West Essex Tribune donated to Nonprofit Corporation for New Jersey Local Media

Jun 1, 2025

LIVINGSTON, New Jersey — The Corporation for New Jersey Local Media (CNJLM) is proud to announce the donation of the West Essex Tribune, a local newspaper serving Livingston Township in Essex County. The paper will continue publication under nonprofit ownership.

The West Essex Tribune has been donated by longtime publisher and owner Jenny Chciuk. It is the leading local news provider for Livingston. That news is provided through the print edition of the newspaper, which is delivered weekly, and westessextribune.net, a website that includes access to the digital edition of the newspaper.

CNJLM, which also owns the 12-newspaper New Jersey Hills Media Group, creates engaged and informed communities by revitalizing local journalism and innovating for its future.

“The West Essex Tribune is a great addition to the Corporation for New Jersey Local Media portfolio because it so clearly furthers our mission,” Amanda Richardson, executive director of CNJLM, said. “We look forward to learning from the Tribune’s hyperlocal approach, which has resulted in a very strong and supportive relationship with Livingston residents and businesses.”

Founded in 1929, the Tribune takes pride in its extremely local coverage of Livingston, including reporting on Township Council, school board and planning board meetings, local events and organizations, and high school sports. The Tribune also publishes features, editorials, opinion columns, letters to the editor, and obituaries. It provides diverse advertising and marketing solutions for local businesses in its print and electronic editions, as well as classified ads.

The Tribune has been in discussions with CNJLM about this donation for approximately four years. Both organizations discovered in those conversations that they shared missions to preserve local newsrooms during a time when the local news business faces challenging economic conditions significantly fueled by digital disruption of the media industry.

"We at the Tribune are determined to remain a viable and sustainable source for the local news of Livingston. Transitioning to a nonprofit model is a secure way to accomplish that goal," wrote Chciuk in an article published in a recent edition of the newspaper. "We have been speaking with CNJLM about nonprofit journalism for years, and we have confidence that they are the right partner for us. We have watched them work with other local, independent papers, and we feel comfortable that they will be a partner who cares about the preservation of local newsrooms such as the Tribune."

Those local independent papers include the 12 operated by New Jersey Hills Media Group, which is the leading local news provider for 50 towns across Essex, Hunterdon, Morris and Somerset counties, through its website, email newsletters, and weekly print editions. For more information about New Jersey Hills Media Group, visit newjerseyhills.com.

To learn more about CNJLM, or to contribute to the cause, visit newsweneed.org/donate.