NJN

Despite all the recent downsizing news at The Record and Star Ledger, similar economic pressures at New Jersey's only statewide television station have virtually been ignored by the media. Aside from the headliner early retirements announced and the station's budget proposal to wean itself off state's coffers back in May, very little attention has been paid to the pressing financial predicament at NJN.

"We are at an urgent point in our history," emphasized NJN Executive Director Elizabeth Christopherson. "Being so lean for so many years makes you creative, but it is also like living on an oxygen tank. If you turned it off now, we will not be able to be sustainable."

Kent Manahan will retire from NJN after 30 years as a reporter and anchor
NJN News anchor Kent Manahan will retire after more than thirty years as an anchor and reporter, the New Jersey Network announced today. Manahan, who has won five Emmy Awards, has filed for the state’s retirement incentive, which has specific deadlines of August 1 or a later date, with the potential of an extension until July 2009. Manahan and NJN are seeking an extension to provide for an orderly transition.

At 6:30 this evening on NJN, PoltickerNJ.com correspondent Matt Friedman will join a political roundtable to discuss New Jersey's current political scene. Friedman will be joined by Gannett New Jersey's Greg Volpe, Politifax's Nick Acocella, and the Bergen Record's Charles Stile, with NJN Senior Political Correspondent Michael Aron hosting the discussion.

The roundtable will recap the state's U.S. Senate primary elections, ongoing budget negotiations, legislative hearings on executive county school superintendents and the possibility that Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine's emails to Carla Katz may be made public.

Reporters Roundtable with Michael Aron (Friday at 6:30PM and Sunday at 10AM): Dusty McNichol (Star-Ledger), Mark I’onno (Star-Ledger), Matt Friedman (PolitickerNJ.com) and John Reitmeyer (The Record) discuss the U.S. Senate race, the Farmers Rally in Trenton, proposed state parks closings, and congestion pricing in New York City.

On the Record with Michael Aron (Sunday at 9AM and 11AM and Monday at 6:30AM): Julie Roginsky, Gregg Edwards, Rick Perr and Steve Lonegan talk about the U.S. Senate race

NJN News will provide complete live coverage of Governor Jon Corzine’s Budget Message to a joint session of the New Jersey State Legislature on Tuesday, February 26, at 11:30 am. Kent Manahan hosts the program live from the Trenton studios with senior political correspondent Michael Aron at the State House.  This special public affairs program will be simulcast on NJN Public Radio, and web cast and archived on the NJN web site.  The budget message will be rebroadcast on NJN Public Television at 10 pm. 

Jim McQueeny is many things to many people. Only I'm not so sure the media always portrays him that way. In some cases, they may actually be contributing to the distortion.

Let’s start with his “unabashed fan” admiration for Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) that he touted in his Star-Ledger op-ed on Tuesday. In his own words, McQueeny told the readers he “served in the 1980s as his spokesman and state chief of staff and also regularly continuing to break bread with him ever since.” But the relationship is really much deeper than that.