With a cast of TV news
stars, deep pockets and an ambitious agenda,
Al-Jazeera launches its US news channel on
Tuesday, aiming to shake up the broadcast
journalism market stateside. The US cable channel will reach more than 40
million households and vastly expands the
footprint of the Qatar-based media group,
despite questions about how it will be received
by American viewers. Al-Jazeera America’s audience is likely to start
out small, but its bosses hope to have a big
impact when it competes against already
established brands such as CNN, MSNBC and
Fox News. Americans will be able to get 14 hours of news,
documentary and discussion programming
daily, and updates at the top of every hour 24
hours each day. But the selling point will be
long-form reporting of stories overlooked by
other news organizations. “We know Americans want in-depth coverage
of the news that matters to them,” said Ehab Al
Shihabi, interim chief executive of Al-Jazeera
America. “They want more unbiased coverage and less
opinion, that’s what Al-Jazeera is about.” Yet some analysts say the channel will face a
tough sell to US audiences because of its
history in the Middle East, where it was the
outlet for videos distributed by Al-Qaeda and
Osama bin Laden. Some conservatives claim it
is still anti-Western. Shihabi said he believes Americans will come
around once they see the programs. He said surveys indicate that “75 percent of
people who did not watch Al-Jazeera came on
the negative size and 90 percent of those who
watch Al-Jazeera came on the positive side.” Shihabi said 850 staff have been hired for 12
US bureaus, and will draw on 70 bureaus
worldwide to give Al-Jazeera unmatched scale. While the channel will be available to fewer
than half of US households — notably absent
from Time Warner Cable, which is in
discussions on carrying Al-Jazeera — Shihabi
hopes to reach 100 percent soon. “We are investing heavily in advertising and
branding,” he said. “I’m sure it will be a short
time before Al-Jazeera will be viral and people
will be demanding Al-Jazeera.” Since acquiring Current TV, a struggling US
cable channel which nevertheless had reach to
US homes, Al-Jazeera has brought in well-
known names in the industry, such as Soledad
O’Brien and Ali Velshi from CNN, and Sheila
MacVicar, formerly with ABC and CNN. Al-Jazeera America president Kate O’Brian said
the channel will “stay away from pundits and
crazy celebrity news” while “covering all the
stories that need to be covered.” “Our success is how well we tell the stories,”
she said in a conference call with reporters.
“We will get people talking about the channel
and wanting the channel.” Along with 24-hour news, Al-Jazeera will
include several showcase programs starting
with the 5:00 pm time slot and carrying into
“prime time” evening viewing. Shihabi said the channel will have only six
minutes of advertising per hour, compared with
an average of 15 minutes for most other
channels. Al-Jazeera’s US operation is headquartered in
New York, with a vast news hub and studio
across from Penn Station. In Washington, the
channel has taken studio space formerly
occupied by ABC at the Newseum, overlooking
the US Capitol. David Shuster, a newly hired anchor and MSNBC
and Fox News veteran, said he sees a “huge
opportunity” because of the vast resources of
Al-Jazeera, which he said probably becomes
the largest broadcast news organization in the
world. “It turns the news business on its head,”
Shuster told AFP. “People want to watch the
news, they want to be taken to the scene of
what is happening.” He said other cable news outlets have become
politicized and that “rather than invest in the
field they put talking heads out there who yell
and scream at each other.” Joie Chen, a former CNN and CBS journalist
and one of the big US names lured to Al-
Jazeera, said she was attracted by “the quality
work they were doing.” “I wanted to be able to participate in the story
telling. I did not want to be a news reader,” said
Chen, who will host the channel’s flagship US
program “America Tonight.” “We are not focused on the size of the
audience, we are focused on the quality of the
reporting. “We want to tell stories that are currently
underreported.” Former NBC news anchor John Seigenthaler
sees Al-Jazeera providing “a little more depth,
a little more perspective, a little more context,
what we are all looking for in journalism.” Seigenthaler, the nightly news anchor, said the
new channel will have notable advantages over
other broadcasters. “When I asked about ratings, they said they are
not interested in ratings, they are interested in
delivering the news. That’s why this seemed
like a different journey.”
stars, deep pockets and an ambitious agenda,
Al-Jazeera launches its US news channel on
Tuesday, aiming to shake up the broadcast
journalism market stateside. The US cable channel will reach more than 40
million households and vastly expands the
footprint of the Qatar-based media group,
despite questions about how it will be received
by American viewers. Al-Jazeera America’s audience is likely to start
out small, but its bosses hope to have a big
impact when it competes against already
established brands such as CNN, MSNBC and
Fox News. Americans will be able to get 14 hours of news,
documentary and discussion programming
daily, and updates at the top of every hour 24
hours each day. But the selling point will be
long-form reporting of stories overlooked by
other news organizations. “We know Americans want in-depth coverage
of the news that matters to them,” said Ehab Al
Shihabi, interim chief executive of Al-Jazeera
America. “They want more unbiased coverage and less
opinion, that’s what Al-Jazeera is about.” Yet some analysts say the channel will face a
tough sell to US audiences because of its
history in the Middle East, where it was the
outlet for videos distributed by Al-Qaeda and
Osama bin Laden. Some conservatives claim it
is still anti-Western. Shihabi said he believes Americans will come
around once they see the programs. He said surveys indicate that “75 percent of
people who did not watch Al-Jazeera came on
the negative size and 90 percent of those who
watch Al-Jazeera came on the positive side.” Shihabi said 850 staff have been hired for 12
US bureaus, and will draw on 70 bureaus
worldwide to give Al-Jazeera unmatched scale. While the channel will be available to fewer
than half of US households — notably absent
from Time Warner Cable, which is in
discussions on carrying Al-Jazeera — Shihabi
hopes to reach 100 percent soon. “We are investing heavily in advertising and
branding,” he said. “I’m sure it will be a short
time before Al-Jazeera will be viral and people
will be demanding Al-Jazeera.” Since acquiring Current TV, a struggling US
cable channel which nevertheless had reach to
US homes, Al-Jazeera has brought in well-
known names in the industry, such as Soledad
O’Brien and Ali Velshi from CNN, and Sheila
MacVicar, formerly with ABC and CNN. Al-Jazeera America president Kate O’Brian said
the channel will “stay away from pundits and
crazy celebrity news” while “covering all the
stories that need to be covered.” “Our success is how well we tell the stories,”
she said in a conference call with reporters.
“We will get people talking about the channel
and wanting the channel.” Along with 24-hour news, Al-Jazeera will
include several showcase programs starting
with the 5:00 pm time slot and carrying into
“prime time” evening viewing. Shihabi said the channel will have only six
minutes of advertising per hour, compared with
an average of 15 minutes for most other
channels. Al-Jazeera’s US operation is headquartered in
New York, with a vast news hub and studio
across from Penn Station. In Washington, the
channel has taken studio space formerly
occupied by ABC at the Newseum, overlooking
the US Capitol. David Shuster, a newly hired anchor and MSNBC
and Fox News veteran, said he sees a “huge
opportunity” because of the vast resources of
Al-Jazeera, which he said probably becomes
the largest broadcast news organization in the
world. “It turns the news business on its head,”
Shuster told AFP. “People want to watch the
news, they want to be taken to the scene of
what is happening.” He said other cable news outlets have become
politicized and that “rather than invest in the
field they put talking heads out there who yell
and scream at each other.” Joie Chen, a former CNN and CBS journalist
and one of the big US names lured to Al-
Jazeera, said she was attracted by “the quality
work they were doing.” “I wanted to be able to participate in the story
telling. I did not want to be a news reader,” said
Chen, who will host the channel’s flagship US
program “America Tonight.” “We are not focused on the size of the
audience, we are focused on the quality of the
reporting. “We want to tell stories that are currently
underreported.” Former NBC news anchor John Seigenthaler
sees Al-Jazeera providing “a little more depth,
a little more perspective, a little more context,
what we are all looking for in journalism.” Seigenthaler, the nightly news anchor, said the
new channel will have notable advantages over
other broadcasters. “When I asked about ratings, they said they are
not interested in ratings, they are interested in
delivering the news. That’s why this seemed
like a different journey.”
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