NJN’s Final Farewell
June 30, 2011 43 Comments
NJN News looks back at 40-years of covering the Garden State in a retrospective report as the newscast bids farewell to New Jersey.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
- Comment
- Reblog
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
NJN News - New Jersey Public Television and Radio 
Good-bye…
We will miss you NJN.
We will also remember this on election day 2011.
You will be missed…
What a great compilation of interviews and video footage! I am sorry to see it come to an end.
It is with great sadness, and much gratitude, that I watched my last broadcast of NJN News this evening. Thank you, Jim Hooker, Michael Aron, and so many other contributors to the nightly broadcast. I am not a resident of NJ, but I work in NJ and became a devoted watcher of NJN when I moved to Bucks County, PA over 4 years ago. Best wishes to all of NJN’s staff, and go forward with the knowledge that you are deeply respected by the many, many people whose lives you touched. God bless you.
Neither this program nor this station ever managed to be relevant to the population it was supposed to serve. The institution, unlike lots of wonderful local PBS affiliates around the country, failed to achieve any degree of public service impact in the community. The staff in general, and particularly this news team was insular, rigid, arrogant, paranoid, self-absorbed, out of touch. This end had to come because there has long been zero reason to go on. It is stunning it lasted as long as it did. A four decade failure to meet the mandate, failure to realize the potential. Now someone else will have a chance, and good luck to them!
Maybe you are the one who is insular, rigid, arrogant, paranoid, self-absorbed and out of touch. NJN produced many Emmy Award winning programs, including it’s Nightly News that focused on NJ. The range of reporting done and the depth and breadth of knowledge of the political history of this state that you got in listening to Reporter’s Roundtable will never be matched.They did so well at informing us what Trenton was like that they were silenced.
For Neil Shapiro to say that he will increase coverage depth when cutting the staff from 130 to 20 is ridiculous and insulting to our intelligence. Ask anyone on Long Island if their coverage was improved when WNET took over. Then of course, Steve Adubato will be providing HALF of the NJ programming- nice deal, eh? As for the deal itself: we’ve been robbed and like much of what Christie does the bill won’t come due til he’s moved on to his national goals. We, the taxpayers of NJ will be stuck with his legal bills, money owed to the feds and now WNET if it doesn’t make $6.7 million a year on NJN. ( I hear Brooklyn has a bridge they’re talking to Christie about.)
THE WHOLE DEAL STINKS TO HIGH HEAVEN OF BACKROOM POLITICS AND CHRISTIE/ADUBATO & CO HAVE A GREAT DEAL TO ANSWER FOR!
Obviously you are a relative of the Adubato family?? How often did you watch the station, perhaps once or twice, and didn’t like the way they portrayed the Governor?? And if you did watch is all of the time, then why did you, if it was such a horrid station?? There are many contradictions in your statements.
I just graduated journalism school and just moved to NJ. I am watching the broadcast right now and I am in tears. It is such a shame after 40 years they are now saying farewell.
I wish I could of been part of the cast.
For the past 2 years I have seen the newspaper go down with a lot of empty chairs. Now it is the tv newsroom with empty chairs.
I wonder if there is a way that this newscast can stay on?
It is not fair we need local news not just news from NY.
Thank You for coming into my home every day and presenting me with honest news. I am truly upset over losing you, and know that no other station will provide the outstanding job that you all did. I wish all of you the very best, and wish that this could be reversed. God Bless all of you!
I am so truly sad to witness your demise. I was with you from the beginning, in 1971, and I was with you to the end. As Michael Aron said, “All good things must come to an end”, but it is still extremely sad to see the end of such high-quality news programming.
I will never forget you guys and gals!
Dear Jim and Members of NJN News,
I have been a viewer for (40) years and without a doubt, your coverage of New Jersey has been not only balanced and highly factual but comprehensive and thorough. My deepest respect is offered to you, Mike Arons, Marie Denoia Arohnson, Joe Henry, Desiree Taylor and all of the reporters and staff!! To say NJN News and all of you will be tremendously missed is indeed an understatement.
All of you deserve much better treatment than what was accorded you by the Governor and members of the State Legislature who opposed the continuation of NJN News. I viewed the vote on Monday evening and could not help but think that the Governor’s version of bipartisanship is buying the vote of the four Democrats who opposed Senate President Weinberg’s bill. One can surmise from their vote that democracy and intelligent dialogue and truth are what they would prefer to be hidden so that business as usual can occur without question and challenge. This is a severe threat to our freedom and participation as citizenry. I presume accountability and honesty is not what the Governor would prefer so that he can do what he wills with free rein. No other station will cover the issues and public policy in the exemplary way in which you did.
I wish all of you the best and hope that you will continue your mission, if possible, wherever you are! You were the very best of American journalism, a rarity today. All of us are so very proud of you and will remember you in our prayers.
Sr. Patricia M. Hackett
Excellent post!
+1
Dear Jim and Members of NJN News,
I have been a viewer for (40) years and without a doubt, your coverage of New Jersey has been not only balanced and highly factual but comprehensive and thorough. My deepest respect is offered to you. Mike Arons, Marie DeNoia Arohnsohn, Joe Henry, Desiree Taylor and all of the reporters and staff! To say that NJN News and all of you will be missed is an understatement.
All of you deserve much better treatment than what was accorded you by the Governor and members of the State Legislature who opposed the continuation of NJN News. I viewed the vote on Monday evening and could not help but think that the Governor’s version of bipartisanship is buying the vote of four Democrats who opposed Senate President Weinberg’s bill. One can surmise from their vote that democracy and intelligent dialogue and truth are what they would prefer to be hidden so that business as usual can occur without question and challenge. This is a severe threat to our freedom and participation as citizenry. I presume accountability and honesty is not what the Governor would prefer so that he can do what he wills with free rein. No other station will cover the issues and public policy in the exemplary way in which you did.
I wish all of you the best and hope that you will continue your mission, if possible, wherever you are! You were the very best of American journalism and fidelity to the facts of a story; a rarity today. All of us are so very proud of you and will remember you in our prayers.
Patricia M. Hackett
good luck to all of you …..times change and its sad
I remember Parkside Ave… I remember building the new location, I remember NET’s attempted take over before. I will truely miss you.
A classy departure for a class act for 40 years.
Just watched your farewell broadcast with sadness. We will miss you every evening and on Sunday mornings. Thank you for all the years of excellent reporting and being the true voice of New Jersey. There will be a void. All the best to the employees of NJN; we are grateful for all your talent. God bless!
I am very saddened by the demise of NJN. I work for the State of NJ and would always say hello to Jim Hooker and security guard Doug.
It sickens me that this had to happen to such nice people!
Mo
This is so unfair. You all did an unbelievable job covering the important events all over the state, giving us our own identity…all the arguments are there and they are good ones. However, as usual, Christie has his own agenda for his state resources. We know he doesnt want any more attention paid to him than he feels is necessary…nor on his friends. YOu guys got a real bad deal but you went out with dignity and much love. No one will be able to fill your shoes. YOU WILL REALLY BE MISSED!
Eileen in Ewing Twp
Beautifully done. I shed a tear along with Jim Hooker. They say “You don’t know what you’ve got ’till it’s gone”, but I am sure that people reading this knew what they had in NJN news when they had it.
Good luck to the entire staff,
Igor
To reiterate what others have said above, “All of you deserve much better treatment than what was accorded you by the Governor and members of the State Legislature who opposed the continuation of NJN News.”
This has been a wake-up call for me regarding the morality of Chris Christie; he just threw you away.
Well said, Pamela!
As my friends and I usually say, the words “morality” and “Chris Christie” normally do not appear together in sentences unless “morality” is preceded by the words, “lack of”.
NJ is definitely a poorer place as a result of this action by our esteemed governor.
Steve Barna I have to say your are an idiot. While you may be entitled to express your thoughts, if you have nothing good to say….please don’t say anything. These are good people that did the best they could with almost nothing they were so underfunded, when I worked at the stat house I remember hearing them talk about having to tow one of their trucks to the state house to cover an address by the Gov. They did so much with next to nothing and they did it well!!!! and they will be missed!!!
A sad day for New Jersey. Perhaps if more residents had stuck up for NJN, it would not now be a thing of the past.
The ruined economy has hit most of us, usually, directly and in a personal way.
But this was in a different way. It has taken away a valuable local news source.
I wish you all the best.
Mark Story Jenks
The Farewell broadcast was a wonderful tribute. Thank you to all those at NJN who cover our diverse state so well, those on both sides of the cameras. The news was always informative and managed to cover even bad news in a thoughtful rather than hysterical way, so refreshing. Great documentaries that made you look anew at this unique place we live. And of course, On the Record and Reporter’s Roundtable, insightful questions, balance and amazing depth of knowledge. Professional right to the very end, you deserve nothing but praise and respect. Thank you so much and best wishes to all in all that you do.
Years went by that I never gave NJN news a thought, but my husband and I became hooked over the last several years and watched every night. It was the only place we got real NJ news instead of the murders, rapes, and politics of New York. We appreciated all the statewide issues, as well as local issues, that your news covered. We felt like we got to know the reporters and you will be missed in our household. Best of luck to you all.
I’m New York City, now TX i watch NJN News and NJN everyday. I will Miss this Channnel.
instead of selling njn radio and tv outright maybe you should have spun off
into a non profit foundation free of state control but i believe that idea was
rejected.this is similar to 1995 when mayor rudy giuliani sold wnyc radio to the
wnyc foundation and channel 31 to dow jones and itt 31 was later resold now
called ion.
njn should have been spun off into a non profit foundation taking over control
from the state like what giuliani did with wnyc radio and tv
A common crook throws the watchdog a steak to distract him while he robs the place.It takes a truely sadistic criminal to kill the watchdog.
Thank You NJN
The state should not be in the news business. NJN News has been advertised as not Philly and not New York but Philly and New York have commercial stations not paid for by the taxpaper. If NJN News could exist without taxpaper money it would still be on the air. Let it operate a station with commercials and other advertising. I would certainly watch it but that it never going to happen. If it had to get ratings it would have been off the air in 4 months instead of the 40 years it was on.
But the state is still in the news business. Christie is paying $5 million a year and yet we don’t even have a New Jersey station.
It’s NOT public TV if they do all the advertising….
I will miss you NJN! Especially the news and local shows. I have lived here over 10 years, you all have played a big part in my NJ experience. You told the truth without show and fluff, something that Gov. Christie does not want, he should be ashamed. Take care and best of luck to everyone!
I notice every time I do remember to tune in to the “new,improved, we can do it better” station that we were promised, I always manage to find Steve Adubato interviewing someone! I guess Daddy bought him an early birthday present! I have yet to find any relevant NJ news, just interviews. It is sad.
Qu’elle surprise non.
MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY! Something in his demeanor had always put me off but now I dislike him more than ever!! Why couldn’t the NJN news continue under the auspices of WNET? Kind of throwing the baby out with the bathwater…
As I related in detail on an earlier thread, since June of 2008 I’ve refused to watch anything Steve Adubato, who parades as a journalist while carrying a huge slanted view with him. l lived most of my life in NJ and will always be interested in the state, but right now I’m making do with the NJ news carried by 6ABC in Philly.
It is in tears I write this NJN farewell. Only for a short time did I know this station. Most notably the reporter Sarah Lee Kessler and camera crew. Ms. Kessler touched our hearts as a warm, humanitarian giving of her talents to aid communities worldwide. Health is our primary CONCERN AND GIFT. Sarah delivers with humility and grace. Her heart is pure gold. She is the epitomy of “quiet strength.” If Sarah is a sampling of this network, as I am sure she is, New Jersey has suffered a great loss. My heart goes out to all who have lost the services provided by NJN.
We are so thankful for the oppportunity to have met Sarah Lee. Much love and many, many good wishes.
The quality of life and security for the citizens has been largely restored and we are a large part of why that has happened.
Well, through Foxnews.com (not WNET!) I learn that Gov. Christie will lead Pres. Obama’s inspection of Paterson. Although my admiration for the Gov. is greatly diminished, I’m chuckling as I wonder if he (Christie) will take a helicopter to Paterson, and if so, will there be the kerfluffle that rose up when he used one to get to his son’s game.
Really. A game. It’s all a game, isn’t it?