2013 LOCAL CONTENT AND SERVICE ““If you are interested exclusively in New Jersey, REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY NJTV is clearly the place to be.” -NJ Public Media Forum Study
NJTV, New Jersey’s Public Television Network, is a multi-platform public television network committed to providing unique local programming, news and information to New Jersey and its neighbors.
2013 KEY LOCAL LOCAL VALUE SERVICES IMPACT
NJTV’s local services In 2013, NJTV provided NJTV, New Jersey’s Public had deep impact in New these vital local services: Television Network, is a Jersey and its Emergency Broadcast valuable part of the New neighboring states, on Service, quality local and Jersey metropolitan area’s and off the small screen. national public television advancement. programming and community partnership initiatives.
2013 LOCAL CONTENT AND SERVICE REPORT COMMUNITY CONTENT
2013 has been an exciting time for NJTV, New Jersey’s public television network, one with a strong focus on serving the state with more Jersey-centric programming in a variety of genres, from public affairs to the arts. Throughout, we have continued to produce more than 30 hours of local programming each week, exceeding the 20-25 hours initially promised when the network operations began in 2011.
Some of the highlights:
Appointment Local Programming
Over the summer NJTV launched a dedicated primetime block called NJmade, featuring exclusively local programming, making it easier to find. Tune in Wednesdays at 8pm to catch rotations of popular local series like NJDocs, Driving Jersey, Best Places to Live and more.
Spotlight on Local Politics
Keeping pace with this year's busy political season, NJTV offered ongoing coverage of key races and special events. The network hosted two major live debates this year from Montclair State University: the first Democratic Senate Primary debate with candidates Cory Booker, Rush Holt, Sheila Oliver and Frank Pallone and the second Gubernatorial Debate. The first received a wealth of press attention, including The New York Times, USA Today and NJ.com. The latter and its encores were watched by a record-high 117K viewers, plus the countless numbers that viewed it live-streamed on radio and TV outlets from WKXW 101.5FM to CSPAN and Vme.
On the heels of the Gubernatorial debate, NJTV offered special election coverage with updates on the Booker/Lonegan Senate Special Election on October 16th. Then on November 5th our NJDecides 2013: Election Night 3.5 hour live broadcast included 14 live remotes from all across the state, ongoing election results news and race analysis from expert panelists, including former Governors Florio and Whitman, as well as live concession and acceptance speeches in key races. Coverage was also live-streamed on the website of WWOR.
The very next day, NJTV uniquely offered livestream coverage of the state Supreme Court nominee hearing. 2013 LOCAL CONTENT AND SERVICE REPORT COMMUNITY CONTENT
NJTV’s ongoing local television series: NJTV News with Mike Schneider: Half-hour local news program concentrating on issues and news affecting New Jerseyans.
Best Places to Live NJ – Hour-long visits to the places that make the Garden State a great place to call home.
Classroom Close-Up NJ: Half-hour weekly program featuring New Jersey's public school success stories.
Caucus: New Jersey: Half-hour Caucus Educational Corporation series combines in-depth documentary coverage with insightful studio interviews and discussion, tackling a range of important issues.
Driving Jersey: Half-hour monthly program that hits the road to tell the stories of unique people and places across the Garden State.
Due Process: Half-hour weekly program addressing contemporary legal issues and featuring various legal professionals and experts.
Eat! Drink! Italy! with Vic Rallo: Half-hour instructional homage to Italy’s finest places and cuisine hosted by New Jersey restaurateur Vic Rallo.
NJDocs: Monthly series featuring the work of collegiate filmmakers across the state.
On the Record with Michael Aron: Half-hour weekly public affairs program featuring one-on-one interviews with New Jersey newsmakers and lawmakers.
Reporters Roundtable with Michael Aron: Half-hour weekly public affairs program featuring reporters discussing New Jersey's headline issues.
State of the Arts: Half-hour weekly program goes on-location with creative personalities and places in New Jersey.
Tales of the Jersey Shore: Narrated and hosted by historian Emil Salvini, this series spotlights New Jersey’s rich coastal past and unique places along the Jersey Shore.
Documentaries Specials: Reimagining our Watershed: A Renaissance on the Raritan - a 30-minute film produced by the Sustainable Raritan River Initiative at Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and the Rutgers iTV studio with the support of the Cape Branch Foundation. The film is the first to celebrate the many environmental achievements made in the Raritan River Watershed, featuring projects and organizations that are making a positive difference in the quality of life across the Raritan Basin.
Remembering Frank Lautenberg: One of two half-hour retrospectives on the life and work of U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg NJTV aired the week he passed away; NJTV also broadcast the Senator’s funeral live.
Latino Americans of NY & NJ: half hour special spotlighting personal stories of New York and New Jersey’s rich Latino culture. Live Specials/News Coverage: NJTV continued its commitment to broadcast pertinent political and special events, both on-air and online, including coverage of the following:
Gov. Chris Christie’s State of the State Address Gov. Chris Christie’s State Budget Address State Budget Hearings State Supreme Court Nomination hearings Democratic Senate Primary Debate at Montclair State University Gubernatorial Debate at Montclair State University Election Night
2013 LOCAL CONTENT AND SERVICE REPORT IN THE COMMUNITY
Community Advisory Board NJTV was delighted to hold its first meeting with the still-growing Community Advisory Board in 2013. This group, representing various industries and interests across the state, will be relied upon for insight about how the network can best serve New Jersey. Community partnerships NJTV partners with colleges, universities and other institutions to create local content.
AMERICAN SONGBOOK AT NJPAC - NJTV partnered with the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) to produce a new music series, American Songbook at NJPAC. The six-part series, taped before a live audience at NJPAC's Victoria Theater, featured performances from eight stars of stage, screen and concert halls: Tom Wopat, Valerie Simpson, Rebecca Luker, Sandy Stewart and Bill Charlap, Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley, and Maude Maggart. Each performs their favorite American Songbook standards followed by a Q&A session conducted by Ted Chapin, president and executive director of Rodgers & Hammerstein: An Imagem Company.
Reaching local educators NJTV provides free online Educational Resources to Garden State teachers.
VITAL NJ [Video in Teaching and Learning] – This microsite on NJTVonline.org offers free teaching resources to educators, including classroom-ready lesson plans and video clips derived from PBS programming and professional development tips. In 2013, NJTV expanded its content to include segments from NJTV's local series Classroom Close-Up.
NJEA CONVENTION NJTV partnered with the NJEA and its local Classroom Close-Up series producers to have a presence at the 2013 NJEA Convention in Atlantic City. The Convention, attended by thousands of New Jersey educators, offered an opportunity to demonstrate VITAL NJ so more educators are aware of the free resources than ever before.
2013 LOCAL CONTENT AND SERVICE REPORT SERVING THE COMMUNITY
SUPERSTORM SANDY: A LIVE TOWN HALL In May NJTV co-produced and broadcast a major public television event: Superstorm Sandy: A Live Town Hall, simulcast across NJTV, THIRTEEN, WLIW21, WHYY in Philadelphia and WNYC radio, among others. More than six months after Superstorm Sandy caused $50 billion in damage, questions still remain regarding the region's infrastructure, its disaster response capabilities, and what the future holds. Hosted by NJTV's Mike Schneider, Superstorm Sandy: A Live Town Hall featured a panel of experts seeking answers and conversation about the storm and recovery efforts throughout the region before live audiences at Monmouth University's Pollak Theatre in West Long Branch, New Jersey, and the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center in Manhattan. The broadcast ultimately reached 6 states and countless more online, in addition to a strong social media footprint.
Guests at Monmouth University
Richard Constable, Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Nicole Gelinas, Searle Freedom Trust Fellow, Manhattan Institute Vivien Gornitz, Special Research Scientist, Columbia University Ralph LaRossa, President & COO, PSE&G Mayor Matt Doherty, Belmar, NJ Patrick Murray, Director, Monmouth University Polling Institute Peter Reinhart, Director, Kislak Real Estate Institute, Monmouth University Bill Ulfelder, Executive Director, The Nature Conservancy of New York Mayor Dawn Zimmer, Hoboken, NJ
Guests at the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center
John Boulé, VP, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Ret. Col. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers John Cameron, Chair, Long Island Regional Planning Council Bud Griffis, Professor of Civil Engineering and Construction, Polytechnic Institute of New York University Joe Nocera, Op-Ed Columnist, The New York Times Richard Ravitch, Former Lieutenant Governor, New York Sheena Wright, President & CEO, United Way of New York City 2013 LOCAL CONTENT AND SERVICE REPORT SERVING THE COMMUNITY
NJTV News with Mike Schneider: Keeping New Jersey Informed On Air & Online
This fall, NJTV’s weeknight newscast NJ Today became NJTV News with Mike Schneider. The name change marks the beginning of the next generation of New Jersey public television news -- specifically a more vibrant local news program both on-air and online to keep New Jerseyans better informed about local happenings from more parts of the state than ever before.
Online, the NJTV News with Mike Schneider companion website has undergone a complete makeover to host more user-friendly features like easily-identifiable news categories and more plentiful state news items, including Associated Press content.
NJTVonline.org: Home for local news, information and programming
NJTV’s main website was redesigned in 2013 to offer more robust content and user-friendly features. The network website is a public resource for programming information, livestream specials and educational resources.
“There is no one else in the NJ Statehouse Press Corps who commands the respect – or the institutional knowledge – of the Jose Ferrer- voiced Aron, the undisputed Dean of Press Row, who still produces the best, most in-depth interviews in the state.” –PolitickerNJ, citing the work of NJTV’s Chief Political Correspondent Michael Aron, who ranked 37 on their 2013 Power100 list 2013 LOCAL CONTENT AND SERVICE REPORT COMMUNITY FEEDBACK
"I watch NJTV every night … and the reason: it's the best place to get news about New Jersey." Gov. Chris Christie
"I'm interested in what's going on in my state from the north to the south to the central … NJTV is the station that covers New Jersey news. It's important to have a news station out there that's paying attention." - State Senate President Steve Sweeney
"When we have our own station, or this show coming out of New Jersey, you can be sure people watch it. It's all about Jersey." - New Jersey Comedian Joe Piscopo
"I watch NJTV … because it's something that every kid and every person should watch to stay abreast on all the news, stay abreast on everything that keeps them focused on things they have to do in life." - New York Giant, Victor Cruz
"NJTV has proven it can be the go-to source for critical information and savvy public affairs discussion. The fact that all of this content is available to the public both on-air and online without previous taxpayer subsidies makes NJTV incredibly valuable to our state citizens." – PMNJ Board Vice-Chair, Liz Thomas