Montclair State University acquires NJ Spotlight from WNET

Montclair State University in New Jersey announced Friday that it will acquire the assets of NJ Spotlight from the WNET Group in New York.

NJ Spotlight was founded in 2010 as a journalism outlet focused on public policy. WNET acquired it in 2019 and later merged it with the newsroom of NJTV, later named NJ PBS.

The New York station laid off NJ Spotlight staffers in August 2025 following New Jersey and federal funding cuts. In September, WNET announced that it would not renew its agreement with the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority to manage NJ PBS.

In June, the NJPBA selected Montclair State to manage NJ PBS on a five-year contract. The university assumed management of the state network July 1. 

No money was exchanged in the deal with WNET for NJ Spotlight, according to Stefanie Murray, director of the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair. Montclair now possesses NJ Spotlight’s website name and archive of articles. In exchange, WNET will be able to air NJ PBS’ newscasts five days a week for the next five years. Because WNET is officially licensed to Newark, N.J., it is obligated to provide content about the state, Murray said.

NJ Spotlight News, the daily public affairs program that WNET currently airs, is not part of the new deal with Montclair. Murray said NJ Spotlight News will end Sept. 30. NJ PBS plans to produce a new program titled NJ PBS News starting Oct. 1.

In a news release, the university said NJ Spotlight’s assets will be integrated with NJ PBS, which is operated by the university’s College of Communication and Media. NJ Spotlight’s daily news coverage will continue during the transition.

“NJ Spotlight built a record of accountability journalism that New Jersey relies on, and that work will continue,” said Keith Strudler, dean of the college, in the release. “Integrating this tradition into the NJ PBS News team under one New Jersey-based operator ensures our state and its residents get the news and information they deserve, reaching the broadest possible audience.”

NJ PBS will retain John Mooney, NJ Spotlight’s founding editor, who will help lead the transition. “Spotlight started from the premise that New Jersey needs somebody at the Statehouse, the school board, and the budget hearings to provide critical information and insight on their state’s policies and politics,” Mooney said in the release. “We are thrilled that our award-winning coverage will continue uninterrupted, and now has a new permanent home in New Jersey. I’m grateful to Montclair for stepping up to ensure its future.”

Montclair State said in June that it’s committed to providing “at least six hours of New Jersey-centric programming a week,” including a weeknight newscast, election coverage, the governor’s budget message and live broadcasts of the governor’s State of the State address.