Vote To Halt Transfer Of NJN Scheduled Today

TRENTON, NJ (CBS) - The New Jersey state senate is scheduled to vote today on a move approved by the assembly last week that halts the transfer of New Jersey Network to public broadcasters based in New York. Approval is not expected to save the network.

The Christie Administration can use nothing more than persuasion to convince senators to allow the transfer to WNET to go through. But they're making it clear layoffs of current NJN staffers will go ahead come Friday -- deal or no deal -- because there's no money in the state budget to retain them.

If the transfer is nixed, officials have indicated they'll keep just enough people to keep the four-station network on the air, with minimal programming, nothing new. And the nightly newscast would be gone. WNET's plan calls for a bare bones, PBS Newshour style presentation, based in New York this summer, with operations moving to somewhere in New Jersey in September.

Reported by David Madden, KYW Newsradio 1060