cable systems in the Philadelphia area, as well as the Philadelphia DirecTV and Dish Network feeds.

Digital television

Channel	Programming
xx.1	Main NJTV programming / PBS

References

1. ^ Behrens, Steve. With its state aid shrinking, NJN asks for independence. Current, 2008-05-12.
2. ^ NJN Press release (via WMGM-TV): "GOV. CHRISTIE SELECTS WNET FOR NJN TAKEOVER", June 6, 2011.
3. ^ Jensen, Elizabeth (June 6, 2011). "WNET to Oversee New Jersey Public Television". The New York Times. http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/06/wnet-to-oversee-new-jersey-public-television/. 
4. ^ "N.J. Assembly rejects plan to transfer NJN management to N.Y.-based WNET". The Star-Ledger. 2011-06-23. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/06/nj_assembly_rejects_plan_to_tr.html. Retrieved 2011-06-27. 
5. ^ "N.J. Senate fails to block WNET plan, ending NJN network". The Star-Ledger. 2011-06-27. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/06/post_222.html. Retrieved 2011-06-28. 
6. ^ "Former NJN staple Michael Aron to join NJTV.". The Star-Ledger. 2011-07-26. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/07/former_njn_staple_micahel_aron.html. Retrieved 2011-08-12. 

External links

• Official website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WNJT
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WNJT-TV
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WNJS
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WNJS-TV
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WNJN
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WNJN-TV
  • Query the FCC's TV station database for W36AZ
  • Query the FCC's TV station database for W43CH
  • Query the FCC's TV station database for W49BE
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WNJB
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WNJB-TV