NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi
Listen to the NJ PBS flagship weeknight newscast anytime, anywhere. NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi airs weekdays at 630 PM EST on NJ PBS and in this feed. The only daily Jersey-centric podcast in the state. In-depth reporting covering all the news, issues, and stories uniquely relevant to the residents of the Garden State.
Episodes
Friday May 02, 2025
NJ Spotlight News May 2, 2025
Friday May 02, 2025
Friday May 02, 2025
Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News … MORE TRUMP FUNDING CUTS… New Jersey’s Attorney General Matt Platkin joins a multi-state coalition pushing back against the Trump administration’s cuts to Title X grants; Plus, CASHING IN…a legal scam that left nursing home residents starving while lining the pockets of its owners; Also, NJ DECIDES 2025, we’re profiling each of the Republican candidates ahead of next week’s GOP Gubernatorial Conversation . Today, a look at Senator Jon Bramnick; And, LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION… New Jersey celebrates the growth of its film and TV industry at the inaugural NJ Film Expo… setting the stage to become the Hollywood of the East.
Thursday May 01, 2025
NJ Spotlight News May 1, 2025
Thursday May 01, 2025
Thursday May 01, 2025
Tonight on NJ Spotlight News … Creating an ELECTION INTEGRITY TASK FORCE … the interim US Attorney is looking to carry out President Trump’s plan to overhaul the nation’s election system; Plus, MAY DAY PROTESTS, workers around the world unite to protest the President’s policies; Also, the battle of where to house ice detainees here in the state plays out in a courtroom in Philadelphia; And, the Trump Trade War with Canada is causing Tourism to take a hit along the jersey Shore.
Wednesday Apr 30, 2025
NJ Spotlight News April 30, 2025
Wednesday Apr 30, 2025
Wednesday Apr 30, 2025
Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News… BRACING FOR another SUMMER OF HELL … with just 2 weeks left until a possible engineer rail strike, NJ Transit is planning for the worst case scenario; Plus, TARIFF WALKBACK … President Trump signs an executive order providing some tariff relief to automakers; Also, the head of the DEP makes HIS case to avoid state level funding cuts warning it could have dire consequences; And with autism diagnosis on the rise in the state, advocates weigh in on Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s Autism research initiative.
Wednesday Apr 30, 2025
NJ Spotlight News April 29, 2025
Wednesday Apr 30, 2025
Wednesday Apr 30, 2025
Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News…Congestion in the skies … staff shortages and mechanical failures cause up to 3 hour delays for commuters at the Newark Airport; Plus, the police officers involved in the 2023 fatal shooting of Andrew Washington in Jersey City will NOT be criminally charged for his death; Also, the Democratic Primary race for NJ Governor HEATS UP with Mayor Ras Baraka taking aim at party-backed candidate Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill; AND SPENDING SPREE… this year’s gubernatorial primary race is shaping up to break campaign finance records.
Monday Apr 28, 2025
NJ Spotlight News April 28, 2025
Monday Apr 28, 2025
Monday Apr 28, 2025
Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News … COMMUTER NIGHTMARE … after months of closures due to underground sinkholes, repairs to interstate 80 are delayed once again; Plus, over 15,000 acres of Ocean County was burned by the Jones Road fire this past week, but state officials warn wildfire season is far from over; Also, NJ Transit executives & Locomotive engineers are back at the negotiating table as a potential strike is looming; And NJ DECIDES 2025 … with just a few weeks before the Gubernatorial primary, a new poll finds Jack Ciattarelli is leading the Republican pack but the Democratic side is a tossup because a majority of voters still don’t know the candidates.
Friday Apr 25, 2025
NJ Spotlight News April 25, 2025
Friday Apr 25, 2025
Friday Apr 25, 2025
Tonight...a special edition of NJ Spotlight News …All this week NJ PBS has devoted its programming to stories from the shore. It was a weeklong celebration of Jersey’s most iconic destinations…From the beautiful seaside communities under threat from environmental challenges to the bustling boardwalks that have shaped generations …we're bringing it to a close tonight with an encore presentation of a documentary we produced called Paradox: Rising Waters and Mounting Costs. The Jersey shore's sunny beaches and shallow surf have attracted families for generations; calming, scenic bays have drawn residents for even longer. Today the Shore is an economic powerhouse and cultural icon of the Garden State. But as climate change raises sea levels and fuels more dangerous storms, the costs of keeping the shore open for business are becoming more expensive. High tides regularly flood neighborhood streets...an increasingly costly nuisance for locals. And memories of Superstorm Sandy serve as reminders of the potential damages a worst-case scenario can cause. Now, it's up to local, state, and federal leaders to figure out the best ways to protect the Shore.
Thursday Apr 24, 2025
NJ Spotlight News April 24, 2025
Thursday Apr 24, 2025
Thursday Apr 24, 2025
Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News… ARSON ARREST… a 19-year-old has been apprehended, investigators say a bonfire he left burning triggered the blaze that claimed more than 15 thousand acres; Also, TAKING ON TRUMP, Attorney General Matt Platkin has filed more than a dozen lawsuits against the Trump Administration, and will now be defending one before the U.S Supreme Court; Plus, TRANSIT TROUBLES… after rejecting the most recent contract proposal, NJ Transit and its locomotive engineers union appear to be far from a deal; And, ON AGAIN OFF AGAIN …the tariff turmoil is hitting local businesses hard in the Garden State, rising costs and supply chain disruptions threaten to close some for good.
Wednesday Apr 23, 2025
NJ Spotlight News April 23, 2025
Wednesday Apr 23, 2025
Wednesday Apr 23, 2025
Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News…STATE OF EMERGENCY in Ocean County as a massive wildfire is claiming over 11 THOUSAND acres threatening structures and roadways in its path; Plus, HOUSING NOT HANDCUFFS, Summit’s city council considers a proposal that would ban homelessness in its community’s public places; Also, the state’s attorney general is calling it a “RENTAL CARTEL” filing a lawsuit against multiple landlords for alleged collusion in a statewide rent raising scheme.
((SOT PLATKIN))
And, SOUNDING THE ALARM … during this National Infant Immunization Week, health officials noting a recent increase in cases of preventable diseases across the state
Tuesday Apr 22, 2025
NJ Spotlight News April 22, 2025
Tuesday Apr 22, 2025
Tuesday Apr 22, 2025
Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News…NATIONAL SECURITY RISK ...Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill minces no words calling for the resignation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after yet another Signal chat surfaces; Also, GUILTY…GUILTY…GUILTY, Nadine Menendez is convicted of being her husband’s “partner in crime” on ALL 15 counts of a federal bribery plot; Plus, LOW TEEN TURNOUT…eighteen hundred 16 and 17 year olds registered to vote in Newark ….but only a fraction showed up to the polls.
And, SEPTA FUNDING CRISIS … proposed cuts could threaten an already troubled transit system in South Jersey…
Monday Apr 21, 2025
NJ Spotlight News April 21, 2025
Monday Apr 21, 2025
Monday Apr 21, 2025
Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News…CONGESTION PRICING LIVES ON …. The latest deadline to turn off the cameras in midtown Manhattan has come and gone…despite the orders from the Trump Administration; Plus, REMEMBERING POPE FRANCIS…The world mourns the passing of the “people’s” Pope …and one of the most progressive the Catholic church has witnessed; Also, VERDICT WATCH ….the fate of Nadine Menendez sits in the hands of a jury for her role in a federal bribery scheme that convicted her husband and the state’s former senior senator; And, REAL ID RUSH…what you need to know before flying domestically as the state faces long lines and high demand to meet the REAL ID deadline.

NJ PBS, 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.
The network’s flagship weeknight newscast, NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi, provides multiplatform reporting from across the Garden State.