A few details about this channel from today's LAtimes:
Ehab Al Shihabi, a senior Al Jazeera executive and acting chief executive of Al Jazeera America, said in a recent interview that there is a "bucket of resistance" among some distributors to carrying the network, but overall preconceived notions are changing for the better.
"We're going to demonstrate a demand," he said.
Wooing prominent American journalists to work for Al Jazeera has not been a problem. Familiar faces that have signed up for duty include former CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien, ex-CBS News reporters Sheila MacVicar and Joie Chen and former NBC News anchor John Seigenthaler.
Behind the scenes, several well-regarded broadcast and cable news executives have been tapped for significant roles as well. Kate O'Brian, who spent three decades in senior production roles at ABC News, will serve as Al Jazeera America's first president. Also on board are David Doss and Marcy McGinniss, who have held senior positions at CNN and CBS, respectively.
"They are putting together a strong team," said David Westin, a media advisor and former president of ABC News.
Al Shihabi defended the American-centric focus in a recent interview, saying the channel would "elevate the mainstream voice" while steering clear of the tabloid stories, murder trials and partisan bickering that have become synonymous with cable news.
"A lot of the audience wants in-depth journalism," he said, adding that because its owner isn't concerned primarily with profits and losses, Al Jazeera America won't feel pressure to go after sensationalistic stories in the hopes of driving ratings. The channel will even carry 50% fewer commercials than other news channels.
Many of Al Jazeera's new staffers were victims of belt tightening by their former employers, who have reduced staff by closing bureaus here and abroad and getting rid of veteran talent and their large paychecks in favor of less-experienced and cheaper reporters.
Seigenthaler, 57, was forced out at NBC in 2007 and ended up going to work at his family's public relations firm. Chen was working as a marketing consultant. Renowned investigative reporter Edward Pound had become a spokesman for the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, a government watchdog.
"The people who got cut were the most experienced," Seigenthaler said. "It's been a sad commentary on journalism in the last five or six years."
None of Al Jazeera America's staff seems concerned about working for a news organization controlled by a foreign government. "Coverage is not coming from a directive from Doha, it is coming from incredibly talented American journalists they've hired at top levels," said Jennifer London, who left public television KCET-TV Channel 28 here to become Al Jazeera America's Los Angeles correspondent.
It's a fairly in depth article that largely deals with the challenges this channel will have in gaining viewership particularly since they're only in half the pay TV households. The rest is here: http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...l-jazeera-america-20130815,0,23918,full.story
Less commericals, bickering and sensationalism sound like a good thing to me.
Ehab Al Shihabi, a senior Al Jazeera executive and acting chief executive of Al Jazeera America, said in a recent interview that there is a "bucket of resistance" among some distributors to carrying the network, but overall preconceived notions are changing for the better.
"We're going to demonstrate a demand," he said.
Wooing prominent American journalists to work for Al Jazeera has not been a problem. Familiar faces that have signed up for duty include former CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien, ex-CBS News reporters Sheila MacVicar and Joie Chen and former NBC News anchor John Seigenthaler.
Behind the scenes, several well-regarded broadcast and cable news executives have been tapped for significant roles as well. Kate O'Brian, who spent three decades in senior production roles at ABC News, will serve as Al Jazeera America's first president. Also on board are David Doss and Marcy McGinniss, who have held senior positions at CNN and CBS, respectively.
"They are putting together a strong team," said David Westin, a media advisor and former president of ABC News.
Al Shihabi defended the American-centric focus in a recent interview, saying the channel would "elevate the mainstream voice" while steering clear of the tabloid stories, murder trials and partisan bickering that have become synonymous with cable news.
"A lot of the audience wants in-depth journalism," he said, adding that because its owner isn't concerned primarily with profits and losses, Al Jazeera America won't feel pressure to go after sensationalistic stories in the hopes of driving ratings. The channel will even carry 50% fewer commercials than other news channels.
Many of Al Jazeera's new staffers were victims of belt tightening by their former employers, who have reduced staff by closing bureaus here and abroad and getting rid of veteran talent and their large paychecks in favor of less-experienced and cheaper reporters.
Seigenthaler, 57, was forced out at NBC in 2007 and ended up going to work at his family's public relations firm. Chen was working as a marketing consultant. Renowned investigative reporter Edward Pound had become a spokesman for the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, a government watchdog.
"The people who got cut were the most experienced," Seigenthaler said. "It's been a sad commentary on journalism in the last five or six years."
None of Al Jazeera America's staff seems concerned about working for a news organization controlled by a foreign government. "Coverage is not coming from a directive from Doha, it is coming from incredibly talented American journalists they've hired at top levels," said Jennifer London, who left public television KCET-TV Channel 28 here to become Al Jazeera America's Los Angeles correspondent.
It's a fairly in depth article that largely deals with the challenges this channel will have in gaining viewership particularly since they're only in half the pay TV households. The rest is here: http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...l-jazeera-america-20130815,0,23918,full.story
Less commericals, bickering and sensationalism sound like a good thing to me.
