Trump Executive Order To Impact 8 New Jersey TV, Radio Stations

NEW JERSEY — National Public Radio and PBS television stations in New Jersey will no longer receive federal funding under an executive order signed late Thursday by President Donald Trump to stop what he called “biased and partisan news coverage.”

New Jersey Public Radio (NJPR) stations include 88.1 WNJT-FM Trenton, 88.5 WNJP-FM Sussex, 89.3 WNJY-FM Netcong and 90.3 WNJO-FM Toms River/Seaside Park.

The NJ PBS network includes WNJN, WNJS, WNJB and WNJT, which collectively broadcast throughout the state. To find NJ PBS channels for TV, you can click here.

On Friday, NJ Senator Andy Kim called the decision to dismantle NPR and PBS’ legacies a “shameful, shortsighted betrayal of the public good.”

“So many of us know Mr. Rogers' kind smile and guiding words. His legacy was possible because of PBS,” Kim said. “My kids, just like people my own age did, have woken up excited to see their favorite PBS characters.”

“PBS, like NPR's headlines and voices, are a part of Americans' lives. They are there because they are trusted. They are relied on,” Kim continued. “Choosing to dismantle this legacy is a shameful, shortsighted betrayal of the public good.”

On Friday afternoon, Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ-06) said the president is "attacking PBS and NPR, eroding freedom of the press, and putting local news stations out of business."

"Reminder: Congress has the power of the purse, not him. The move is illegal and — like most of his power grabs — dead on arrival," Pallone said. "Big Bird will outlast you, Mr. President."

The executive order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies “to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS” and further requires that they work to root out indirect sources of public financing for the news organizations.

"Government funding of news media in this environment is not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence," the executive order says.

The White House, in a social media posting announcing the signing, said the outlets “receive millions from taxpayers to spread radical, woke propaganda disguised as 'news.'”

The broadcasters get roughly half a billion dollars in public money through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and have been preparing for the possibility of stiff cuts since Trump's election, as Republicans have long complained about them.

Paula Kerger, PBS’ CEO and president, said in a statement last month that the Trump administration’s effort to rescind funding for public media would “disrupt the essential service PBS and local member stations provide to the American people.”

“There’s nothing more American than PBS, and our work is only possible because of the bipartisan support we have always received from Congress,” she said. “This public-private partnership allows us to help prepare millions of children for success in school and in life and also supports enriching and inspiring programs of the highest quality.”

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting sued Trump earlier this week over his move to fire three members of its five-person board, contending that the president was exceeding his authority and that the move would deprive the board of a quorum needed to conduct business.

Just two weeks ago, the White House said it would be asking Congress to rescind funding for the CPB as part of a $9.1 billion package of cuts. That package, however, which budget director Russell Vought said would likely be the first of several, has not yet been sent to Capitol Hill.

The move against PBS and NPR comes as his administration has been working to dismantle the U.S. Agency for Global Media, including Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which were designed to model independent news gathering globally in societies that restrict the press.

Those efforts have faced pushback from federal courts, which have ruled in some cases that the Trump administration may have overstepped its authority in holding back funds appropriated to the outlets by Congress.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.