Howard J. Blumenthal Appointed Interim Executive Director of NJN
and Interim President of the NJN Foundation

STATEWIDE – The New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority (NJPBA) Board of Commissioners passed a resolution at its Board meeting today appointing Howard J. Blumenthal Interim Executive Director of NJN Public Television and Radio, New Jersey’s public broadcasting network, as of September 22, 2009. Blumenthal also will serve as Interim President of the NJN Foundation, the non-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization that sponsors programs and raises funds from the private sector, foundations, and individuals to support NJN.

Blumenthal replaces Janice Selinger, who has served as Temporary Acting NJN Executive Director and Temporary Acting Foundation President since June 30, 2009, when the NJPBA Commissioners appointed her during the absence of an Executive Director, and until such time as one was appointed by the Commissioners. Selinger will resume her duties as Acting Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Executive Director for Production.

During his tenure at NJN, Blumenthal will be based in NJN’s Trenton office and manage day-to-day operations and strategic development. In addition to his duties as Interim Executive Director of NJN Public Television and Radio and Interim President of the NJN Foundation, Blumenthal remains CEO of Independence MediaBlumenthal will continue to work with Independence Media and its three channels - - MiND: Media Independence, Global MiND, and MHz Worldview. MiND emphasizes community engagement and learning with innovative strategies for program production and consumer-produced media.

Blumenthal brings to NJN over 30 years of experience in the broadcasting industry. From 2002 until 2004, Blumenthal was the CEO and co-founder of New Century Television, which developed and distributed broadband video-on-demand channels for niche audiences. Prior to that, Blumenthal was a senior vice president at Bertelsmann's e-Commerce Group, and at CDNow, an early leader in internet music retailing.

Blumenthal produced the Peabody Award and Emmy Award-winning PBS children's series Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? He also served as a senior executive, developing and producing original specials and series for HBO Family, Nickelodeon, Universal syndication, Food Network, History Channel, Cinemax and TV Land.

Earlier in his career, he was director of marketing for Warner Audio Publishing; a spokesperson for Parker Brothers and General Electric; general manager of VCA Programs; and a member of the launch team for QUBE, an early venture in interactive cable television. At QUBE, Blumenthal developed an early version of MTV and supervised production for the new Nickelodeon network.

Blumenthal is author of more than 20 books including This Business of Television. He is an adjunct professor with the Annenberg School for Communication at University of Pennsylvania, and has lectured at many other colleges and universities.

“The PBA Board is eager to work with Howard as we plan for NJN’s future and engage in strategic planning that will build on NJN’s record of excellence and strengthen NJN’s role as a vibrant public media service that leverages digital technology for the public good and benefits New Jersey’s citizens,” said Kent Manahan, current PBA Chair, and former Temporary Executive Director of NJN and former Senior Anchor of NJN News.

“The Foundation Board and staff also look forward to helping Howard write an exciting new chapter in NJN’s history,” added Douglas S. Eakeley, Chair, NJN Foundation, “to optimize the health of the Network and ensure that New Jersey continues to have a strong voice in the nation’s top media markets.”

“I am thrilled to join the team and help advance NJN’s public service mission to use television and digital media to tell New Jersey’s story,” said Blumenthal.

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