The Short, Turbulent Life of Al Jazeera America
Thirty-two months ago, Al Jazeera America made its debut with ambitious plans
(and a big budget) to become a leading voice in cable news. And though
the network has garnered a number of prestigious awards, it never
attracted a meaningful audience, often failing to draw 30,000 viewers in
prime time.
Over
the last year, it has also had embarrassing setbacks. The network was
sued by a number of former employees; its chief executive was let go after staff members complained of a “culture of fear”; and its general counsel was suspended (and subsequently let go) after it was discovered that he did not have a license to practice law. In January, the network announced that it was shutting down. On Tuesday, Al Jazeera America will air its final broadcast. Here is a look back at the network over the last three years:
Al Jazeera Buys Al Gore’s Current TV
January 2013
Convinced
that there is room for a thoughtful, sober cable TV news channel in the
United States, Al Jazeera buys Current TV for $500 million and
announces the creation of Al Jazeera America, kicking off the most
ambitious American television news venture since Rupert Murdoch and
Roger Ailes started the Fox News Channel in 1996. Time Warner Cable
drops Current TV upon Al Jazeera’s acquisition.
Al Jazeera America Goes Live
August 2013
The
Qatari-owned station names a former ABC executive, Kate O’Brian, as
president and Ehab Al Shihabi, a management consultant who worked at
firms like Arthur Andersen and Deloitte, as interim chief. The station
also hires hundreds of journalists, including some prominent names like
Ali Velshi of CNN. The station goes live on Aug. 20 in about 48 million
of the roughly 100 million American homes that subscribe to television.
Documentary Series Wins Peabody Award
April 2014
The
network is awarded a Peabody and an Emmy award for its “Fault Lines”
documentary on cholera in Haiti and goes on to receive multiple awards,
including an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award, for its
journalism.
Gore Sues for Breach of Contract — and Al Jazeera Sues Back
August-September 2014
The
former vice president claims the station owes him and a partner $65
million from a deal to buy his network, Current TV. The network says it
is entitled to keep money held in escrow – and conceivably owed to Mr.
Gore and his partner, Joel Hyatt – because the two “did not live up to a
promise to indemnify the network for claims made against Current TV.”
Suit Against Station Claims Sexism and Anti-Semitism
April 2015
Matthew Luke, formerly the network’s director of media and archive management, files a lawsuit
in New York Supreme Court claiming wrongful termination. He says he was
fired after he complained about his boss, Osman Mahmud, who, Mr. Luke
said, told him to exclude female employees from meetings and not involve
them in projects that they had previously worked on. In the suit, Mr.
Luke asserts that Mr. Mahmud mistreated female employees and exhibited
anti-Semitic behavior.
The
lawsuit was announced the same week an exodus of top executives was
announced, bringing to the surface a series of grievances that employees
say reflected a deep dysfunction in management of the newsroom.
Chief Executive Is Ousted
May 2015
The
network announced the departure of Mr. Shihabi as chief executive, a
day after a former executive complained of a “culture of fear” at the
network. Mr. Shihabi is succeeded by Al Anstey, who had been managing
director of Al Jazeera English since 2010.
Station Suspends General Counsel
November 2015
David
W. Harleston, Al Jazeera America’s general counsel, is suspended after a
New York Times investigation finds no records that indicate Mr.
Harleston is licensed to practice law in New York State or any other
jurisdiction. He no longer works with the company, a spokeswoman for the
network said."Mr.
Harleston had helped oversee lawsuits against DirecTV and Al Gore,
wrongful-termination cases brought by former employees and the departure
of the company’s chief executive."
Al Jazeera Report Links Peyton Manning and Other Stars to Doping
December 2015
A report on doping by Al Jazeera, published online
and broadcast by Al Jazeera America, implicates some of the biggest
stars in Major League Baseball and the National Football League,
including Peyton Manning, then the quarterback of the Denver Broncos.
Two of the baseball players named in the report, Ryan Zimmerman and Ryan Howard, file lawsuits against Al Jazeera America days after the report.
Network Announces It Is Closing Down
January 2016
Mr.
Anstey announces the shutdown in a memo to the staff, citing the
“economic challenges in the U.S. media marketplace.” He said the company
would expand its digital presence after ceasing its television
operations in April.
The Final Night
April 2016
On
Tuesday night, Al Jazeera America will close the network with a
three-hour broadcast from 6 to 9 p.m., which will be repeated from 9
p.m. to midnight. The final broadcast will feature a number of Al
Jazeera’s on-air personalities and has been described as a thank you to
the network’s viewers. In a statement, Mr. Anstey and Ms. O’Brian said
that strong journalism was a “responsibility which every media
organization should carry with determination and resolve. We are proud
to have done so since our first to our final moment on air.”
Very interesting.
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Do you have any more info?
ask and you shall receive
ReplyDelete