New Jersey PBS, which has long been supported by WNET in New York yet still struggled to find a financial model that works, will go off the air on June 30, 2026 — the result of a decision by WNET to cut ties with the station.
WNET has not made an announcement on the situation, but sources familiar with the situation said WNET has informed NJ PBS that it will not renew the station’s contract when it expires.
The announcement (first reported by New Jersey Globe) was not unexpected.
In June, the governor and the Legislature agreed to reduce funding for the station from $1 million to $250,000. Attempts to restore the funding have gone nowhere.
That cut came after the federal government decided to cancel funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, leaving many stations scrambling to rebuild their funding, including WNET, the parent company of THIRTEEN, the PBS New York affiliate.
WNET ultimately decided it could no longer run both stations in light of this loss of funding.
To be clear, this does not mean New Jersey will lack a PBS station — it just will lack a PBS station that aims to deliver New Jersey-based programming. Residents will continue to be able to access PBS stations based in New York City and Philadelphia.
What is unclear is how they will impact NJ Spotlight, a digital arm that has helped provide coverage to the station
Read more from BINJE:
NJ PBS, on day of mass layoffs, gets pledge of support from Burzichelli
Op-Ed: Jersey-centric content on NJ PBS knits state together, creates more informed citizenry
