Kent Manahan

Selecting the next NJN anchor will certainly be a different process than what happens at the major networks, local affiliates and other public community broadcast stations.

Aside from grappling with its talent loss - filling the shoes (um, heels) of Emmy award winning anchor Kent Manahan - NJN's anchor search will be hampered by deep cuts, budget uncertainty and buyout restrictions.

Of the handful of state employees at NJN who opted for the early retirement package, all but one -- if not all -- may have to be filled from the inside. By law, the early retirement provisions stipulate that only 1 in 10 buyout positions can be filled from outside the state payroll.

For some folks like Senior Political Correspondent Michael Aron and now interim News Director, that may mean wearing two hats for a lot longer.

Wearing that extra hat also means Aron will likely be at the center of deciding who will become the next NJN anchor.

According to Elizabeth Christopherson, NJN's Executive Director, "there is a firewall between management and our news room" in describing how the anchor selection will be a personnel decision for the News Director to make.

The decision to pick Kent Manahan as the anchor of the New Jersey Network nightly news ultimately rests with the station's executive director, Elizabeth Christopherson.  While the Governor appoints members of the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority, staff decisions - like picking an anchorman - rests entirely with the Christopherson.  She will also name a new News Director to replace Bill Jobes, who is retiring at the end of the month.

Manahan, who has been with NJN for 31 years, makes about $125,000 a year.  That's the same salary as other senior NJN employees, including Christopherson (who may receive additional money as the head of the NJN foundation), and senior political correspondent Michael Aron.  Aron is not expected to be interested in the anchorman job.

Kent Manahan will retire from NJN after 30 years as a reporter and anchor
NJN News anchor Kent Manahan will retire after more than thirty years as an anchor and reporter, the New Jersey Network announced today. Manahan, who has won five Emmy Awards, has filed for the state’s retirement incentive, which has specific deadlines of August 1 or a later date, with the potential of an extension until July 2009. Manahan and NJN are seeking an extension to provide for an orderly transition.