NJTV News Senior Correspondent David Cruz moderates both public affairs programs, which will premiere online and broadcast beginning this week

David Cruz, moderator of NJTV’s Chat Box and Reporters Roundtable. Photo by Joseph Sinnott/NJTV

September 17, 2020 – NEWARK, NJ – NJTV, New Jersey’s public television network, announced that two of its public affairs shows, Chat Box and Reporters Roundtable, will begin new seasons this week, with fresh multiplatform formats and NJTV News Sr. Correspondent David Cruz at their helm. Cruz will also continue his reporting duties for the network’s weeknight newscast, NJTV News with Briana Vannozzi.

Chat Box with David Cruz, which launched on YouTube earlier this year, finds Cruz talking with newsmakers from New Jersey’s political, business and cultural worlds, with conversation powered by viewer questions, submitted in real-time during the discussion and tweeted. The show will maintain that format as it streams live Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. on the NJ Spotlight News YouTube Channel.  The show will also now be broadcast Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. and Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on NJTV.

Reporters Roundtable is a perennial public affairs series on New Jersey public television that will now reach new audiences with a multiplatform presence. Founded by its longtime host and now semi-retired Chief Political Correspondent Michael Aron, the next generation of the series is moderated by Cruz, who will lead its in-depth discussion of New Jersey issues in the State House and beyond with leading journalists from across the Garden State. The program premieres online, live on the NJ Spotlight News YouTube Channel, on Fridays at 10 a.m., followed by broadcast encores on Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m. on NJTV.

“Only on public television can you find series like Chat Box and Reporters Roundtable that offer such in-depth discourse about critical issues affecting our state,” said NJTV General Manager John Servidio. “We’re delighted to have David Cruz, with his State House savvy and years of reporting experience, at the helm of these discussions as we extend their reach across all of our platforms.”

“It’s a privilege to be able to report on the state that I love and bring my insight to the table on these shows every week,” said Cruz. “The fact that we can now share these conversations in real-time with our audience makes them even more timely and engaging, not to mention fun to moderate.”

Major funding for Chat Box with David Cruz is provided by NJM Insurance Group, New Jersey Education Association and the Fuel Merchants Association of New Jersey.  Promotional support is provided by InsiderNJ.

Major funding for Reporters Roundtable with David Cruz is provided by NJM Insurance Group, RWJBarnabas Health, and New Jersey Realtors.  Promotional support is provided by New Jersey Business Magazine.