Montclair State University has been selected as the operator of NJ PBS, New Jersey’s network of four state-owned public TV stations, ending a period of uncertainty about the broadcaster’s future in the wake of federal funding cuts.

New Jersey State Treasurer Aaron Binder and the university announced the five-year deal to make the university the programming and management operator of NJ PBS. The state legislature now has 15 days to review the contract between the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority and the university. Lawmakers have expressed strong support for NJ PBS to continue operations.

Montclair State was one of four bidders for the management contract, which follows months of uncertainty over NJ PBS’s future. The WNET Group, parent of WNET New York and WLIW Garden City, N.Y., had operated NJ PBS since 2011, but said last fall that it wouldn't renew its contract with the NJBPA, citing significant state and federal budget cuts.

WNET Group’s contract is set to expire June 30. That prompted fears NJ PBS might shutter at the end of this month.

“Public broadcasting is a vital public service that ensures New Jersey families have access to trusted news, educational programming, and information about their communities,” said New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat. “At a time when local journalism faces growing challenges, today’s action keeps this essential service alive in New Jersey.”

The five-year agreement includes two five-year extensions and makes Montclair State responsible for programming the network and providing at least six hours per week of New Jersey-centric programming, including a nightly newscast on weeknights and other public-affairs programming; live broadcasts of the governor's State of the State Address and budget message; and New Jersey election coverage.

Public television has long held importance to government officials in New Jersey, who argue the state is underserved by commercial and public TV stations in nearby New York and Philadelphia. In 1968, the state established the NJPBA to launch and operate the four stations, known on-air as New Jersey Network (NJN) until former Gov. Chris Christie ended direct state involvement and inked the deal with WNET Group in 2011. The NJPBA still holds the station licenses.

“New Jersey’s public television stations exist to serve every resident of this state, and this selection reflects our commitment to ensuring that mission continues on a sustainable, long-term foundation,” said Rick Williams, NJBPA executive director. “Montclair State University brings broadcast-ready infrastructure, deep community ties, and a demonstrated commitment to New Jersey journalism. We look forward to working with the University and the Legislature as this transition moves forward.”

In announcing the deal, MSU said it plans to reimagine public media and expand the value public broadcasting can provide to New Jersey residents. As part of that effort, it said it plans to draw on the state’s 300-plus news organizations, its colleges and universities and its diverse communities to create and inform programming made stronger through collaboration and shared expertise.

In addition to a robust broadcast presence with daily newscast and discussion programming, NJ PBS said it will focus significant efforts on digital and social media content as well as in-person events and public engagement.

MSU’s proposal used existing university assets to create an operational budget that reflects the difficult financial climate for public media in the wake of the Trump Administration's push to end federal funding.

Montclair State has committed to providing $1.2 million annually of in-kind contributions, including studio access, engineering expertise, IT infrastructure, human resources, finance, legal, and facilities management. It also includes teaching and internship opportunities for students.

The station will be housed in MSU’s College of Communication and Media. The college has a production facility, complete with professional broadcast studios and film stages, multiple control rooms, a multimedia newsroom and engineering infrastructure built for network-level production. Faculty and staff bring extensive professional experience in the New Jersey and national media landscapes, and the college has been nationally recognized for its work while preparing the next generation of New Jersey media professionals.

More than 20 full-time employees will initially operate NJ PBS, including three reporters and a production team of 11. Students will also participate through internships and supervised experiential learning opportunities.

In addition, MSU said that the Center for Cooperative Media, housed within its College of Communication and Media, will help build the backbone of NJ PBS’s statewide journalism model.

The university said the center’s longstanding relationships with hundreds of New Jersey news organizations provide NJ PBS with an existing statewide journalism ecosystem to support collaborative reporting and community-informed storytelling across all regions of the state. Montclair’s operation of NJ PBS will also include content partnerships, including collaborative agreements with other New Jersey colleges and universities as well as civic, arts and news organizations, ensuring network content reflects the diversity and talents of New Jersey’s residents and communities.

MSU plans to produce a daily newscast and discussion program, a weekly public affairs roundtable, and sports coverage, including a formal partnership with the New Jersey Athletic Conference.

MONTCLAIR, N.J.—In 2015, Sony Electronics and Montclair State University (MSU) entered into a strategic alliance to give the school’s students, faculty and staff access to the same state-of-the-art Sony professional technology used by the world’s leading broadcasters—often meeting or exceeding the equipment standards students would encounter on-the-job. From switchers, servers and storage to projectors, displays and studio and PTZ cameras, MSU employs Sony’s solutions across our campus. 

TOUCHLESS MEDIA

One way we stay ahead of the curve and preserve our most important media is through our adoption of Sony’s Optical Disc Archive (ODA), which is critical to our long-term archival storage. We use Sony’s ODSL30M PetaSite, a scalable 30-slot master library unit to archive, safeguard and easily recall the university’s most visible live events, including graduation ceremonies, presidential addresses, theater performances and concerts.

We chose Sony’s ODA for our long-term archival storage because it is a touchless media, meaning the only thing that touches the disc during the Write/Read process is a laser light. Other archival options use a physical tape that touches drums and rollers and heads. This translates to less wear and tear and a longer shelf life.

Another reason why we chose the ODA system is because of its backwards compatibility. If we opt to buy a next-generation system, I can take my Generation Two cartridges and the system will read off of them. I don’t have to worry about making sure that I am transferring my old media onto new media to stay current, and the readers and writers are also compatible. That translates to long-term savings for us.

SIMPLIFYING THE PROCESS

In terms of workflow, we archive large-scale events and performances that represent the university. Once an event takes place, we can send the RAW files to the ingest folder. From there, Storage DNA will pick them up. We metadata tag the files for easy search, which are then sent to a cartridge into ODA.

Prior to adopting ODA, we were primarily using external hard drives. Using Sony’s solution is easier, faster and gives us peace of mind. I don’t have to worry about a hard drive sitting on the shelf for years and then plugging it in and hoping it works.

Additionally, hard drives are often not labeled and in order to understand what is on the drive you have to plug it in and check. With ODA and Storage DNA, I can simply search the metadata tags for the content I’m looking for and it will locate what cartridge it’s on.

This allows me to easily tell the system to grab a specific cartridge and export its contents from that folder back to our hard drive system, so that I can locate it and do what I want with the file. Previously, we were digging through hard drives or losing track of tapes and information due to personnel changes. With ODA, I know that everything that is important to the university is secure and easily discoverable.

Another benefit of ODA is its scalability. It’s great that we could buy a smaller base unit with the understanding that in the future, we can just add in more bays and more drives to expand and grow the system, which has less impact on our bottom line.

Between the purchase of the system, the cartridge and the backwards compatibility, we are confident it will grow along with our operations for years to come.

Adam Goldberg is Montclair State University’s chief engineer for the Broadcast and Media Operations for the College of the Arts. He has also served as the chief engineer of WMSC radio since January 2013. He can be reached at goldbergad@montclair.edu.

For more information, visit www.sony.com.

MONTCLAIR, N.J.—When Montclair State University’s new School of Communications and Media Building opens in the spring of 2017, it will feature the latest in Sony 4K and HD technology, as well as professional training, as part of a strategic, long-term partnership with Sony.

Montclair State University's Dean Gurskis and Sony's Shigeki Ishizuka touring the site of the University's new School of Communication and Media building (PRNewsFoto/Sony Electronics)

Modeled after Sony’s Digital Motion Picture Center on its studio in Culver City, Calif., Montclair State’s new facility will feature 4K facilities and tools—including Sony laser projectors, studio cameras, production switchers and monitors—as a training and educational resource for students and production professionals. It will also serve as a location for Sony to host business development events, conduct training and promote new technologies.

Another facet of this new alliance will have Sony allowing Montclair State communication and media students to attend the annual NAB Show, as well as creating internships, mentoring and training programs for them.

“For years to come, the initiative will generate and deliver widely beneficial educational, business and career-development opportunities for our communication and media students, as well as film and broadcast industry professionals in New Jersey and New York City,” said Susan A. Cole, Montclair State University president.