State Owned TV & Radio: Why?

[amfmsw]

Here's a question for NEW JERSEY residents. With our crushing State debt load and unbearable tax burdens, some in Trenton want to sell/lease our toll roads. I do NOT want to incurr a political (Dem vs Rep) discussion, however, with that in mind, why do we hold onto those 24 karat signals that cover all of NJ, NYC and Phila, and clog the non-com FM band?

Why does the state need to run a broadcast group?

What are they worth on the auction market to help lessen our "leaders" irresponsible spending debt? Radio $? TV$?

Do you feel NJN Radio/TV News is influenced (Fox vs CNN style) by who resides in Drumthwacket?

Other than NJN News, doesn't Allentown PBS, Phila TV 12 and NYC 13 basically offer the same exact fare, but at different times?

Should the State own a Broadcast Group?

 

[Big Jay]

NO!, and they never SHOULD have. I believe the state should divest itself of ALL of it's broadcast interests. While there are some worthy programs on the TV side, it's mostly just another PBS station. The radio side could be sold to minority owners or people who WILL continue to 'serve the public interest'. The state has NO business being in the broadcast biz as I have ALWAYS thought that some of the programing seems slanted for political reasons. I'll never forget when NJ 101.5 was in the thick of the Florio tax thing back in the early 90's, when NJN's reporters were actually perturbed by the whole 'thing'..and at the same time seemed almost condescending. That was MY observation..and they seemed like WE were just a bunch of rubes who wanted to stir up trouble. Well, the last part was right.
Get RID of it all NOW..it could bring at least hundreds of millions for the lot of them..plus the TOWERS they own are VALUABLE real estate. I have NO dislike of the PEOPLE who work there, but I'm sure that most broadcast pros can find other gigs. But I have to find one for ME first..so get outa my way..
BE BIG
www.bigjayandanita.com

 

[ontheair247]

I think the State should be in the broadcast biz and continue to do so.
I've never been an employee there, but from what I've seen they seem to be a very efficient and well run group. Politically, I don't think anyone will touch the issue of selling off the properties to private business. If they where sold, the programming would likely change to more of the usual tv fare one finds on the rest of the dial.

Besides, as they like to say over in 101.5 land, "Not New York, not Philadelphia, NEW JERSEY Public Broadcast TV".

 

[fredflintstone]

NJN stations are all non-commercial allocations. They could not be sold to commercial broadcasters. So, to whom would you all want them sold? Some religious group for 24/7 hellfire and brimstone? Some school so students can play radio instead of studying and learning something useful? This option would also be at taxpayer expense. Another level of government maybe, but it still comes out of our pockets.

NJN Radio (and this is a radio board - the TV stations are another topic for another board) does serve a useful function. They carry public radio programs the out of stations do not. As a result, public radio listeners in this region have more choices available. And public radio (even if it's not what you would listen to personally) does serve a segment of the public - unlike student radio or preachers.

One solution is what the City of New York did when they were in even worse financial shape than New Jersey. They sold the municipal stations (WNYC, WNYC-FM and WNYC-TV) to a private membership foundation, set up to take over the station. This is similar to the membership foundations that operate WHYY-TV12, WHYY-FM91, WNET-TV13 and many other public broadcasting outlets. The WNYC stations are stronger than ever - and so is their on-air product. Under the city, they had crappy facilities and had to cater to the whims of politicians (like when Ed Koch made drop out of All Things Considered to run the "John Report"). NJN could do something similar.

Jazz88 WBGO-FM in Newark is already operating under a membership foundation, although originally founded by the Newark Board of Education.

And while I don't think the state government should operate any broadcast facility, I do think it's an appropriate activity for taxpayer supported colleges and universities (such as Mercer County Community College's classical station)

 

[flashpan]

The operations of these radio stations is not as big as you think. Selling NJN radio would not help the taxpayers of the state. The people who work there are civil minded folks with the public interests in mind not the will of any administration.

The state needs to have a radio group...to serve the people of the state. The other public radio stations also serve a function that their commercial counterparts do not.

Unbearable tax burden...I think not. How much do we (the taxpayers) pay for a mosquito commission?

Should the state sell off their radio interests? No. It's short-sighted solution that would have an adverse affect on us.

 

[fredflintstone]

The operations of these radio stations is not as big as you think. Selling NJN radio would not help the taxpayers of the state. The people who work there are civil minded folks with the public interests in mind not the will of any administration.

The state needs to have a radio group...to serve the people of the state. The other public radio stations also serve a function that their commercial counterparts do not.

Unbearable tax burden...I think not. How much do we (the taxpayers) pay for a mosquito commission?

Should the state sell off their radio interests? No. It's short-sighted solution that would have an adverse affect on us.

What is Evian spelled backwards?

Do you really trust politicians and the bureaucrats who work for them to run a statewide news service covering, among other things, state politicians and bureaucrats?

Do you even read beyond the first post before replying?

These stations are all non-commercial allocations - in the non-commercial band. They can not be sold to commercial broadcasters?

 

[tom]

Hmmm ... yeah if they took NJN TV off the air and sold the property next to Quaker Bridge Mall and took the 1200 foot tower down and built condos there, you would hear "Not New York, not Philadelphia, Proud to serve Trenton from our 200 foot tower ... New Jersey 101.5" I'm a member of NJN Radio, I give them $ 100 a year, and don't even ask for a free coffee mug. It's a valuable service, not otherwise available where I travel in South Jersey.

 

[flashpan]

What is Evian spelled backwards?

Do you really trust politicians and the bureaucrats who work for them to run a statewide news service covering, among other things, state politicians and bureaucrats?

Do you even read beyond the first post before replying?

These stations are all non-commercial allocations - in the non-commercial band. They can not be sold to commercial broadcasters?

I'm glad we can have a civilized discussion on these boards.

 

[amfmsw]

Evian, er flash...NJ has the higest real-estate taxes in the Nation. Maybe you don't own a house or business, but have you really looked at your tax bill? In other states, State Aid lowers local property & school taxes. Here cigarettes carry over $4 in state taxes, then they charge sales tax on their tax! Oh, yeah 7% sales tax, while Delaware has NONE! Meanwhile, we're paying for a year 'round snow dome playland at the Meadowlands! How much energy will this sorely needed State Needed asset use to keep it at 20 degrees?

There must be some broadcast group dreuling from chin to knee to acquire what must be the #1 broadcast coverage in the US. They'll run it more efficiently than Trenton Government, Tom will still get his news and be able to contribute, we'll all get "public service not NY or PA", and Jay and talented people like him will have more opportunies.

 

[flashpan]

Although this conversation is about NJN there is no way we can avoid the obvious...that we pay a lot of taxes. I own a house and pay my fair share of taxes. I also just got reaccessed and will be paying more taxes in the very near future.

The grass may look greener on the southern boarder, but Delaware gets a lot of income from taxes collected from business, namely the credit card companies not their residents.

The problem of the taxes we pay cannot be simply solved by selling NJN, the Parkway, Turnpike, etc. It's also not my job to solve it. I doubt it's not any one of us, for that matter. Throwing money at something like this is not going to solve the problem. A solution is sorely needed but I think it will take a total change of attitude of not only the state, but local and county municipalities and school boards.

Again, selling off NJN is not a good idea. It's short-sighted.

 

[fredflintstone]

Again, selling off NJN is not a good idea. It's short-sighted.

I will try to be as civil here as I can. Non-responsive replies do try my patience.

Sell NJN Radio: To whom? The NJN frequencies are not available to commercial broadcasters (including commercial religious broadcasters). I repeat, the FM band between 88 and 92 Mhz is available for non-commercial use only. Schools. Churches (although not commercial religious broadcasters). Foundations. Government. None of these is likely to pay Pmuch - if anything - for NJN. The best case is some non-profit, public sector organization takes NJN off the government's hands.

The amount of state money that goes to NJN is a miniscule part of the state budget. That said, I do not like the idea of any news agency (including a public broadcaster) being under the control of any branch of the government. There is an inherent conflict of interest (as seen repeatedly in New York City's operation of WNYC).

Flash, you assume that getting the state out of the picture means the end of New Jersey-based public radio. It does not. But public radio needs to be independent of outside influence - especially of political influence. The state of New Jersey repeatedly demonstrates they can't do anything right (a big part of the reason taxes are the way they are). How can you trust them to operate a public radio station? And don't forget all the political pressure on public broadcasting from the federal government because of CPB funding.

Also NJN radio does very little local programming. Almost everything - except the audio from the TV newscast - is national programming from NPR, APM, PRI, the BBC, the CBC... Maybe a foundation would have more of a stake in real local news and talk programming (like WNYC does for New York and WHYY does for Philadelphia).

And on what basis do you claim, "The people who work there are civil minded folks with the public interests in mind not the will of any administration." I say - in all civility - bull! These are government employees. Hired and fired by the government. They know who signs the checks. What is your objection to a listener supported foundation - independent of the government - owning and operating New Jersey public radio?

PS: I would like to see such a foundation responsive to the people public radio serves. The board of this foundation should be elected by NJN members (meaning people who have responded at pledge time), not self-perpetuating like WHYY.

PPS: Delaware may have all the credit card companies and no sales taxes. Income and property tax rates there are pretty healthy. And Delaware is the only state in the union with no public radio (they do have repeaters for some out of state public radio music stations). The state does underwrite the Delaware newscast on TV12, a very timid broadcast not prone to bite the hand that feeds it.

 

[uncle2000mike]

NJN stations are all non-commercial allocations. They could not be sold to commercial broadcasters. So, to whom would you all want them sold? Some religious group for 24/7 hellfire and brimstone? Some school so students can play radio instead of studying and learning something useful? This option would also be at taxpayer expense. Another level of government maybe, but it still comes out of our pockets.

NJN Radio (and this is a radio board - the TV stations are another topic for another board) does serve a useful function. They carry public radio programs the out of stations do not. As a result, public radio listeners in this region have more choices available. And public radio (even if it's not what you would listen to personally) does serve a segment of the public - unlike student radio or preachers.

One solution is what the City of New York did when they were in even worse financial shape than New Jersey. They sold the municipal stations (WNYC, WNYC-FM and WNYC-TV) to a private membership foundation, set up to take over the station. This is similar to the membership foundations that operate WHYY-TV12, WHYY-FM91, WNET-TV13 and many other public broadcasting outlets. The WNYC stations are stronger than ever - and so is their on-air product. Under the city, they had crappy facilities and had to cater to the whims of politicians (like when Ed Koch made drop out of All Things Considered to run the "John Report"). NJN could do something similar.

Jazz88 WBGO-FM in Newark is already operating under a membership foundation, although originally founded by the Newark Board of Education.

And while I don't think the state government should operate any broadcast facility, I do think it's an appropriate activity for taxpayer supported colleges and universities (such as Mercer County Community College's classical station)

WNYC-TV was never part of a membership foundation. It was sold to the Dow Jones Co. It was to be a news and business channel. When that didn't work, Pax Corp. bought the station from Dow Jones.

 

[fredflintstone]

WNYC-TV was never part of a membership foundation. It was sold to the Dow Jones Co. It was to be a news and business channel. When that didn't work, Pax Corp. bought the station from Dow Jones.

WNYC 820 is an AM station. No non-commercial allocations were ever set aside on the AM band.
WNYC-FM 93.9 FM is outside the non-commercial FM and is not a non-commercial allocation.
WNYC-TV was also not on a channel allocated for non-commercial use.

The WNYC Foundation assumed the two radio stations, not the TV station. New York City receives several public television stations including WNET-TV13, also operated by a membership foundation.

But the NJN radio (or TV) stations are all non-commercial allocations and could not be sold to commercial broadcasters. Never. Nada. No way. Don't believe me, check the FCC website.

 

[eatspaste]

PPS: Delaware may have all the credit card companies and no sales taxes. Income and property tax rates there are pretty healthy. And Delaware is the only state in the union with no public radio (they do have repeaters for some out of state public radio music stations). The state does underwrite the Delaware newscast on TV12, a very timid broadcast not prone to bite the hand that feeds it.

Don't worry. The residents of Delaware got screwed over when the State bought 1380 AM for hundreds of thousands of dollars instead of putting a few 10 watt AM stations on the air to serve the same purpose.

Hey, DelDOT: it's called a legal ID. You should look into doing one once and a while on WTMC!

 

[fredflintstone]

Don't worry. The residents of Delaware got screwed over when the State bought 1380 AM for hundreds of thousands of dollars instead of putting a few 10 watt AM stations on the air to serve the same purpose.

Hey, DelDOT: it's called a legal ID. You should look into doing one once and a while on WTMC!

Heck, they didn't even need to do that. They could have done carrier current along 95 and route one. Of course, 1380 is just the same scheduled construction and repair notices you can get off their website. Of course, outside of AM and PM drive, what is passed off as traffic reports on WDEL and WILM are pre-recorded construction and repair notices from DelDOT.

Delaware should put on the license plates: "More pathetic than New Jersey."
Whatever bad you have to say about Jersey, Delaware is worse.
NJ has real public radio. Delaware has canned traffic.
NJ has NJ 101.5, the future of talk radio and Delaware has WDEL, the past.

 

[amfmsw]

Other than the Wilmington area, what need is there for DE "traffic"? Most of the state is either Farmland, or seashore tourism. The only time real traffic repots are needed south of Wilmington are two weekends in June and September, when Nascar is running in Dover.

In NJ, Mellinium does an excellent job of traffic and news...independant news. Just ask Jim McGreevy.

The DuPonts and Chase Bank carrying the DE taxload? I've got news for you. They are there because of the FRIENDLY (read minimal) tax situation. And in NJ, what do you call the casinos, other than a cash engine for Trenton? They were supposed to LOWER our personal taxes. Trenton spent every last penny, and then some, including NJN state employees pension fund!

Let's say fred is 100% correct. Could the NJN group be LMA'd by a foundation headed by J&J, Campbell's, Merck, Hess or any large NJ based corporation, run non-commercial, with the state GETTING payments instead of SENDING payments? The taxpayers get to keep the stations, the taxpayers get a break, the taxpayers get editorial independence, and the Corporation get immeasurable goodwill and a handsome tax shelter.

Besides, after too many years on the air, I've learned when it comes to the FCC, never say never.

 

[fredflintstone]

Besides, after too many years on the air, I've learned when it comes to the FCC, never say never.

True. But allowing a commercial broadcaster to operate in the 88-91 band would be a huge and highly unlikely step. The public broadcasting lobby would fight hard to keep this door from being opened. And if the FCC were to open this door, for NJN or any other non-commercial station, they probably wouldn't do it just once.

I doubt a listener foundation would agree to an LMA. It would be a dumb move. Most likely, they'd take over the licenses.

But you raise an interesting point. Many (most) public radio stations do make money - lots of money - from corporate sponsors. NJN doesn't seem to go after this "income" like WHYY and WNET, or even WNYC (which became a lot more aggressive in "development" after it went private). Public radio stations are non-profits so they can't pay dividends to share holders. They have to spend it. So they pay managers extravagant salaries, build fancy new buildings and install the latest equipment. On top of that, they invest in profit-making enterprises. NJN could make money, if properly managed, while maintaining - even improving - program quality. I don't think this will happen with civil service workers running the show and I would much prefer to see NJN operate as a private non-profit. Still, in theory, NJN could be a source of revenue for the state. Many university-owned public radio stations do put money into school coffers. Which suggests another possibility: transfer NJN to Rutgers and let them run it.

Hint to the University of Delaware: Take your full power non-commercial FM station away from students, who use it as a toy, and make a real public radio station out of it. While you're at it, get the state to transfer the AM traffic station to the university, too. Delaware could have a first class public radio operation that would actually bring money to the U of D, as well as promote the school.

 

[cawasinnj]

Hint to the University of Delaware: Take your full power non-commercial FM station away from students, who use it as a toy, and make a real public radio station out of it.

I'm not familiar with the situation there, but that sounds suspicious to me. There are too many "University" stations that operate as autonomous units having little to do with the parent organization other than a common board of directors. A university is supposed to teach. There are some basics of radio you can teach in a classroom, but to really understand it you need to DO it. That's where a radio station becomes essential, whether it's a carrier current campus station, a little class A, or a full blown class B.

 

[fredflintstone]

I'm not familiar with the situation there, but that sounds suspicious to me. There are too many "University" stations that operate as autonomous units having little to do with the parent organization other than a common board of directors. A university is supposed to teach. There are some basics of radio you can teach in a classroom, but to really understand it you need to DO it. That's where a radio station becomes essential, whether it's a carrier current campus station, a little class A, or a full blown class B.

The question is: Should a university be teaching "the basics of radio" in the first place?
College is a unique and very expensive opportunity. Should students be wasting that opportunity playing radio.
A student radio station is one thing as an extra-curricular activity. Carrier current or LPFM is one thing, but scarce FM bandwidth - especially in the crowded Northeast corridor - should not be wasted on a student toy.
And college's offering majors in broadcasting should be charged with fraud. Notice that the people who run the industry were not broadcasting majors. Broadcasting courses are an opportunity for slackers to enjoy the benefits of campus life without serious study. And at the end, there is little opportunity for gainful employment.

 

[amfmsw]

There are always exceptions. I believe that Princeton's 103.1 is a playground, as well as Stockton's 91.7 sandbox. But if you worked/studied under Frank Hogan, former CE of WFIL, at Rowan's WGLS, you learned about real-world radio. They have won more awards for Journalism, News, Public Affairs and Features. One look at their schedule, and you can easily see, Radio is taken seroiusly at 89.7.

http://wgls.rowan.edu/schedule.html I believe you can easily get a job in broadcasting after a stint at Rowan. Their Radio/TV/Film and Journalism grads are a who's who of household names in broadcasting. They are a shining exception.