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Al Jazeera America

Bastet

By Bastet
in Network Talk

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Bastet

Bastet

The Nation ran an article earlier this year on Al Jazeera America's strengths and limitations.

 

My satellite provider (Dish) announced it as a new addition to my programming package not long after the network premiered, but it was months before it actually showed up.  I'm so glad it did, because America Tonight quickly became a nightly tradition.  I usually wind up watching the repeat broadcast, as it unfortunately airs at the same time as my old standby, PBS Newshour.

 

I hope it sticks around.

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aradia22

aradia22

I should really check if I still have Al Jazeera. I always enjoy the news so much more when I'm traveling and getting the stations that broadcast in English but which aren't native to America. I can't deal with the regular cable news stuff (Fox News, MSNBC, CNN). I just feel like I'm constantly being lied to and getting way more opinion than news. I catch some of the local news from time to time but other than NY1, it's mainly depressing or useless information. Just subsisting on a diet of local news I could tell you nothing about what's happening in the world, or even in American politics, but I can tell you a ton about newborn kittens and bears in people's backyards. Get it together, local news. The Daily Show/Colbert Report helps a little but they don't cover too many stories and of course the focus is more on humor than news. Gone are the days when I'd ever want to sit down to read the newspaper. I don't find the writing enjoyable and so it just feels like a waste to read an article that imparts a paragraph's worth of information. 

 

For those who do watch, are they particular anchors you like or times of the day when you like to tune in?

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Bastet

Bastet

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For those who do watch, are they particular anchors you like or times of the day when you like to tune in?

 

America Tonight is my favorite hour of news, but I've yet to tune in to any coverage I disliked, especially with respect to international news; unlike many other cable news networks, Al Jazeera America lives up to its motto: Fact-Based, In-Depth News.   

 

I've never calculated the average length of a story, but it's probably about five minutes.  And the network has produced some wonderful one-hour specials.

 

Ali Velshi's financial show does perhaps the best job I've seen of exploring the real-world effects of economic policies and developments.

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candall

candall

Well, I'm dragging this topic forward a year so maybe someone else will see it and give AJA a shot.  They have some of the best documentaries going.  Not a one turns out to be ill-conceived or disappointing.

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Bastet

Bastet

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I agree; this network is such an oasis.  This was plainly evident on the day it was announced the Germanwings co-pilot had crashed the plane (and that’s all we knew at the time).  To amuse/horrify myself that evening, I flipped back and forth between Al Jazeera’s prime-time news hour and that of CNN.  On the former, the story was covered via a few minutes of straightforward recounting of what the data had revealed.  The latter?  So far as I could tell, the entire hour was devoted to computer animation and wild speculation from experts (or “experts”) in aviation, psychology, terrorism, etc.

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Bastet

Bastet

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What a mess.  What I'm seeing on the air is still great, so I'm thankful for that, but how long can people hang on?  Yes, a lot of this is typical (as horrifying as that is), but come on.

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candall

candall

Well, crap. Why can't I have nice things?  Thanks for the head's up.

 

I wonder if they considered trying a name change.  Al-anything is a pretty hard sell in my neck of the woods. 

 

Oh, who am I kidding?  If Rush Limbaugh became a FOX News anchor, my neighbors would think they were in heaven, earlier than expected.

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SmithW6079

SmithW6079

I wonder if they considered trying a name change. Al-anything is a pretty hard sell in my neck of the woods.

I believe I heard on NPR that the shut-down was because of the low price of oil. The government of Qatar can't afford it anymore.
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candall

candall

Yes, I went exploring yesterday and read same in the NYT.  (Qatar's suffering from the tumble of oil and natural gas prices.)

 

I guess I'm harking back to when Al Gore's station, Current, was purchased for $500M--because, really?--and I wondered whether the name would prejudice people against giving it a chance.  Ye olde NYT mentioned that it was much more popular in Europe, where people were more accustomed to receiving news from Arabic sources.

 

Going lint-picky philosophical for a moment, there are sooo many fundamental differences between people who are born in giant land mass countries and people who grow up surrounded by entirely different cultures just right over there.

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Bastet

Bastet

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The fact Qatar no longer has an endless supply of money to toss after it is the underlying reason, yes, but the ratings have been dismal all along.  I think that's what the "I wonder if they considered ..." musings are directed at; things they might have done to increase viewership.  (Of course it's a moot point now, which is a shame.)

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junemeatcleaver

junemeatcleaver

It's a fair question to wonder if Al Jazeera was getting even MSNBC numbers and turning a small profit would the Qatari government have pulled the plug.  Who knows. 

 

Al Jazeera was doomed to fail in the US.  Not only because of the name, but because of their dense "real" news content many people don't seem to have the patience for.

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SmithW6079

SmithW6079

Al Jazeera was doomed to fail in the US. Not only because of the name, but because of their dense "real" news content many people don't seem to have the patience for.

I think you're being generous to attribute the failure to people's lack of patience. This is America in the 21st century -- the age of willful ignorance.
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junemeatcleaver

junemeatcleaver

(edited)

AJA is shutting down April 12 instead of April 30th as originally reported.  If you want to catch AJA before it shuts down, now is your very last chance.

 

 

On the network’s final day of production, April 12, Al Jazeera America will air a three-hour live farewell, beginning at 6 p.m. ET (and repeated at 9 p.m. ET) including contributions from Al Jazeera America journalists who worked with the channel since its launch in 2013, and the subjects of many of the network’s reports.

 

source

Edited by junemeatcleaver
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Bastet

Bastet

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On the network’s final day of production, April 12, Al Jazeera America will air a three-hour live farewell,

 

I'm watching it right now, and getting so depressed that this network is going away.  Thanks for 2-1/2 years of authentic journalism, AJA.

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