TRENTON — New Jersey Senate Democrats tonight failed to block Gov. Chris Christie’s plan to let WNET/Channel 13 run New Jersey public television, signaling a big win for the Republican governor and the demise of New Jersey Network after 40 years of broadcasting. Lawmakers were one vote short in their effort to reject the governor’s negotiated agreement with WNET,...
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The state Senate failed to halt a plan to let WNET/Channel 13 operate New Jersey's public TV network. TRENTON — New Jersey Senate Democrats tonight failed to block Gov. Chris Christie’s plan to let WNET/Channel 13 run New Jersey public television, signaling a big win for the Republican governor and the demise of New Jersey Network after 40 years of broadcasting.
Lawmakers were one vote short in their effort to reject the governor’s negotiated agreement with WNET, the nation’s flagship PBS station based in New York. A similar resolution overwhelmingly passed the Assembly on Thursday.
The unsuccessful vote means Public Media NJ, a New Jersey incorporated subsidiary of WNET, will begin operating the new network, to be called NJTV, on Friday.
Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), the resolution’s primary sponsor, spoke at the start of a spirited debate over the resolution. She said taxpayers deserve a better deal.
"New Jersey’s taxpayers will be on the hook for millions of dollars annually to support the continued operation," Weinberg said, noting that the state will spend at least $4.7 million a year. "So while we hand this network off to a New York operator, we are not saving that much money."
The Senate vote followed months of political showmanship, public hearings, and a Legislative report that agreed with Christie’s view that state-run TV is no longer viable for New Jersey. A compromise law passed last December gave State Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff the authority to negotiate a management agreement with a private entity to take control of the New Jersey Network’s TV operation. The Legislature would have 15 days after receipt of the contract to vote it down, according to the law.
Sidamon-Eristoff also negotiated contracts for the out-right sale of the state’s nine public radio licenses. Those deals, with WHYY in Philadelphia and New York Public Radio, operator of WNYC and WQXR, did not generate opposition and are expected to be signed tomorrow.
The state’s contract with Public Media NJ mandates the new entity produce a nightly news show, cover elections and other important Trenton events, including the governor’s budget and State of the State addresses. The contract does not require Public Media establish a permanent New Jersey studio or place reporters around the state.
Appearing before a Senate committee last week, WNET president and CEO Neal Shapiro vowed the new entity will increase the quality and amount of New Jersey-focused programming. Shapiro said Public Media will hire a staff of 20 to 25 to broadcast a minimum of 20 hours of original programs (including repeats) each week. Included in the initial lineup will be a start-up edition of "NJ Today," the nightly news shows," and several programs produced by Caucus Educational Corp., including "One on One with Steve Adubato" and "New Jersey Capitol Report."
"We’re glad the divisive arguments are over," said Shapiro after the vote. "We are determined to do our best to keep New Jersey public television thriving and we look forward to collaborating with universities, newspapers, cultural organizations and others across the state to make it happen."
Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (D-Monmouth) urged his colleagues to defeat the resolution.
"We got a deal that saves the beleaguered taxpayers of New Jersey millions of dollars a year," he said. "NJN has served an important purpose. This is a new era. We have a good deal to take its place."
Last week, the Assembly rejected the deal by passing the resolution by a vote of 45 to 30, with all Democrats and one Republican voting in favor.
Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan (D-Middlesex), sponsor of the Assembly resolution, was angry that the Legislature could not stop the agreement.
"It’s a bad deal for taxpayers. The entire deal should be thrown out," Diegnan said.
U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg released a statement condemning the deal:
"It is a shame that the State Senate is allowing Governor Christie to ship an important New Jersey resource across the river to New York," U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg said. "This is a bad deal for the people of New Jersey that was written behind closed doors and threatens to further reduce local broadcast coverage of New Jersey news."
NJN covered the vote live in what will now be remembered as one of its last shows. Veteran NJN political reporter Michael Aron signed off with a straight face, saying simply, "Thank you New Jersey."
Previous coverage:
• N.J. Senate to vote on NJN transfer deal
• N.J. Assembly rejects plan to transfer NJN management to N.Y.-based WNET
• NJN would 'cease to exist' as most know it if deal with N.Y. station is stopped, treasurer says
• N.J. could still pay millions annually to support NJN, despite takeover by WNET