NJ PBS to shutter in 2026 after significant funding cuts
New Jersey's lone PBS affiliate will cease operations June 2026 after state and federal funding reductions; NJ Spotlight News to move to THIRTEEN, with continued PBS access online.
NJ PBS will shutter in 2026 after what its operator called very significant cuts to public broadcasting funding from the Trump administration and New Jersey’s state government. The Newark-based station, which has been operated by WNET for 14 years, said it cannot extend the management agreement with the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority beyond June 30, 2026. The network said the decision comes amid a broader squeeze on public media funding that has left some stations unable to sustain operations.
In a statement, WNET said it has not been able to reach an agreement with the state authority to extend the public television network’s management beyond the expiration date. The note described the funding cuts as very significant and did not detail how they blocked contract talks. NJ PBS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
WNET said it remains committed to supporting the state through the transition and will look to collaborate with New Jersey–based institutions interested in operating a public television network. NJ PBS will continue to operate through June 30, 2026. After its closure, the nightly news program NJ Spotlight News will move to THIRTEEN, the only other PBS station licensed to New Jersey, though THIRTEEN’s programming also covers the New York City area. New Jersey residents will continue to access PBS programming online or via THIRTEEN.
The shutdown adds New Jersey to a broader pattern of reduced local news and public-media coverage in the state. Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, tweeted that the closure is a loss for all New Jerseyans. Across the country, President Trump’s public-broadcast funding cuts have hit roughly 330 PBS stations and 246 NPR affiliates.
In August, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a nonprofit that supports NPR and PBS stations, announced it would also scale back operations amid the funding squeeze. In New Jersey, Gov. Philip Murphy signed a budget that reduced NJ PBS funding to $250,000, down from $1 million a year earlier. Murphy’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Scott Kobler, chairman of NJ PBS, wrote in an op-ed that he was disappointed the network could not reach a contract agreement and attributed at least part of the impasse to state intransigence or apathy, compounded by federal funding cuts and shifts in media consumption. He suggested the path forward could have been smoother with different policy choices.
The closure is part of a troubling trend for local news in New Jersey. The Star-Ledger ended its print edition in February and moved online, joining sister papers The Times of Trenton, The South Jersey Times and The Hunterdon County Democrat in a downsizing of local reporting. The Jersey Journal also halted operations in the same month.
New Jerseyans will still be able to access PBS programming online, and THIRTEEN remains the sole PBS station licensed to the state, but the loss of a dedicated New Jersey–focused public broadcaster leaves a gap in local coverage. WNET has not indicated when, or if, an alternate operator might take over the NJ PBS license, but said it would pursue opportunities to support a state-run or independent operation if viable.
