TV news shakeup: News 12 New Jersey loses another popular reporter

📺 Eight staffers at News 12 were laid off in October

📺 One of their most popular reporters just left

📺 Brian Donohue has done nearly 1,000 "Positively New Jersey" segments

More upheaval at News 12 New Jersey as another long-time reporter leaves the cable outlet.

Brian Donohue, host of the "Positively New Jersey" segments that aired several times a week for the past six years, said on his X account that he decided to leave after being told the feature was being canceled.

"Had no idea this would be my last story for News12," he wrote in a share of a story about the Cohanzick Lenape people who lived in the area around what is now Salem County.

"Incredibly proud of it and the 100's others told over the past 6 years. Profoundly grateful for the opp to do it. The station nixed my Positively NJ segment so I decided to move on. Thanks for watching!"

Layoffs at News 12

The outlet, owned by Altice, recently let go of eight people including entertainment reporter John Bathke, meteorologist James Gregorio, anchor Rick Holmes and political reporter Alex Zdan.

Donohue told New Jersey 101.5 that as part of additional "programming changes" being made, he would have been working Saturday through Wednesday as a general assignment reporter.

"I was hired specifically by News 12 to do this segment. It had my name on it, 'Brian's Positively New Jersey,'" Donohue said.

"That's the kind of storytelling I want to do. I want to do stories of everyday people in New Jersey, showing people corners of the state that they might not see themselves, trying to connect people through human stories."

From Gen. George Washington to gentlemen's clubs

Donohue said that he has developed a unique storytelling voice over his 30 years as a reporter, which included The Star-Ledger and the "Ledger Live" videos on NJ.com.

"Covering a house fire on a Saturday morning, as important as that is, is not what I do right now," Donohue said.

Donohue could not name just one favorite among the estimated 1,000 segments he has done. Some of the more memorable segments included trying to reach the American Dream entertainment complex in the Meadowlands via kayak and using ordering a pizza with a group of 4th-graders by using George Washington's signal system from the Battle of Springfield.

"I tried to expose the absurdity of go-go bars calling themselves gentlemen's clubs by walking in with a top hat and a cane and a long coat and asking where the library was," Donohue said.

Real moments with real people

There were also the more serious stories about a nurse who each day brought daffodils to place on the bodies in the morgue of those who died from COVID,  as well as the World War II veteran who sat on a bench in Ocean Grove during the most recent Memorial Day weekend.

"I like to spend moments with people in their real lives. I didn't cover events. I didn't cover ribbon cuttings. I didn't interview politicians. I wanted to be there on the Tuesday morning in November when someone was at their kitchen table to hear about what their life was like," Donohue said.

News 12 on Tuesday afternoon did not respond to New Jersey 101.5's request for comment.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom