State Broadcast News has joined the Legacy.com network to offer online obituaries, death notices, and memorial pages for readers. Obituaries are initially available in New Jersey and will expand as needed to other parts of the country.
In addition to standard text obituaries, SBN plans to offer upgraded obituary services, including life stories written by a professional journalist that include reminiscences, family stories, and other anecdotes. Also available are long-form radio style audio recollections and family tribute video options.
“With the dramatic contraction of traditional local print news organizations, publication of obituaries and death notices has become difficult and expensive,” said Steve Lubetkin, SBN news director, and managing partner of SBN’s parent company, The Lubetkin Media Companies. “Often, these cash-strapped print publications are not sufficiently staffed locally to assist families and funeral directors with preparation of obituaries, and dealing with remote call centers can be frustrating at a time of loss. We’re hoping to make the obituary publication process easier and more cost-effective.”
SBN will accept obituary submissions from families and funeral homes. To submit an obituary or browse currently published notices, click here. For questions or more information on the packages available, email steve@statebroadcastnews.com.
Obituary Packages
Basic Obituary – $50
Basic information about the deceased, 3-5 paragraphs and information about services and/burial.
Upgraded Obituary – $175
Includes basic information as described above, but also includes professional journalist contact with the family to gather more information and stories about the deceased to be incorporated into a narrative, story-telling obituary.
Audio Tribute Obituary – $350
Includes all of the above plus an audio interview with family and up to four friends of the deceased offering audio recollections that will be incorporated into a podcast attached to the text obituary.
Family Legacy Video Tribute Obituary – $1,500
Includes all of the above, but is arranged prior to the death of a loved one, and can incorporate video interviews with your loved one, interviews with family and friends (up to three of each) and incorporates digitized images from family albums, scrapbooks, home videos to create a tribute video of 20-30 minutes.
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Steve Lubetkin is the news director for StateBroadcastNews.com. Steve’s journalism background includes print and broadcast reporting for NJ news organizations. He refocused on multimedia journalism and podcast production after a long career in corporate branded journalism and public relations.
He has won numerous awards for his audio and video news reporting from the Garden State Journalists Association, and he has also been recognized for video by the New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He has produced a wide range of audio and video podcasts in his other role as managing partner of State Broadcast News’s parent, The Lubetkin Media Companies.
Steve is co-author, with Toronto-based podcasting pioneer Donna Papacosta, of the book, The Business of Podcasting: How to Take Your Podcasting Passion from the Personal to the Professional.
In March 2021, he was elected to the board of directors of the New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and in July 2021 he was named secretary of the chapter. In August 2021, he was honored by SPJ with one of the organization’s 2021 Howard S. Dubin Outstanding Pro Member Awards, given to regular members of an SPJ chapter who go above and beyond in serving their chapter.
Steve has been the computer columnist for the Jewish Community Voice of Southern New Jersey, since 1996.
Steve also has reported on-camera and produces virtual conferences for NJSpotlightNews.org, a public policy news coverage website focused on New Jersey government and industry; and for clients of StateBroadcastNews.com, a division of The Lubetkin Media Companies LLC.
From May-November 2019, he produced and reported a weekly podcast, The CRE News Hour, a news and features program focusing on the commercial real estate industry.
From 2014 to 2019 he was New Jersey and Philadelphia editor for GlobeSt.com and filled in covering Chicago/Midwest and Atlanta.
Steve has also served (from August 2017 to March 2018) as national broadcast news correspondent for CEOReport.com, a news website focused on practical advice for senior executives in small- and medium-sized companies.
Earlier in his career, Steve reported on rock music at the Jersey Shore for the Asbury Park Press, and was a broadcast news anchor and production engineer for WJLK-AM & FM, then owned by the Press. He also worked as a general assignment reporter for the Red Bank Register, Shrewsbury, NJ.
You can email Steve at steve@statebroadcastnews.com.
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