CRTC Approves English Al Jazeera
Source: http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/issues/ISArticle.asp?aid=1000348967
Source: http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/issues/ISArticle.asp?aid=1000348967
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
CRTC Approves English Al Jazeera
- Thread starter Yeziknoradio
- Start date
Surprisingly, AJE was approved with no strings attached in regards to content -- a few years back, the main Al Jazeera channel was authorised by the CRTC, but since it had so many conditions attached to it (such as blacking out the channel during violent moments, especially executions (this came at a time when terrorists would brazenly behead, and hold up the heads of, their prisoners)), no one wanted to carry the channel, and the CRTc rescinded its decision.
Where I work in the U.S., we have both Al Jazeera and Al Jazeera English on our TV line up. I also have a friend who works in TV News in Australia and they regularly call on correspondents from AJE for reports and comments on international news events.
I've always found AJE to be quite fair in its international news coverage in English. Would a conservative watching AJE think it has a liberal bias? Maybe, if they already think the BBC, CBS, the CBC and the NY Times all have a liberal bias.
But AJE is not a non-stop video of Israelis doing bad things to Palestinians, as some might typecast the Arabic language Al Jazeera. Even though some of AJE's programs are hosted from studios in Doha, Qatar, they really don't do any more Middle East coverage than BBC World or CNN International. They try to balance news from the U.S., Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Their anchors and correspondents come from all over the planet.
While I don't speak Arabic, I do have access to three Arabic channels at work: Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya and Al Iraqiya. I'm not sure if that last one is independent or if that's the Arabic language channel set up by the U.S. government to compete with Al Jazeera. It is fascinating to watch all three channels. I'm sure most Westerners have heard about Al Jazeera always airing Osama Bin Laden's latest videos and often graphic video of Mid-East violence. But I've never seen any of that. All three channels run mostly news (although the latter two also have some entertainment, children's and Islamic religion shows). There are discussion shows, shows on stocks and business, sports reports, etc. Even some unusual commercials, such as one for 7-Up where a traffic fender-bender on a hot day looks like it's going to cause a fistfight till someone breaks out the 7-Up. I suppose Al Jazeera-Arabic and maybe Al Arabiya run some controversial, anti-Israel programs but I haven't seen them yet.
I think AJE will make a good addition as an upper tier Canadian cable and satellite TV channel. Of course, in the U.S., such a thing will never happen. There may even be an FCC regulation that AJE cannot be added to any cable or satellite line-up, although watching via the internet cannot be blocked.
Gregg
[email protected]
I've always found AJE to be quite fair in its international news coverage in English. Would a conservative watching AJE think it has a liberal bias? Maybe, if they already think the BBC, CBS, the CBC and the NY Times all have a liberal bias.
But AJE is not a non-stop video of Israelis doing bad things to Palestinians, as some might typecast the Arabic language Al Jazeera. Even though some of AJE's programs are hosted from studios in Doha, Qatar, they really don't do any more Middle East coverage than BBC World or CNN International. They try to balance news from the U.S., Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Their anchors and correspondents come from all over the planet.
While I don't speak Arabic, I do have access to three Arabic channels at work: Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya and Al Iraqiya. I'm not sure if that last one is independent or if that's the Arabic language channel set up by the U.S. government to compete with Al Jazeera. It is fascinating to watch all three channels. I'm sure most Westerners have heard about Al Jazeera always airing Osama Bin Laden's latest videos and often graphic video of Mid-East violence. But I've never seen any of that. All three channels run mostly news (although the latter two also have some entertainment, children's and Islamic religion shows). There are discussion shows, shows on stocks and business, sports reports, etc. Even some unusual commercials, such as one for 7-Up where a traffic fender-bender on a hot day looks like it's going to cause a fistfight till someone breaks out the 7-Up. I suppose Al Jazeera-Arabic and maybe Al Arabiya run some controversial, anti-Israel programs but I haven't seen them yet.
I think AJE will make a good addition as an upper tier Canadian cable and satellite TV channel. Of course, in the U.S., such a thing will never happen. There may even be an FCC regulation that AJE cannot be added to any cable or satellite line-up, although watching via the internet cannot be blocked.
Gregg
[email protected]
Recent update... I notice from their website, educational KUED Salt Lake City runs a 30 minute Al Jazeera English newscast twice a day on their over-the-air secondary channel 9.2.
So much for my theory that the government bans Al Jazeera from channel line-ups.
Gregg
[email protected]
So much for my theory that the government bans Al Jazeera from channel line-ups.
Gregg
[email protected]
Gregg said:
Gregg, the BBC, CBS and (especially) the New York Times DO have a liberal bias. There are dozens of examples of this available for your perusal. All you need to do is to Google them. So does NBC. ABC and CNN less so.
One recent example: the BBC and NY Times quietly held the "Climategate" emails without publishing them for over a month - basically coming up with a lame excuse about how they were hacked illegally. Interestingly, those emails were at odds with much of the NYT's editorial content and with the personal views of newsroom staffers at the above-mentioned organizations. Yet when Sarah Palin's emails were hacked (illegally) those same news organizations couldn't get the text of those emails out to the public fast enough. So, the excuse they used for burying the story really doesn't hold water. Only when Fox News jumped all over the "Climategate" thing did the other organizations reluctantly follow. Much like what happened with former czar (and 60's radical) Van Jones.
I've watched Al Jazeera's English newscasts on the MHz channel and - on most topics - they seem to play it pretty straight. To be honest, I find them LESS biased than some of the US-based mainstream media. I'd also state that CBC tends to be politically correct to an annoying degree, but is not generally biased. The BBC has it's moments where it's very biased and others when it's not. One very left-skewed report was a glowing feature on what a fabulous crusader for the poor Hugo Chavez is. Having just returned from Venezuela one week earlier, that report tempted me to toss the TV out the window! Complete and utter crap masquerading as journalism that was filed without even bothering to interview anyone from the opposition. Having a lot of personal experience in this country (and many friends there), it was very frustrating to watch and was somewhat reminiscent of those old reports from Pravda.
According to the A-J website, AJE is on these systems in the United States:
Buckeye Cable (Toledo, OH)
Burlington Cable (Burlington, VT)
GlobeCast World TV
Link TV (Direct TV, Channel - 375/Dish Network, Channel - 9410)
Washington Cable (Washington, DC)
MHz Networks (Washington, DC)
So it appears there is no FCC "rule" that forbids A-J from being on systems in the U.S. It seems that it's up to the powers-that-be that run the system and the response/reaction of paying customers. AJE is on in Burlington, VT in the "Premium" package and that's 88$ a month.
Buckeye Cable (Toledo, OH)
Burlington Cable (Burlington, VT)
GlobeCast World TV
Link TV (Direct TV, Channel - 375/Dish Network, Channel - 9410)
Washington Cable (Washington, DC)
MHz Networks (Washington, DC)
So it appears there is no FCC "rule" that forbids A-J from being on systems in the U.S. It seems that it's up to the powers-that-be that run the system and the response/reaction of paying customers. AJE is on in Burlington, VT in the "Premium" package and that's 88$ a month.
CrankyYankee said:
Wha? Is this because they believe people will pay that? Talk about redefining the words "Robbed blind"CrankyYankee said:
Since when was there ever one? The FCC can't prohibit anyone from starting a satellite channel, nor its distribution. (or can they?)
Which is a good thing for the Free-to-air satellite crowd. AJZ English is on the bird at 97W 24/7 in the clear as part of Globecast World TV. That and Press TV came in handy during the uprising last year.
Yeziknoradio said:CrankyYankee said:
Though I imagine you get all the channels, including HBO and Showtime, in that package. But still, paying that much just to get AJE amounts to highway robbery -- one of the reasons why a la carte is an idea that time has come.
azumanga said:Yeziknoradio said:CrankyYankee said:
Though I imagine you get all the channels, including HBO and Showtime, in that package. But still, paying that much just to get AJE amounts to highway robbery -- one of the reasons why a la carte is an idea that time has come.
...and that's $88 U.S.!!!!! Here in Canada, there is NOTHING in a specific package priced that high!
Heck...even the Porn package is cheaper than that!
Let me make sure I'm saying what I'm saying...the package in Burlington VT that AJE is in, is 88$ a month, with many other channels included.
And, not to go off topic, but since someone Else mentioned it, I think a-la-carte is long overdue. If I want magazine "X", I shouldn't have to buy magazines "Y" & "Z" as well to get "X", O.K.?
And, not to go off topic, but since someone Else mentioned it, I think a-la-carte is long overdue. If I want magazine "X", I shouldn't have to buy magazines "Y" & "Z" as well to get "X", O.K.?
azumanga said:
That's exactly the point I'm trying to make. The rate demanded is much higher in the States than here in Canada...even after converting American money to Canadian, the fee demanded is still three times as much.
- Status