(TRENTON) – Lawmakers will hold three public meetings of the bipartisan Legislative Task Force on Public Broadcasting to hear from invited speakers and the public on the future of New Jersey Network Public Television and Radio (NJN).
The 10-member panel was created by a measure approved in June after Governor Chris Christie included a provision in the FY 2011 budget to drastically reduce state funding to the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority, the operator of NJN.
The members of the taskforce were appointed by Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. and Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce.
The appointed members include: Senators Nia H. Gill (D-Essex), Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), Jeff Van Drew (D-Cape May), Sean T. Kean (R-Monmouth) and Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth), as well as Assembly members Lou Greenwald (D-Camden), Thomas Giblin (D-Essex), Nellie Pou (D-Passaic), Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce (R-Morris), and Assemblyman John Amodeo (R-Atlantic).
The task force is charged with issuing a report to the Governor and the Legislature by October 15. The Governor’s spending plan provides funding for NJN through the end of this year.
Each meeting of the task force will focus on a distinct topic. The scheduled meetings are as follows:
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
MERCER COUNTY
WHAT: Meeting of the Legislative Task Force on Public Broadcasting – An Overview of NJN and Public Media in New Jersey
WHEN: Tuesday, September 14, at 10 AM
WHERE: Committee Room 4, State House, Trenton, NJ
Thursday, September 16, 2010
ATLANTIC COUNTY
WHAT: Meeting of the Legislative Task Force on Public Broadcasting – Workforce and Labor Issues
WHEN: Thursday, September 16, at 10 AM
WHERE: Lakeside Lodge, Stockton College, Pomona, NJ
Thursday, September 23, 2010
ESSEX COUNTY
WHAT: Meeting of the Legislative Task Force on Public Broadcasting – NJN Programming, Assets and Related Issues
WHEN: Thursday, September 23, at 6 PM
WHERE: Montclair Municipal Building, Council Chambers, Montclair, NJ