NJ PBS

What NJ PBS does

NJ PBS is the nonprofit public television service for the State of New Jersey, delivering educational, news, and entertainment programming to New Jersey households. The service operates four FCC-licensed broadcast stations — WNJS (Camden), WNJN (Montclair), WNJT (Trenton), and WNJB (New Brunswick) — with the underlying broadcast licenses held by the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority (NJPBA), a state authority. Operations were transferred from WNET to Montclair State University on July 1, 2026, ending a 15-year operating arrangement that had been in place since 2011. The service is staffed by an estimated 11-50 employees.

Distribution spans linear over-the-air broadcast, livestream, on-demand video, the PBS Kids branded service, and the locally produced NJ Spotlight News. The PBS national affiliation provides content acquisition, technology integration, and the PBS Passport membership tier. The technology stack is fundamentally a conventional broadcast-and-streaming platform layered on PBS national infrastructure, with no disclosed AI, machine learning, or proprietary data systems.

Revenue is generated through viewer donations and PBS Passport memberships, supplemented by any underlying state appropriations routed through NJPBA. As a state-affiliated public broadcaster, NJ PBS does not raise venture capital, has no equity instrument, and is not structured for financial returns to investors.

Name

NJ PBS

Legal name

New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority

Website

https://njpbs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NJ PBS delivers public television programming to New Jersey residents across four FCC-licensed broadcast stations and digital platforms, funded through viewer donations and PBS Passport memberships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Television Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Public/Community Local Stations (PBS Member Stations, Community Radio, LPFM) (MPABACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

State/Regional Public Broadcasting Networks & Consortia (MPABADAC)

Keywords

• Public television service
• Broadcast television stations
• Educational programming
• Local news coverage
• Children's educational content

Headquarters

HQ city

Englewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Member Donations: Viewer-supported nonprofit model. Members make one-time or recurring donations to support public television programming, statewide storytelling, education, arts, culture, and public affairs. Donations are processed through PBS donation portal.
2. PBS Passport Membership Benefit: PBS Passport is a member benefit offering extended access to a library of PBS and NJ PBS programs on demand. Available to eligible donors who support NJ PBS through donations.
3. On-Air Programming: Free over-the-air broadcast programming available without subscription. Programming includes PBS programs, local stories, arts and culture, history, children's learning, and public affairs content.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NJ PBS delivers free public television programming to New Jersey audiences through four FCC-licensed broadcast stations (WNJS, WNJN, WNJT, WNJB) and PBS-hosted streaming services. The service combines national PBS programming with local New Jersey content including statewide journalism (NJ Spotlight News), arts and culture coverage, history programming, children's educational content via PBS Kids, and on-demand streaming through the PBS video portal. It is a nonprofit, viewer-supported service funded through member donations and offering PBS Passport as a member benefit.

Product overview

NJ PBS is New Jersey's public television service, operated by Montclair State University since July 2026. The organization delivers a unified public media experience combining national PBS programming with local New Jersey content. The core product portfolio includes live broadcast streaming via the NJ PBS Livestream, on-demand video through the PBS video portal (watch.njpbs.org), and local journalism via NJ Spotlight News. Supporting offerings include PBS Kids for children's educational programming, PBS Passport as a member streaming benefit, and a weekly TV schedule. Content is delivered across four broadcast stations (WNJS, WNJN, WNJT, WNJB) covering the entire state. The service is nonprofit and viewer-supported, with video playback, account management, and payment processing handled through PBS-hosted infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NJ Spotlight News: Statewide reporting and news coverage for New Jersey, including politics, business, education, and community issues.

Products and services

• NJ PBS Livestream

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Montclair State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026As of July 1, 2026, Montclair State University officially became the new operator of NJ PBS. The service is housed at the College of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. The New Jersey State Treasurer selected Montclair through its agreement with the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority. Montclair is hiring staff, setting up systems, and preparing programming for NJ PBS.
• The WNET GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2011WNET operated NJ PBS from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2026. The 15-year operational relationship ended as part of the transition to Montclair State University. WNET thanks viewers for their support during this period.
• New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority (NJPBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNJPBA holds the FCC licenses for New Jersey's four public television stations (WNJS, WNJN, WNJT, WNJB). The State of New Jersey, through the State Treasurer, selected Montclair State University as the new operator through an agreement with NJPBA.
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)coreTechnology or IntegrationNJ PBS is part of the national PBS network, receiving PBS programming and hosting video services through PBS infrastructure. PBS handles video playback, account sign-in, PBS Passport, and donation processing for NJ PBS through PBS-hosted services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WTTW: Chicago-based PBS member station. Directly comparable mid-to-large PBS station with broadcast, streaming, and member-supported funding model.
• WETA: Washington, DC-area PBS member station. Comparable PBS member station operating multiple broadcast channels with member-supported programming and PBS Passport benefit.
• WNET (Thirteen/WNET.org): New York City-based PBS member station that operated NJ PBS from 2011 to 2026. Directly comparable PBS member station operator with similar broadcast infrastructure, fundraising, and PBS Passport model.
• WHYY: Philadelphia-based PBS/NPR member station whose broadcast footprint overlaps with southern New Jersey. Directly comparable as a regional public broadcaster serving an adjacent market with similar programming mix and donation model.
• WGBH (GBH): Boston-based PBS member station and one of the largest PBS producers. Comparable as a major PBS member station operating broadcast plus multi-platform distribution with member-supported funding.
• KQED: San Francisco Bay Area PBS and NPR member station. Comparable as a major regional public broadcaster with multi-platform distribution, local journalism, and member-supported funding.
• KCET: Los Angeles-based PBS member station. Comparable regional PBS broadcaster operating broadcast plus streaming with member-supported funding model.

Broad incumbents

• PBS (Public Broadcasting Service): National PBS network that licenses programming to and provides infrastructure for NJ PBS. Comparable as the umbrella organization whose content library, Passport, and streaming infrastructure NJ PBS relies on.
• New York Public Radio (WNYC): Major New York-area public radio operator. Comparable as a peer public media nonprofit with member-supported funding, local journalism, and multi-platform distribution, though operating in radio rather than television.
• WNET Group: Parent organization of WNET and former operator of NJ PBS. Comparable as a public media management organization that has operated multiple PBS stations, including NJ PBS for 15 years.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MyNJPBS
• Facebookfacebook.com/mynjpbs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NJ PBS