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Al Jazeera Buying Current?
- Thread starter AlanB
- Start date
REPORT: ALJAZEERA WANTS CURRENT
The Wrap is reporting that Dohar-based Aljazeera (or is it Al Jazeera) has expressed an interest in buying Current TV. The news channel is offered on Free-to-air satellite through Globecast, but cable penetration is not all that widespread.
I sense there is a fair interest in an independent international news channel - a number of people have been wanting BBC or CNN International. RT is on dish Network (in crappy squeezovision since the HD convert). Could Aljazeera pull this off?
BTW: No, I don't see them keeping the morning radio simulcasts if they do. The afternoon talkers, on the other hand, are more likely to stay.
Story: The Wrap
The Wrap is reporting that Dohar-based Aljazeera (or is it Al Jazeera) has expressed an interest in buying Current TV. The news channel is offered on Free-to-air satellite through Globecast, but cable penetration is not all that widespread.
I sense there is a fair interest in an independent international news channel - a number of people have been wanting BBC or CNN International. RT is on dish Network (in crappy squeezovision since the HD convert). Could Aljazeera pull this off?
BTW: No, I don't see them keeping the morning radio simulcasts if they do. The afternoon talkers, on the other hand, are more likely to stay.
Story: The Wrap
Re: REPORT: ALJAZEERA WANTS CURRENT
The sale is pretty much a done deal and reports are that indeed Stephanie Miller's show is the first axe to drop and in the course of 3 months the programming transition will shift to Doha. Some of the engineering side of Current will meld into Al Jazeera English here in the States.
Can Al Jazeera pull this off? I don't think it takes too much of a programming whiz to greatly improve upon the model that is/was Current Tv. This is the channel that played Bowling For Columbine on perpetual repeat immediately following the Sandy Hook tragedy. Al Jazeera is a professionally run news operation and more importantly isn't beholden to the Liberal and Conservative spin the likes of MSNBC and Fox News cater to. Our local independent public station KCET runs Al Jazeera, RT, NHK and BBC newscasts everyday. Their perspectives are probably far more fair than the news divisions on U.S. soil and will not pull any punches back on the nonsense in D.C. no matter what letter (R or D or I) follows the politician's name.
The sale is pretty much a done deal and reports are that indeed Stephanie Miller's show is the first axe to drop and in the course of 3 months the programming transition will shift to Doha. Some of the engineering side of Current will meld into Al Jazeera English here in the States.
Can Al Jazeera pull this off? I don't think it takes too much of a programming whiz to greatly improve upon the model that is/was Current Tv. This is the channel that played Bowling For Columbine on perpetual repeat immediately following the Sandy Hook tragedy. Al Jazeera is a professionally run news operation and more importantly isn't beholden to the Liberal and Conservative spin the likes of MSNBC and Fox News cater to. Our local independent public station KCET runs Al Jazeera, RT, NHK and BBC newscasts everyday. Their perspectives are probably far more fair than the news divisions on U.S. soil and will not pull any punches back on the nonsense in D.C. no matter what letter (R or D or I) follows the politician's name.
Re: REPORT: ALJAZEERA WANTS CURRENT
Make it Aljazeera GETS Current. Confirmed by Brian Stelter at the New York Times. Done deal. We'll be seeing the Aljazeera Flame logo in place of the Current flag on or about April Fool's Day (no fooling!).
Story: NYT Media Decoder Blog
Make it Aljazeera GETS Current. Confirmed by Brian Stelter at the New York Times. Done deal. We'll be seeing the Aljazeera Flame logo in place of the Current flag on or about April Fool's Day (no fooling!).
Story: NYT Media Decoder Blog
Re: REPORT: ALJAZEERA WANTS CURRENT
Another wrinkle in everything; the moment the news went public, Time Warner Cable stated they were opposed to the deal and immediately pulled Current off all their systems.
This is very interesting because the only way AJ's English channel does air in the New York market is through a time buy of most of the schedule of WRNN's DT2 subchannel, and TWC has to carry the service as part of must-carry. Something tells me there's lawsuits and some kind of FCC petitioning in the offing over the pulling of Current from Time Warner. Probably expect beIN Sport, AJ's sports networks to be pulled from Time Warner as a response.
Personally I've never had Current on Charter (and glad I haven't; it just seems like a higher-budget Free Speech TV, a channel which is terribly extreme, even regarding my views), so I have no idea what's going on besides what's in the news.
Another wrinkle in everything; the moment the news went public, Time Warner Cable stated they were opposed to the deal and immediately pulled Current off all their systems.
This is very interesting because the only way AJ's English channel does air in the New York market is through a time buy of most of the schedule of WRNN's DT2 subchannel, and TWC has to carry the service as part of must-carry. Something tells me there's lawsuits and some kind of FCC petitioning in the offing over the pulling of Current from Time Warner. Probably expect beIN Sport, AJ's sports networks to be pulled from Time Warner as a response.
Personally I've never had Current on Charter (and glad I haven't; it just seems like a higher-budget Free Speech TV, a channel which is terribly extreme, even regarding my views), so I have no idea what's going on besides what's in the news.
Re: REPORT: ALJAZEERA WANTS CURRENT
Just contacted Direct TV.
A tech fellow said this to me, as we're talking.
They plan on carrying this new program, since they still have a legal contract to air them.
Just because they are changing hands, doesn't mean we will drop their program.
Meaning this is one channel I will avoid on purpose.
Islam isn't my cup of tea anyway.
R.D.P. <><
Just contacted Direct TV.
A tech fellow said this to me, as we're talking.
They plan on carrying this new program, since they still have a legal contract to air them.
Just because they are changing hands, doesn't mean we will drop their program.
Meaning this is one channel I will avoid on purpose.
Islam isn't my cup of tea anyway.
R.D.P. <><
Re: REPORT: ALJAZEERA WANTS CURRENT
Al Jazeera is actually not a bad news channel. They're heavy on the documentaries (and do a damn through job on them.) But in their main news reports, they're drier than Qatar itself.
As previously mentioned, they're a far more independent and balanced observer than the American cable news networks. I personally think it's petulant to want to keep them off the cable/satellite grid anywhere. If they had a sensible reason for doing that, I'd love to hear it. Because I sure as hell don't see the point in it. They're a pretty well respected news organization and not beholden to political agendas or advertisers.
Sometimes to get a clearer understanding of ALL sides of the story, the news NEEDS that.
Al Jazeera is actually not a bad news channel. They're heavy on the documentaries (and do a damn through job on them.) But in their main news reports, they're drier than Qatar itself.
As previously mentioned, they're a far more independent and balanced observer than the American cable news networks. I personally think it's petulant to want to keep them off the cable/satellite grid anywhere. If they had a sensible reason for doing that, I'd love to hear it. Because I sure as hell don't see the point in it. They're a pretty well respected news organization and not beholden to political agendas or advertisers.
Sometimes to get a clearer understanding of ALL sides of the story, the news NEEDS that.
Re: REPORT: ALJAZEERA WANTS CURRENT
I'm looking forward to having Al-Jazeera, assuming Xfinity here in Houston doesnt give it the hook (we've had Current from its beginning, and NewsWorld before that.) Al-Jazeera is a serious news operation and a worthy rival to other international broadcasters such as the BBC, RT, France 24, CCTV, etc. Different perspective on a lot of things, which is good.
Al-Jazeera does stream the English language channel on their website. The Arabic version is streamed as well.
I'm looking forward to having Al-Jazeera, assuming Xfinity here in Houston doesnt give it the hook (we've had Current from its beginning, and NewsWorld before that.) Al-Jazeera is a serious news operation and a worthy rival to other international broadcasters such as the BBC, RT, France 24, CCTV, etc. Different perspective on a lot of things, which is good.
Al-Jazeera does stream the English language channel on their website. The Arabic version is streamed as well.
Re: REPORT: ALJAZEERA WANTS CURRENT
Before Current, that channel allocation was News World International, a Canadian operation (CTV?) that aired a hard news format. Seems they've come full circle. I haven't really had the opportunity to watch much of AJ, but they do have a very good reputation for straight news without the fluff, blowhards and pundits screaming at each other. They were originally the Middle East bureau of the BBC.
As for Current, though they have seemed to find a niche as of late, they have been dying the death of a thousand cuts. It was inevitable that they would go. AJ launching an American channel is definitely welcome, as the major American news channels are severely lacking in substance.
Before Current, that channel allocation was News World International, a Canadian operation (CTV?) that aired a hard news format. Seems they've come full circle. I haven't really had the opportunity to watch much of AJ, but they do have a very good reputation for straight news without the fluff, blowhards and pundits screaming at each other. They were originally the Middle East bureau of the BBC.
As for Current, though they have seemed to find a niche as of late, they have been dying the death of a thousand cuts. It was inevitable that they would go. AJ launching an American channel is definitely welcome, as the major American news channels are severely lacking in substance.
Re: REPORT: ALJAZEERA WANTS CURRENT
It's the other one, the CBC. Which brings to mind a question. Isn't it interesting that some of the better-run international news channels are state-funded or state-run in some way? Or is it just me?
FightingIrish said:
It's the other one, the CBC. Which brings to mind a question. Isn't it interesting that some of the better-run international news channels are state-funded or state-run in some way? Or is it just me?
S
stevensonair
Guest
Re: REPORT: ALJAZEERA WANTS CURRENT
Not just you.
It seems other nations see value in investing in the public broadcasting system and providing unbiased reporting.
Whereas in 2010, the US Congress held an "emergency session" to defund our public broadcasters.
Not just you.
It seems other nations see value in investing in the public broadcasting system and providing unbiased reporting.
Whereas in 2010, the US Congress held an "emergency session" to defund our public broadcasters.
Re: REPORT: ALJAZEERA WANTS CURRENT
It'll be very interesting to see where The Young Turks, Joy Behar, Jennifer Granholm, Elliot Spitzer and the rest of the Current TV personalities will end up.
Meanwhile, Oceanic Time Warner in Hawaii has pulled Current off the line up (it was at channel 900 on the digital tier) and left it blank. At this point Oceanic has no plans to replace it.
It'll be very interesting to see where The Young Turks, Joy Behar, Jennifer Granholm, Elliot Spitzer and the rest of the Current TV personalities will end up.
Meanwhile, Oceanic Time Warner in Hawaii has pulled Current off the line up (it was at channel 900 on the digital tier) and left it blank. At this point Oceanic has no plans to replace it.
E
EJ204
Guest
Re: REPORT: ALJAZEERA WANTS CURRENT
The owners of Current TV, a liberal news and talk cable channel owned in part by former VP Al Gore, say they are selling the channel to Al Jazeera. That's the Middle East news operation owned by the government of Qatar, with both Arabic and English versions.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...eera-buys-current-tv-20130102,0,4488243.story
This LA Times article says Time Warner will be removing Current TV from its line up before Al Jazeera takes over. Well, as of last night, Current was off my TW cable system in the NYC area. Wow, that was fast! The announcement was made only yesterday and apparently within hours, Current is gone, even though the regular network will continue till this Spring.
Did Time Warner want to discontinue having to pay 12 cents per subscriber per month? Or do they NOT want to even consider the idea of carry the new Al Jazeera America service when it debuts?
I actually think Al Jazeera English is a good service. The reporters and anchors are top-notch. The production values are first rate. I've seen it a number of times. Where I used to work, we had access to it on our video screens. And you can stream it on the internet. I never picked up any bias, at least not on the English service. They didn't seem to give Arab countries any extra coverage or simpathetic coverage. The news seems to be fairly divided between the West, Asia, Africa, South America and the Middle East.
Of course, many are upset that Al Jazeera inflamed Arab passions with their news coverage that state-regulated TV stations in Arab countries never used to show. Al Jazeera and social media may have even helped spark the Arab Spring by showing protests that weren't covered on state TV in Egypt, Tunisia, etc. There's almost no carriage of Al Jazeera English in the U.S. even though I understand it is available on cable and satellite in other parts of the world, even in Isreal.
On Jan. 1, Time Warner also deleted Ovation, the arts network owned partially by the NY Times, from its cable systems. So the Ovation channel and Current TV now have only notices saying this service is no longer available. TW did recently give us BBC World News and NHK World, an English news service from Japan.
So that means on my TW system, I have international English language news channels from
BBC World News
CNN International
France 24
Russia Today (in both English and Spanish)
CCTV News (from China)
CNC News (also from China)
NHK World (from Japan)
but no Al Jazeera English.
The owners of Current TV, a liberal news and talk cable channel owned in part by former VP Al Gore, say they are selling the channel to Al Jazeera. That's the Middle East news operation owned by the government of Qatar, with both Arabic and English versions.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...eera-buys-current-tv-20130102,0,4488243.story
This LA Times article says Time Warner will be removing Current TV from its line up before Al Jazeera takes over. Well, as of last night, Current was off my TW cable system in the NYC area. Wow, that was fast! The announcement was made only yesterday and apparently within hours, Current is gone, even though the regular network will continue till this Spring.
Did Time Warner want to discontinue having to pay 12 cents per subscriber per month? Or do they NOT want to even consider the idea of carry the new Al Jazeera America service when it debuts?
I actually think Al Jazeera English is a good service. The reporters and anchors are top-notch. The production values are first rate. I've seen it a number of times. Where I used to work, we had access to it on our video screens. And you can stream it on the internet. I never picked up any bias, at least not on the English service. They didn't seem to give Arab countries any extra coverage or simpathetic coverage. The news seems to be fairly divided between the West, Asia, Africa, South America and the Middle East.
Of course, many are upset that Al Jazeera inflamed Arab passions with their news coverage that state-regulated TV stations in Arab countries never used to show. Al Jazeera and social media may have even helped spark the Arab Spring by showing protests that weren't covered on state TV in Egypt, Tunisia, etc. There's almost no carriage of Al Jazeera English in the U.S. even though I understand it is available on cable and satellite in other parts of the world, even in Isreal.
On Jan. 1, Time Warner also deleted Ovation, the arts network owned partially by the NY Times, from its cable systems. So the Ovation channel and Current TV now have only notices saying this service is no longer available. TW did recently give us BBC World News and NHK World, an English news service from Japan.
So that means on my TW system, I have international English language news channels from
BBC World News
CNN International
France 24
Russia Today (in both English and Spanish)
CCTV News (from China)
CNC News (also from China)
NHK World (from Japan)
but no Al Jazeera English.
Re: REPORT: ALJAZEERA WANTS CURRENT
IIRC, must-carry rules require a cable or satellite distributor to carry only one feed of the channel, so TWC's carriage has been voluntary. I'm not familiar with WRNN's programming - perhaps Al Jazeera's English-language feed was better than anything else WRNN was carrying.
So with the sale done, can we expect to see a more pro-American attitude on the channel? ;D (ducks)
mrschimpf said:
IIRC, must-carry rules require a cable or satellite distributor to carry only one feed of the channel, so TWC's carriage has been voluntary. I'm not familiar with WRNN's programming - perhaps Al Jazeera's English-language feed was better than anything else WRNN was carrying.
So with the sale done, can we expect to see a more pro-American attitude on the channel? ;D (ducks)
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