 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | United States |
| Network | Al Jazeera |
| Headquarters | Manhattan Center New York City, New York |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Al Jazeera Media Network |
| Key people | Kate O'Brian President Al Anstey Interim CEO |
| Sister channels | Al Jazeera English AJ+ beIN Sport |
| History | |
| Launched | August 20, 2013 (2013-08-20) |
| Replaced | Current TV |
| Closed | April 12, 2016 (2016-04-12) |
| Replaced by | Al Jazeera English |
Al Jazeera America was an Americanpay televisionnews channel owned by theAl Jazeera Media Network. The channel was launched on August 20, 2013, to compete withCNN,HLN,MSNBC,Fox News, and in certain marketsRT America. It was Al Jazeera's second entry into the U.S. television market, after the launch ofbeIN Sports in 2012. The channel, which had persistently low ratings, announced in January 2016 that it would close in April of that year.[1][2]
Al Jazeera America was headquartered and run from studios on the first floor of theManhattan Center inNew York City.[3][4][5] It also had a total of 12 bureaus located in places such asWashington, D.C., at the channel's D.C. studios at theNewseum and Al Jazeera's D.C. hub,Chicago,Detroit,Nashville,Los Angeles,Seattle,New Orleans,Dallas,Denver,Miami, andSan Francisco (former headquarters ofCurrent TV and current headquarters of online channelAJ+).[6][7]
The channel was the sister channel of Al Jazeera's international English language news channelAl Jazeera English. Although operated and managed completely separately with America's management based in the United States, the two shared United States studios and bureaus, such as the D.C. hub, and Al Jazeera America ran some of Al Jazeera English's programming and many of its live newscasts alongside its own.
The creation of Al Jazeera America was announced on January 2, 2013, along with the announcement that the network had purchased the user-generated content channel turnedprogressive-oriented pay television channelCurrent TV, which had long been struggling in the ratings and after two format changes had announced in October 2012 that it was considering a sale of the channel.[8] It was reported that Al Jazeera planned on shutting down Current TV, keeping its production staff and possibly some programs, and using the company's distribution network to broadcast Al Jazeera America.[9] Current TV, by coincidence, was formerlyNewsworld International, an international news channel similar to Al Jazeera America run by theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation.
On July 22, 2013, Al Jazeera America named formerABC News Vice PresidentKate O'Brian as president of the network, andEhab Al Shihabi as interimCEO in charge of business affairs. In addition, former CNN veteran David Doss was named Vice President of News Programming and formerCBS News executive Marcy McGinnis was named Vice President of News Gathering. Former MSNBC executive Shannon High-Bassalik was named Senior Vice President of Documentaries and Programs.[10]
Al Jazeera said it received more than 21,000 job applications for 400 positions at its U.S. network. Approximately 200 Current TV employees, including some 50 in editorial, were absorbed by the new operation.[4] It planned to have a total of 800 employees at the channel's launch. Al Jazeera America also announced that the channel would employ well-known veteran journalists, anchors, and producers.[11]
On July 3, 2013, Ali Velshi confirmed that Al Jazeera America's launch would take place on August 20, 2013.[12] The launch took place at 3:00 p.m.Eastern Time on that date, with an hour-long preview special entitledThis is Al Jazeera. News coverage began immediately afterward at 4:00 p.m. Al Jazeera America's website launched on August 8, 2013.[13]
On January 13, 2016, theAl Jazeera Media Network announced that it would shut down Al Jazeera America's pay-TV and online operations on April 30, 2016.[1] The announcement came in the midst of a decline in the price of oil, which negatively impacted the government ofQatar, which provides funding for the Al Jazeera Media Network.[14] The channel's last day of operation was later confirmed to be April 12. CNN subsequently reported that the closure would lead to the loss of about 700 jobs.[15]
During its history, Al Jazeera America won several media awards, including thePeabody,Emmy, andShorty Awards and citations from groups such as theNational Association of Black Journalists andNative American Journalist Association.[16] However, the network experienced low viewership ratings, averaging between 20,000 and 40,000 viewers on a typical day.[14] In response, the Al Jazeera Media Network sought to shift focus to its digital presence in the United States through ventures such asAJ+.[17][18]
On February 11, 2016, writing in the television trade magazineBroadcasting & Cable, industry punditJoe Mohen proposed that the business failure of Al Jazeera America was due to its choice of the wrong distribution channel, specifically subscription television as opposed toover-the-top distribution. Mohen argued that distributing content over the internet would have had greater appeal among the young target audience of the network.[19] In March, CNN correspondents Brian Stelter and Tom Kludt cited many reasons for the network's closure, including falling oil prices, low viewership, and poor decision making by Al Jazeera executives – specifically CEO Ehab Al Shihabi.[15] Stelter and Kludt also suggested that political issues could have been a factor in the channel's demise. During theBush administration, the president and other officials had openly criticized Al Jazeera for airing messages fromAl-Qaeda figures.[20] This phenomenon was cited as a potential reason for Al Jazeera America's difficulties in receiving distribution from major pay-TV providers such asComcast andDirecTV.[15]
On February 26, 2016, the Al Jazeera America website ceased operations.[21] On April 12, Al Jazeera America signed off for the final time. Its final program to air was a live three-hour retrospective film titled "Your Stories" that aired twice from 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time until the shuttering. Antonio Mora and Richelle Carey, the first two anchors to appear on air when it launched in 2013, were the last two anchors to appear as the network signed off the air at 8:59 p.m. Shortly afterwards, a slide was shown with the Al Jazeera logo above a message that read "Al Jazeera America is no longer available. Thank you for watching" with the network's English web address shown below it.
During the time that Al Jazeera America was in existence, Al Jazeera English and AJE programs that were shown on Al Jazeera America weregeoblocked in the United States owing to agreements with the carriers of Al Jazeera America. Programs from Al Jazeera English not shown on Al Jazeera America (such asEmpire andUpFront) were some of the few unblocked during this time and therefore visible onAl Jazeera English's website. In September 2016, Al Jazeera English's online live stream and the programs that were blocked in the United States during Al Jazeera America's existence were officially unblocked in the United States, making them viewable for the first time since 2013.[citation needed]
It was announced that 60% of the channel's programming would be produced in America, while an additional 40% would come fromAl Jazeera English. That was later changed to almost all of the channel's program content being sourced from the United States. In an interview withThe New York Times, head of international operations Ehab Al Shihabi said Al Jazeera America's content would on most days primarily concern domestic affairs. However, Shihabi added, "Al Jazeera's seventy bureaus around the world will mean that we will have an unparalleled ability to report on important global stories that Americans are not seeing elsewhere. We will do that when it is warranted."[22]
Al Shihabi said that the channel would feature less political discussion and celebrity news and that news gathering would take priority over maximizing profits (the network was to air only six minutes of commercials per hour, a rate far less than competing networks).[23][24] Its three-hour morning program was to have a different format focusing on hard news and not "a group of anchors chatting on a couch".[25]
Al Jazeera America aired live programming at all hours, including half-hour news bulletins.[4] Three Al Jazeera English programs that were based in Washington,The Stream,Inside Story andFault Lines were included on the launch schedule, as well asThe Frost Interview andListening Post. The flagship nighttime show was calledAmerica Tonight. It was a weeknight news magazine that presented the day's news in Al Jazeera's long-form style with "stories that are not covered elsewhere".[26]
Al Jazeera America's original senior executive producer for news and special projects was Bob Wheelock, a former senior producer for ABC and NBC News. Wheelock left the network shortly after the launch to head up a political campaign in Delaware.CNN chief business correspondent and the anchor ofYour Money,Ali Velshi was the first major name to join Al Jazeera America. He hosted a daily, half-hour show originally calledReal Money with Ali Velshi, (later calledAli Velshi on Target).[27] The show was originally going to be once a week until the end of 2013 when it was re-launched as a daily show.[28]
The channel also hiredKim Bondy, a former executive producer with CNN to produce its flagship news programAmerica Tonight, a news magazine program that was hosted by originalCNN International anchor and former CBS News correspondentJoie Chen, produced from Al Jazeera America'sNewseum studio in Washington, D.C., and featuring correspondentsAdam May,Lori Jane Gliha, formerCBS,ABC andCBC news correspondentSheila MacVicar and formerCurrent TV correspondentChristof Putzel.[29][30][31] The program presented in-depth segments each night on the economy, government, education, healthcare and the environment, and include breaking news stories. The program also featured work by the Al Jazeera America investigative unit and covers stories in depth from across America, revealing new insights on the news of the day and breaking stories with its own original reporting.America Tonight also incorporated social media interaction on screen and off to reflect the views of its American audience. On July 1, 2013, longtime CNN anchorSoledad O'Brien was hired to be a special correspondent forAmerica Tonight, as well as a deal with her production company Starfish Media Group to produce long-form documentaries for Al Jazeera America.[32]
An American version of the popular Al Jazeera English programThe Stream was originally featured on the channel. Produced from Al Jazeera's Washington, D.C. hub, and hosted by veteran journalist and former ABC News correspondentLisa Fletcher. The show formatted to allow viewers to interact with Fletcher and her guests during the program viaTwitter,Facebook,Google+ Hangouts andSkype. The show's social media team and second screen technology enabled viewers to engage 24 hours a day with new content, comments, user-generated videos and a variety of posts.The Stream relied heavily on a variety of online resources and social media tools to connect with people across the United States and around the world. This includes "Storify", which allowed the aggregation of additional information, links, and photos about show topics on the website; "Video Genie", which enables viewers to leave video questions for the show 24–7; and Twitter, Facebook,Pinterest, andReddit. It also hosted Google+ Hangouts and uses Skype rather than satellite feeds for nearly all guest interviews.[33] Less hard-news orientated than Al Jazeera America's other shows, guests included everyone from civil rights group leaders toKathy Griffin.
On July 21, 2013, the network hired former Fox News, MSNBC, and Current TV veteranDavid Shuster to host a show during "the evening hours".[34] Shuster became an analyst on the midday and evening news on the channel as well as a fill in host. It later hiredAndrea Stone, most recently ofThe Huffington Post, andTony Karon, most recently ofTime, to manage both U.S. and global coverage for the channel's website and other digital platforms. The two were responsible for determining the overall editorial direction for the site and were based in New York City.[35]
On July 26, 2013, the network announced that formerGood Morning America host and award-winning journalistAntonio Mora would host a current events talk show calledConsider This, a program which showcased "hard-hitting interviews and panel discussions on issues important to American viewers".Consider This also featured interactive segments where the audience will join the conversation via social media.[36] The first episode of the show highlighted the hunger strike and court-approved force-feeding in California's prison system. After the show's cancellation during a schedule re-do to raise ratings and lower costs Mora anchored the late news. The show was replaced by a similar programThird Rail.
Kathy Davidov andCynthia Kane were hired as the senior executive producer and senior producer for its in-house documentary film unit. Davidov came from theNational Geographic Channel, where she produced shows such asBorder Wars and theExplorer special. Kane came fromITVS, where she managed over 150 projects and worked with theSundance Channel.[37]
On April 13, 2014, the channel began showingBorderland, a documentary series on illegal immigration which follows six Americans as they retrace the fatal journey of three undocumented migrants who died attempting to cross into the United States.Borderland was the first such documentary series for the channel. A second one calledThe System focused on theU.S. prison system.
The channel had a 16-person investigative unit and hired veteran National Headline Award-winning journalist Edward Pound (formerly ofThe New York Times,The Wall Street Journal,USA Today,U.S. News & World Report and theNational Journal) to lead its investigation division.Josh Bernstein ofDenverFox affiliateKDVR was hired as the lead investigative reporter, along withTrevor Aaronson, an award-winning author and investigative journalist and the former co-founder and associate director of the nonprofitFlorida Center for Investigative Reporting who served as the networks investigative digital reporter based in Washington, D.C.[38][39] This was in addition to the Al Jazeera Investigative Reporting Unit controlled by Al Jazeera English.
Al Jazeera America was the first television national news outlet to report in-depth on theFlint water crisis on January 22, 2015.[40][41]
Al Jazeera America's news anchors includedRandall Pinkston (formerly ofCBS News),John Seigenthaler (formerly ofNBC News andWSMV in Nashville),Antonio Mora (formerly of ABC News),Richelle Carey (formerly of CNN and HLN),Jonathan Betz (formerly ofWFAA in Dallas andWWL-TV in New Orleans),Tony Harris (formerly of sister stationAl Jazeera English andCNN),Del Walters (formerly ofWJLA in Washington, D.C. andWMAR of Baltimore, MD) andStephanie Sy.[42]
Mike Viqueira was hired on June 5, 2013, to be Al Jazeera America's firstWhite House correspondent.[43]
In November 2013, Al Jazeera America hiredRay Suarez, formerly ofPBS Newshour, to hostInside Story.
Also airing at various times were the Al Jazeera English programsEarthrise,Al Jazeera World andAl Jazeera Correspondent along with shows brought in from other channels in the UK and Australia.[45][46]
A complete list of hosts and correspondents is located in the box at the bottom.
In 2014, Al Jazeera America and producer Reed Lindsay won aGracie Award in the "Outstanding Hard News Feature" category from the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation for the story "Fists of Fury", which aired onAmerica Tonight.[47] The award was the first award ever for the channel.
Al Jazeera America also won aShorty Award for "Best News Twitter Account".[48]
The Al Jazeera America showFault Lines won twoPeabody Awards in 2013 for the episodes "Haiti in a Time of Cholera"[49] and "Made in Bangladesh".[50]
The channel andFault Lines also won aRobert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for "Made in Bangladesh".[51]
On September 30, 2014,Fault Lines won aNews & Documentary Emmy Award in the Investigative Journalism News-magazine category for "Haiti in a Time of Cholera".[52]
In early 2015, Al Jazeera America's digital team was recognized with an Award of Excellence for Photo Editing Portfolio in thePictures of the Year International competition.[53]
In April 2015, Al Jazeera America won 16 National Headliner Awards including seven first place wins in various categories including "Broadcast television networks, cable networks and syndicatorsenvironmental reporting" where It held all three top nomination spots with theFault Lines episode "Water for Coal" winning overall, "Broadcast television networks, cable networks and syndicators investigative report" and "Best of TV" where theFault Lines episode "Deadly Force" won, "Broadcast television networks, cable networks and syndicators documentary or series of reports" where the documentary "Killing the Messenger" won, "Broadcast television networks, cable networks and syndicators coverage of a major news event" where they also held the top three places with their coverage of "The Downing of MH14" winning, "Broadcast television networks, cable networks and syndicators newscast" where their coverage of the "Crisis in Yemen" and "ISIL on the Turkish Border" won and "online slideshow" for its digital team.[54]
While covering theFerguson protests in 2014, officers from theFerguson Police Department shotrubber bullets andtear gas at an AJAM news crew including correspondentAsh-har Quraishi, who after yelling, "We're the press" caused them to abandon their recording equipment and run to safety.[55] The incident was caught on camera byKSDK-TV, a localNBC affiliate who was filming from across the street. An officer was captured on video turning the reporters' video camera toward the ground and dismantling their equipment.[56] Other incidents, including the arrests of two print journalists forThe Washington Post andThe Huffington Post, also occurred during the same time period.[57]
On April 28, 2015, Matthew Luke, Al Jazeera America's former Supervisor of Media and Archive Management, filed a US$15 million lawsuit against his former employers over unfair dismissal. Luke alleged that he had been unfairly dismissed by the network after he had raised concerns with the human resource division that his boss, Osman Mahmud, the Senior Vice-President of Broadcast Operations and Technology, discriminated against female employees and madeanti-Semitic remarks.[58] In response,Ehab Al Shihabi, the head of Al Jazeera America, has announced that the network will contest the lawsuit in court. Mahmud has also denied Luke's charges and has alleged that Luke was a difficult employee. In an unrelated development, two female Al Jazeera America employees—Diana Lee, the Executive Vice-President for Human Resources, and Dawn Bridges, the Executive Vice President for Communications, had resigned that week.[59][60][61]
On May 4, 2015, Marcy McGinnis, a senior Al Jazeera America's executive and formerCBS news anchor, resigned from the company for undisclosed reasons amidst internal dissension with AJAM's management.[62] On May 5, 2015, Al Jazeera Media Network demoted Al Shihabi to Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Al Jazeera America. He was demoted from CEO after a report fromThe New York Times of an altercation between him and hostAli Velshi where he attempted to fire and sue the channel's top host.[63] He was replaced by Al Anstey, the former managing director ofAl Jazeera English.[64] On June 11, 2015, Shannon High-Bassalik, AJAM's former senior vice president of programming and documentaries, filed a multi-million lawsuit against the channel; alleging a biased pro-Arab coverage and the mistreatment of employees. AJAM has responded that they would contest the lawsuit in court.[65]
On November 8, 2015, it was reported that Al Jazeera America's general counsel, David W. Harleston, did not have a license to practice law. Harleston had previously dealt with several lawsuits involvingDirecTV andAl Gore, several wrongful termination cases by former employees, and the departure of the company's chief executive, Al Shihabi.[66]
On December 27, 2015,Al Jazeera English released a report, aired on Al Jazeera America, conducted by theAl Jazeera Investigative Unit viaAl Jazeera Investigates called "The Dark Side: Secrets of the Sports Dopers", which investigated professional athletes' alleged use ofPerformance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), namingPeyton Manning and other prominent athletes as having received drugs from Charles Sly, a pharmacist who had worked at the Guyer Anti-Aging Clinic in Indianapolis during the fall of 2011.[67][68][69]
The Huffington Post leaked the reports a day before Al Jazeera's publication.[70] Then, Manning toldESPN'sLisa Salters about the reports, despite the fact that the documentary had not yet been aired, in an interview on the morning of the 27th for ESPNSunday NFL Countdown calling them "completely fabricated" and "garbage". He also expressed his anger that his wife, Ashley, had been mentioned in the documentary. Salters pointed to other cases in which athletes initially deny, and then eventually admit allegations, but Manning replied that he could not speak for others. Nevertheless, Manning also stated he had visited the Guyer Institute 35 times during 2011 and that he had received both medication and treatment from Guyer during this time.[71]
Sly recanted his story and requested the report not to be aired via a YouTube video following the release of the report.[72][73] Sly later said he had never seen the Mannings and told ESPN'sChris Mortensen that he is not a pharmacist and was not at the Guyer Institute in 2011, as Al Jazeera claimed. However, state licensing records indicate that someone named "Charles David Sly" was licensed as a pharmacy intern in Indiana from April 2010 to May 2013 and that his license expired May 1, 2013.[74]
Manning decided to respond to the further allegations against him, and hired formerGeorge W. Bush press secretaryAri Fleischer to manage the issue.[75] He also threatened to sue Al Jazeera but then decided against doing so.[76]
On January 5, 2016, it was announced that Ryan Howard and Ryan Zimmerman had filed civil lawsuits suing Al Jazeera for defamation following the publication's release of the documentary which linked them.[77] In 2023, both lawsuits were dropped anddismissed with prejudice, with each of the parties bearing their own costs for the lawsuits.[78]
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