Matt Fazelpoor has spent years covering the news around New Jersey. Today, he’s making news himself.
Fazelpoor, a longtime and highly regarded radio and print reporter who left his role as lead reporter for NJBIZ in August, is officially launching Jerseyland, an independent statewide news outlet.
The plan: a written item each morning, quick video news flashes during the day, a podcast and a presence on Substack, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
Fazelpoor, also known for his work at NJ 101.5 and 1010 WINS, said he will take lessons learned at all those stops while he attempts to cover everything: politics, business, sports and entertainment and general news.
For now, he’s a one-man band. But one eager to create a playlist.
“It’s scary on one hand, but it’s also exhilarating,” he said. “Every reporter has thought to themselves, ‘If I ran the newsroom, what would it be like?’ I’m no different. Now, I’m excited to have my opportunity to build it my way and see if it works.”
The newsroom he envisions is all about New Jersey.
It makes sense. Fazelpoor was born in Paterson, grew up in Toms River, went to Rider University and has lived in Jersey City, Metuchen and Tinton Falls, among other towns. He knows the state — and he knows there’s a need for more news coverage.
“I want to be an addition to that, however I can.”
BINJE caught up with Fazelpoor this past weekend. Here’s more of the conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity.
BINJE: You announced the idea of Jerseyland just a few days ago. How has the response been?
FAZELPOOR: The response has been crazy. All positive. And coming from everywhere. It’s been overwhelming and humbling.
I put it on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram — and my Twitter post got 10,000 views in the first 24 hours. I created a Substack and got 160 subscribers on the first day.
I never expected this in a million years. Obviously now I’ve got to deliver. The real work starts today.
BINJE: You launch Monday. What should people expect?
FAZELPOOR: There will be a writing component every day. I’m not going to write every single announcement and press release. If there’s a big story of the day, the focus will be on that. If it requires a roundup of the top things going on and quick hitters on those, I’ll do it like that.
But I’ll do a written item each morning to start it out, and as news breaks, I’ll write something if need be or put it out on video. The news breaks I’ve been putting on social media have gotten a really good response, and those are easy to produce, so I plan to do those daily.
Podcasting also will be a central component to this. I’m not going to do a full-length podcast every single day. One episode might be a long-form interview with a newsmaker. One might be on a topical thing, say data centers. Those will be coming out soon.
In all of this, I want to have flexibility. If something’s not landing, I can adapt.
BINJE: How would you describe what Jerseyland covers?
FAZELPOOR: I’m thinking about a platform with a statewide reach but a local feel — and a personal touch.
I’m Jersey through and through. I love this state. So, it’s coming from a place of respect and affection for New Jersey, but I still want to cover it how it needs to be covered.
BINJE: Here’s the big question: How will you pay the bills?
FAZELPOOR: The hope is advertisers, sponsors, partnerships and special collaborations will provide revenue. I kept the Substack free. And my daily content, my news-of-the-day stuff, will always be free.
BINJE: Why start this now?
FAZELPOOR: I just felt like it was time. I wanted to bring in the different elements from my experiences over my career. I’ve had this name and concept in my head for quite a while, but I never took the plunge.
BINJE: Where did the name Jerseyland come from?
FAZELPOOR: You can say it’s an ode to the “Jungleland” song, but it’s really just been a word that came to mind in a brainstorming session in 2019. I’ve been sitting on it that long. To me, it says what it’s about: New Jersey.
BINJE: Those who know you, know you mention your father a lot. How is he a part of this?
FAZELPOOR: He passed away 10 years ago, but I still think about him every day. I think about what he stood for. When I write something or record something, I want it to be something that my father would be proud of, something that would make him say: “This is straight up. It’s fair. It’s balanced. It’s truthful. It’s New Jersey. He’d love it.”
