Al-Jazeera English Goes Live

Pan-Arab TV Network's English Broadcast Lacks Major U.S. Distribution

(CBS/AP)  Ten years after starting Arabic-language broadcasts that angered leaders in the region and Washington, Al-Jazeera on Wednesday launched an English-language news channel available in more than 80 million homes but lacking major U.S. distribution.

Al-Jazeera English went on the air at 3 p.m. (8 a.m. EST), broadcasting from the station's headquarters in Doha, capital of the tiny Persian Gulf state of Qatar.

A screen graphic with a clock ticking down the minutes gave way to a photo montage of the biggest news stories of the past decade and an announcer saying the new channel would be "setting the news agenda."

"It's Nov. 15th, a new era in television news," its anchor said.

The channel quickly jumped to live feeds from correspondents in various regions — starting with the Gaza Strip in a spot that reflected the channel's promise to Arab concerns in the Middle East.

The station reported on a rocket attack by Palestinian militants that killed an Israeli woman — then cut to its Gaza correspondent reporting on the aftermath of Israel's shelling of the Gaza town of Beit Hanoun that killed 18 Palestinians earlier this week.

The video showed pancaked apartment blocks and a scarred baby lying a hospital bed after being wounded in the Israeli attack. The correspondent did her standup in front of a destroyed home. It was followed by a clip from an interview with Hamas leader Khaled Mishaal.

With its flashy new sets, with stars like David Frost, and with reporters stationed around the world — Gaza Strip, Darfur, Tehran, Zimbabwe — Al Jazeera hopes to own global news in English the same way it owns the market in Arabic, reports CBS News national correspondent Wyatt Andrews.

Al-Jazeera, which is bankrolled by Qatar's royal family, said its signal would reach 80 million households with cable and satellite TV, mainly in the Middle East and Europe. It hopes to steal viewers from CNN and the British Broadcasting Corp. by giving the world's 1 billion English speakers news from a non-Western perspective.

Al-Jazeera's feisty Arabic news channel is well known for angering leaders in the West and the Arab world, where it has been banned from operating in 18 countries at various times. Four Arab nations still bar its reporters.

The station has broken new ground covering once-taboo political, religious and social subjects, while airing interviews with opposition figures and Israeli officials who previously were absent from other Arab networks.

Bush administration officials have branded the network's airing of messages from Osama bin Laden as an incitement to terrorism and criticized its often graphic coverage of bloodshed in Iraq.

[grumpas]

This news is really exciting??? More of the same old drivel!! I can't wait! I quit watching news a long time ago! But, I am better informed than most American's who listen to the news! Because I read a lot and get on the internet!

[themooniac]

saw it yesterday live on the net. It's availiable thru the website, just ping the 56k web free trial link and you'll be hooked up. The broadband side is a subscription. Its always good to get the views from the other side so to speak. You can put their views and the U.S. media views together and get the complete picture. No reason to get bogged down in either sides propaganda. Actually it's a pretty slick website. English.Aljazeera.net. Ping the "TV news now" link on the right. Kinda of a BBC feel to it.

[cantshutup]

cbscrash07...

lmao crash...that's probably the best use for it, you should also try the new testement...also makes GREAT rolling papers!

[grazinggoat]

cbscrash07
were U wiping your face I guess ( U buttface!).

[sheila1346]

I think it is about time that we have an English speaking news network from the Arab standpoint. I would definitely watch it on a regular basis so that I would be able to see both sides of any issue that involves Arabs. I believe that CNN and the other major news networks that are in English have a basis just as I believe the Arab news network does. I think that anyone who wants to know the true story in the middle east needs to look at the whole picture on both networks and make up their own mind.

[marykw-2009]

While I still find it heartbreaking to discover how censored American news is...

I am over-the-top excited that Al-Jazeera news will be available in English!!! It doesn't matter, and is perhaps preferable that it's not on TV - for the past five years, as I've realized how we American's have been fed pablum through what was called 'News', I only see television as a tool for entertainment...period.

Thank God for the Internet....where I am held as an intelligent, responsible citizen of the world capable of discerning what is so... and what is not!

So...CBS...thanks at least for telling us it's available-- that's surprisingly open-minded of you and appreciated!

[titocordero]

Sandy5274

You're probably right. What I meant was I will not pay for an Al-Jazeera channel if it were not included in a basic package offered by cable or satellite TV. But come on I would watch the news on Al-Jazeera solely for entertainment purposes. Everyone knows pretty much what they will report concerning the middle east crisis, Israel, the war on terror......I think that maybe by hearing both sides of a story no matter how extreme those sides may be, maybe we can find "some" truth to this political and religous mess that threatens the whole world.

[memyselfeye-2009]

I am willing to bet that a piece of this will be rebroadcast on LinkTV, available as streaming video and on Dish and DirecTV. They have a program called Mosaic that gives uncensored feed to several Muslim and Israeli sources. They do not alalyze and comment. They only translate when required. You probably will not agree with everything said, but it is well worth while to see what that part of the world is seeing.

[sandy5274]

What you mean you wouldn't pay for "bias news",
because if you have cable or dish tv then your
already paying for it since that's the only way
you can get MSNBC and CNN and FOX News,in case
ya'll forgot that little old fact of life!
So Al-Jazeera would be just one more for your
cable company or dish company to raise your
monthly cable tv bill and gouge us viewers even
more then ever!

[Syndicate]

I use to write comments on aljazeera.com but I was banned. Probaly happened when I told them I wipe with pages from their holy book.

[Syndicate]

I want to watch this channel. I know Al Jazeera. Everyone says there anti American, they are. Thats why they need to be on American TV. By giving them a seat at our table they would have to be responsible. They wouldn't be able to brodcast that Jews are pigs and apes without a significant backlash. They would be held to account like they never have before. They would be called out on all their lies. You do know the Jews blew up the WTC right? Al Jazerra believes they can change us but I think we can change them. We should make space for them.

[mac2499-2009]

Too bad cable companies in US don't want to carry the channel. They feel that it would be going against america since Al Jazeera is pro Arab.

[grazinggoat]

It's incredible how people are showing aggressive attitude against changes.

If you guys think BinLaden is the main figure you'll see on that channel, then it's still possible to get rid of it.

In part, the big failure we are concluding in Iraq and most probably in Afghanistan soon, is due to the lack of non biased or at least a vector showing what the other party has to say in this conflict.

How come we (the CNN, CBS.. of the world ) are received in the middle-east, but the signal of Al-Jazeera is never allowed in the USA.
Are we balcked-out intentionally? Kept in our nice ignorance?

[perception5]

At this point I'll take my chances with Al-Jazeera ....... vs MSNBC's Keith Obermann, or CNN's Lou Dobbs.............

[sevenveils]

I've read Al-Jazeera on-line for more than a year. You think MSNBC or CNN slant the news? Ha! Al-Jazeera takes it to a whole other level. Even the most straight forward stories are riddled with unnecessary commentaries and personal opinions. And more often than not the story is so off track at the end it makes a sane persons head spin.

Hey if you'd like to read and write comments about their stories go check it out. You'll have a field day.

Me, I'm not going to waste my time with Al-Jazeera news. I get plenty of propaganda as it is, thanks.

You have to listen and see the other side then you can judge who is telling the truth . It's wrong to listen and see one side .

[titocordero]

I would not mind having it if it came as part of basic cable television. I would not pay extra for it. Like CBSCRASH07 said it would good to see how biased they are. Western media get's criticized a lot for being anti Islamic or pro Israeli. Let's see how objective Al-Jazeera can be.....

[getcentered]

"corrupt liberal MSM wolfpack"

?????????

A simple rule can help one understand "bias":

"Seek and you will find"

[getcentered]

Yes.

More news.
More opinions.
More sources.

We need more media. The media watching public needs to learn how to use the media too. We should not stick to one channel. We need to spread where we get information out, so we the public don't get "biased" we get "informed".

[perception5]

At this point I would probably be williing to believe Al-Jazeera before I believe our corrupt liberal MSM wolfpack.............