WHO WE ARE WHAT WE DO YOU CAN HELP THE NEED FOR COVERAGE NEW JERSEY'S MEDIA MARKET THE FCC AND KEY LEGISLATION HISTORY OF MEDIA ACTIVISM 1PLs 3-month LOAN >

The Need for Improved Media Coverage in New Jersey

Although one of the most affluent and densely populated states in the nation, New Jersey is one of only two states without a VHF network television affiliate. This deficit is all the more remarkable in light of the following:

"   New Jersey has the second highest per capita income in the nation.

"   When analyzed by race and country of origin, New Jersey is the most demographically diverse state in the nation.

"   Vermont, the nation's second smallest state (by population) has TWO network affiliates. White River Junction, population 2,600, is home to Vermont's NBC affiliate. Of New Jersey's 566 municipalities, 466 have more people than White River Junction.

"   The state of North Dakota ranks 48th in population, yet is home to NINE network affiliates. Fargo, North Dakota's largest city, has 97,000 people and three network affiliates. Six New Jersey municipalities are larger than Fargo, and yet New Jersey has NO network affiliates.

"   With over 8.5 million people, North Carolina is approximately equal to New Jersey in population. However, North Carolina has 21 network affiliates, including four in Charlotte. NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX all have stations in Charlotte.

"   The City of Newark, New Jersey's largest municipality, has more than twice the populations of Burlington, Vermont, and Fargo, North Dakota COMBINED. Nonetheless, New Jersey residents still must watch news broadcasts targeted to Philadelphia or New York because we have NO network affiliates.

"   If separated from the New York and Philadelphia television markets, New Jersey would be the fourth largest market in the nation. Please examine the page on New Jersey's Media Market for a more thorough discussion of this topic.