TRENTON — U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg asked the Federal Communications Commission today to examine the deal between the state and WNET that gives the New York broadcaster the right to operate New Jersey public television. Lautenberg (D-N.J) met with FCC chairman Julius Genachowski to voice his concerns about the arrangement and to request the FCC determine if the deal...
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N.J. Gov. Chris Christie announced on June 6 an agreement for the future of NJN that protects public broadcasting in New Jersey with WNET to provide programming and nightly news without taxpayer subsidy. U.S. Sen. Lauternberg has asked the FCC to examine the deal. TRENTON — U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg asked the Federal Communications Commission today to examine the deal between the state and WNET that gives the New York broadcaster the right to operate New Jersey public television.
Lautenberg (D-N.J) met with FCC chairman Julius Genachowski to voice his concerns about the arrangement and to request the FCC determine if the deal is "consistent with the public interest and with FCC rules governing broadcast licenses."
The FCC is the federal agency that regulates the radio, television, cable and satellite industries.
In a letter he sent after the meeting, Lautenberg questioned whether the transfer of New Jersey Network to WNET serves "the best interests of New Jerseyans."
"The deal will end the current NJN nightly news program ... and will take other high quality New Jersey-focused news shows off the air," Lautenberg said in his letter to Genachowski. "It is difficult to see how the loss of such programming is in the public interest of new Jerseyans — especially considering the state’s lack of commercial broadcast television news access."
Lautenberg’s meeting came just days after Gov. Chris Christie announced an agreement that allows WNET, in partnership with Caucus Educational Corp., to manage the former NJN operation. Several months in the making, the deal requires the flagship PBS station to provide at least 20 hours of Jersey-centric programing a week, broadcast a nightly news show, to be called "NJ Today," and to cover important Statehouse events and election night.
WNET was selected over four or five other bidders, according to Treasury officials, including Montclair State University and the NJN Foundation, a nonprofit corporation that raised money for the network for two decades.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in Trenton today will hold the first public hearing on the deal. The Assembly Budget Committee will hear testimony starting this morning at 10.
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