Al Jazeera America to shut down after only 3 years
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The cable news channel Al Jazeera America, which debuted in 2013 to great fanfare when it promised to cover American news soberly and seriously, is shutting down at the end of April. The move was announced at a companywide meeting on Wednesday.
In a memo to the staff, Al Jazeera America’s chief executive, Al Anstey, said the “decision by Al Jazeera America’s board is driven by the fact that our business model is simply not sustainable in light of the economic challenges in the U.S. media marketplace.”
Al Jazeera America went on the air in August 2013 after it bought Al Gore’s Current TV for $500 million. It promised to be thoughtful and smart, free of the shouting arguments that have defined cable news in the United States over the last decade. But meaningful viewership never came, with prime-time ratings sometimes struggling to exceed 30,000 viewers.http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/14/business/media/al-jazeera-america-to-shut-down-in-april.html
Basically, the US market doesn't give a flying fuck about serious news. Which shouldn't be shocking to anyone.
unsurprised. RT of the Arabic world, taking direction from executives in Qatar? No wonder they couldn't get any traction here.
Why is this a surprise? They were trying to penetrate an American market with that name and funded by a pretty shitty country. I called this the day they launched here.
By gotemrunnin Go To PostUnbiased content? Actual discussion? Murica don't want that.
What channel were they even on? Can you remember it off the top of your head? Because channel placement on cable and sat providers is a HUGE factor in ratings and success.
I also wouldn't call them unbiased. It was basically the news spun the way their masters (the parent in Qatar) wanted it. See the stories of executives leaving and the lawsuits pending against Al Jazeera america.
By AlphaSnacks Go To PostWhat channel were they even on? Can you remember it off the top of your head? Because channel placement on cable and sat providers is a HUGE factor in ratings and success.
All good questions. I don't have a cable box. My TV is on a roku box. The time warner cable app has all channels in alphabetical order so it was channel number 3 for me personally.
That could have contributed to the downfall but like others have stated I think the name was a huge killer as well.
By Enron Go To PostI also wouldn't call them unbiased. It was basically the news spun the way their masters (the parent in Qatar) wanted it. See the stories of executives leaving and the lawsuits pending against Al Jazeera america.
Yep. They also referred to Palestinian terrorists as Martyrs, so they were sensationalizing a lot of unholy shit too.