New Seasons of NJ PBS Favorite Public Affairs and Business Series Launch This Weekend

David Cruz’s series Chat Box and Reporters Roundtable along with NJ Business Beat with Rhonda Schaffler premiere new seasons with new graphic looks

September 16, 2022 – NEWARK, NJ –

NJ PBS announced its popular public affairs and business series will launch new seasons beginning this weekend. All will be debuting new, updated looks, but featuring the same in-depth Jersey-focused content viewers have come to expect. All programs will be available to stream after broadcast on MyNJPBS.org.

Chat Box with David Cruz, airing Saturday, September 17 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, September 18 at 10:30 a.m. on NJ PBS (check local listings) will kick off the new season with Moderator and NJ Spotlight News Sr. Political Correspondent David Cruz hosting a conversation with Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop about local controversies and his statewide ambitions. Also, Cruz also talks with Republican Sen. Mike Testa about gun safety laws in New Jersey. The weekly program also streams on the NJ Spotlight News YouTube channel Thursdays at 6 p.m.

Reporters Roundtable with David Cruz, which airs Saturday, September 17 at 6 p.m. and Sunday, September 18 at 10 a.m. on NJ PBS (check local listings) will welcome NJ Dept. of Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli to discuss staff vacancies and other challenges facing the state’s health department in the pandemic’s wake. Moderator David Cruz and reporters Colleen O’Dea (NJ Spotlight News), Charles Stile (The Record) and Daniel Han (Politico) also break down top NJ and national headlines. The program also streams live on the NJ Spotlight News YouTube channel Fridays at 10 a.m.

NJ Business Beat with Rhonda Schaffler launches another season of in-depth business analysis, airing Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. on NJ PBS (check local listings) beginning September 17^.  In the season premiere, Host and NJ Spotlight News Business Correspondent Rhonda Schaffler sits down with education experts to discuss the challenges facing k-12 schools, innovative educational programs for college students and why some advocates say we need more than student loan forgiveness to solve the issue of the high cost of college. Interviews include financial education expert Tiffany Aliche. The program also streams on the NJ Spotlight News YouTube Channel Saturdays at 10 a.m.

All series are produced by the NJ Spotlight News team for NJ PBS. NJ Spotlight News provides multiplatform reporting from across the Garden State on its weeknight newscast, NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi (see Schedule), plus live news specials, community engagement events and daily newsletters. It recently launched its first podcast, Hazard NJ, investigating the effect of climate change on NJ Superfund sites. Discover more at NJSpotlightNews.org.

ABOUT NJ PBS 

NJ PBS, New Jersey’s public television network, brings quality arts, education, and public affairs programming to all 21 counties in the state. Headquartered at the Agnes Varis NJ PBS Studio in Newark, the network offers diverse local programs including American Songbook at NJPAC, Chat Box with David Cruz, NJ Business Beat with Rhonda Schaffler, Here’s the Story, Drive By History, One-on-One with Steve Adubato, State of the Arts and Treasures of New Jersey and PBS favorites such as Nature, NOVA, Amanpour and Company and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Its award-winning news division, NJ Spotlight News, provides multiplatform reporting from across the Garden State on its weeknight newscast, NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi, and digitally via NJSpotlightNews.org, plus live news specials, community engagement events and daily newsletters. It recently launched its first podcast, Hazard NJ, investigating the effect of climate change on NJ Superfund sites. The MyNJPBS.org network website offers streaming programs and free digital resources for educators via PBS LearningMedia New Jersey. NJ PBS is operated under an agreement with the state of New Jersey by Public Media NJ, Inc. (PMNJ), a non-profit affiliate of The WNET Group, the parent company of award-winning New York public television stations THIRTEEN and WLIW21..