October 28, 2019 – Newark, NJ – NJTV, New Jersey’s public television network, announced Jamie Kraft will assume duties as its first Senior Managing Editor, reporting directly to NJTV’s General Manager John Servidio.  An award-winning television broadcast journalist and executive producer, Kraft’s experience includes producing, writing and reporting for major news outlets, including NBC, CNN and CBS. He most recently served as Senior Executive Producer/MSNBC Live, Dayside at NBC News, where he led a team that transformed daytime programming into a breaking news, reporter-driven news network achieving record ratings.  Kraft won an Emmy® award for Rachel Maddow’s “Flint Water Crisis” special and a Hillman Prize for “Torn Apart,” MSNBC’s coverage of the immigration crisis.

“Jamie brings NJTV a rare combination of abilities to our news team: big-picture thinking, detail-driven organizational skills and an acclaimed journalism resume,” said Neal Shapiro, President and CEO of WNET, operator of NJTV. “He is dedicated to producing independent unbiased news. We welcome him to further our mission to enlighten and educate our broadcast and online audiences.”

“We enthusiastically welcome Jamie Kraft to our New Jersey public television family,” added Servidio.  “He is a talented news producer with skills and experience that will be transformational for our multi-platform news organization.”

In his new role, Kraft’s responsibilities will entail editorial oversight of NJTV News‘s weeknight news program, NJ Spotlight, their online and social media components as well as live coverage and special events.

Kraft’s previous experience includes serving as Executive Producer of Nightly News with Lester Holt, Weekend Edition, where he also produced breaking news, special reports and election coverage.  He received an Emmy® Award for “America’s Addiction: Opioid Crisis” series.  He also served as Senior Broadcast Producer at NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams; Executive Producer at CNN’s American Morning program and Senior Producer at Anderson Cooper 360.  He was an award-winning producer for several CBS News programs, including 60 Minutes, CBS Evening News and 48 Hours. Kraft received his B.A. from Syracuse University and is also an adjunct journalism professor at the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College. Kraft and his family reside in Bergen County where he has run the town’s recreation soccer program for the last fifteen years. He will work out of the Agnes Varis NJTV Studio at 2 Gateway Center in Newark.

About NJTV

NJTV, New Jersey’s public television network, brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to all 21 counties in New Jersey and its tri-state neighbors.  NJTV presents PBS series such as Nature, Nova, Amanpour and Company, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Curious George as well as  diverse local programs including On the Record with Michael Aron, Here’s the Story, Treasures of New Jersey, Drive By History,  One-on-One with Steve Adubato  and State of the Arts. The network’s flagship news broadcast, NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams, and its affiliate NJ Spotlight work in tandem to provide multi-platform reporting from across the Garden State while also producing live news specials and roundtable discussions.

NJTV, headquartered at the Agnes Varis NJTV Studio in Newark, with additional studio space at New Jersey City University and remote cameras at university content bureaus across the state, strives to engage the community and increase public awareness of critical local issues. Its community outreach initiatives include In Your Neighborhood, which combines on-location broadcasts, special programming and community engagement events to spotlight some of New Jersey’s most dynamic places and industries and Healthy NJ: New Jersey’s Drug Addiction Crisis, combining community forums, news reporting and a resource-driven website to help combat the state’s heroin and opioid overdose crisis. The NJTV website offers online programs and free digital resources for educators.

NJTV is operated under an agreement with the state of New Jersey by Public Media NJ, Inc. (PMNJ), a non-profit affiliate of WNET, parent company of award-winning New York public television stations THIRTEEN and WLIW21. Network sponsorships and partnerships are available.