I can understand Al Jazeera wasn't getting much ratings for its American news channel. But I don't understand why they'd shut it down completely. AJE, the international service, still has to have correspondents around the U.S. And I'm sure they'd still like to see their service carried in the U.S., just as the BBC, NHK Japan, RT from Russia, CCTV and CNC from China, and France 24 all like having their English language news channels carried in America, even if their ratings are next to nothing. (Well maybe the BBC scores some small ratings.)
So why not get rid of some of the American staff and reduce your local content, while running mostly the international service? Many hours, AJA simulcasts the international service, anyway. And AJE will still have a sizable number of U.S. based reporters to feed the international network, even though they likely will never see their work carried on American cable systems.
Al Jazeera English really is a decent international news channel and I'd hate to see it go because Al Jazeera America failed. I also think that "Tech Know" and "Listening Post" are good shows. But I guess in a few months, we won't see them, unless we go to the Al Jazeera website to watch them.