Jump to content

Al Jazeera buying Current TV?


caliwxdude

Recommended Posts

 

I do agree with the consensus of the posts that AJAM's biggest obstacle is the American public's sentiment regarding the Middle East and Islam. They could become the most objective news channel in the country and give the most relevant information, but it's hard to change people's opinions. I wonder if they could have borrowed the name of their sports networks and call it "BeIN News America" and see if that would set off people's emotions like the Al Jazeera name does? Also, would so many journalists have applied for positions at AJAM if they thought it was going to be anti-American (Russia's state-owned English-language network RT is a good example of a source that is very critical of the United States)?

 

I welcome the added voice to the myriad of news sources on cable/satellite television. I did trace what some would call "liberal bias" on their first day story choices (the California prison hunger strike, for one), but they did cover the Idaho wildfires without any agenda.

 

I think that regardless of perception, they saw an opportunity and took it. I know I would. Plus, these are journalists; I don't think they'd cave in to public pressure just like that.

 

Actually, some of the complainers on social media have even declared all of AJAM's American staff as "Anti-American terrorists/terrorist sympathizers." :bang: I doubt that even Fox News went that far.

 

I would really like to see ratings from the first day though; it would be interesting to see how successful (or not) AJAM was at launch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 101
  • Created
  • Last Reply

 

Glad to see you read my post over there. ;)

 

Also, with regards to the OBL tapes, why wouldn't they air them? People would have been outraged if the network that received the tapes sat on them and didn't run them. Al Jazeera just happened to be the most influential news channel in the Middle East at the time with the highest audience, which is why OBL sent the tapes to them. It's no different from the BBC running messages from the IRA way back when or the New York Times publishing the Unabomber's manifesto.

 

Yeah, I hang around at that site a lot.

 

The big problem with OBL/IRA comparisons is the American point of view. The Troubles were truly atrocious for those who lived through it, but most Americans either didn't care or didn't know what was going on. OBL was the mastermind behind a plot that involved an attack directly on us, thus, American hatred of him and everything that has to do with him is at critical mass. That includes news organizations. Plus, the BBC is the noncommercial license fee-funded public service broadcaster for the entire UK; I think people in the UK would have been absolutely outraged that the network they support with their tax dollars let the IRA's injustices slip by unnoticed. Al Jazeera had a different mandate; same principles, but different funding sources. I'm actually not that sure about the Unabomber.

 

Thus, in order of emotion/outrage from the US point of view: IRA

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would, and I recorded the first 10 hours on air, but Comcast encrypts the signal. I remember getting this problem when I tried to record Current way back when, but almost everything else I'm interested in, including CNN, MSNBC, and the local channels are unencrypted. AJAM is marked as "Copy Once" whenever I try to import it.

 

If anybody knew how to get over this awful stuff (and how to do it on a Mac, no less), I'd be happy to upload some videos and caps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I may throw in something for a sec, I'm only 19, and even I don't think that AJAM or AJE is terrorism fodder or liberal central like every other network that isn't Fox News. It's sad that everyone on that Facebook page probably couldn't have watched for only 5 minutes without jumping to conclusions (read: crying "terrorist" or "liberal"). I have watched the AJE livestream for a few years now and I have not once smelled anything terrorist on any program on not one or the times I watched it.

 

These people need to calm the heel down and just watch for at least one day before reaching their own conclusions. If they still say it's liberal, that's fine. But I'm tired of this terrorist bullshit. It just needs to stop. And Glenn Beck...shut up. You're no better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I may throw in something for a sec, I'm only 19, and even I don't think that AJAM or AJE is terrorism fodder or liberal central like every other network that isn't Fox News. It's sad that everyone on that Facebook page probably couldn't have watched for only 5 minutes without jumping to conclusions (read: crying "terrorist" or "liberal"). I have watched the AJE livestream for a few years now and I have not once smelled anything terrorist on any program on not one or the times I watched it.

 

These people need to calm the heel down and just watch for at least one day before reaching their own conclusions. If they still say it's liberal, that's fine. But I'm tired of this terrorist bullshit. It just needs to stop. And Glenn Beck...shut up. You're no better.

Hell, I'm 19 as well and what do you expect? People are freaking brainwashed watching that fearmonger D'bag and a joke of a news network. And if you look at DirecTV's Facebook or Twitter page, people are bitching and moaning (and making threats to move to Dish) about DTV putting a AJAM in their line-up instead of adding TheBlaze TV (which DTV repeatedly said that they're not going to add it at this time) and give at&t props for removing AJAM because of "family values" (which it's a full of crap).
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Hell, I'm 19 as well and what do you expect? People are freaking brainwashed watching that fearmonger D'bag and a joke of a news network. And if you look at DirecTV's Facebook or Twitter page, people are bitching and moaning (and making threats to move to Dish) about DTV putting a AJAM in their line-up instead of adding TheBlaze TV (which DTV repeatedly said that they're not going to add it at this time) and give at&t props for removing AJAM because of "family values" (which it's a full of crap).

 

Don't these Glenn Beck fans realize that Dish also carries AJAM? Where is their outrage over the satcos carrying the far-leftist Free Speech TV network as a "public service?" I for one know better that TheBlazeTV is just Beck's expensive megaphone, even though they have a show that is ironically called "Real News." TheBlazeTV and CBN News on "The 700 Club" are just as much propaganda spreaders as FSTV or Russia Today. If AJAM actually does the most objective journalism of any cable TV news channel, I won't criticize them because their of their middle east origin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Glenn Beck's bandwagon is a strange breed. I can see how his...message...? attracts really uneducated and uninformed people.

 

As to why people object, it's all about the Arabic name. Most Americans know little else about the channel. Even a relatively sane person told my dad that he should "check in with the FBI" to make sure I'm not getting "radicalized" because I sometimes appear on AJE's Listening Post program.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, I'm 14, and yet I don't actually watch most of the current news channels, I just watch WABC, CBS Evening News, The Weather Channel/Weatherscan, and sometimes CNN. I really don't care about all of this stuff, although I'm a big fan of Stephen Colbert.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

On another note: would it be possible for someone to rip opens/on-air elements/IDs for Al Jazeera America and put it on a compilation video or something?

 

I could, but I only get the SD channel. But I can so let me know.

 

It's interesting....I rarely watch SD channels because they are not fun to watch, but if I had the HD versions, I bet I'd watch more. ie. AJA or HLN.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I could, but I only get the SD channel. But I can so let me know.

 

It's interesting....I rarely watch SD channels because they are not fun to watch, but if I had the HD versions, I bet I'd watch more. ie. AJA or HLN.

 

I agree. That's actually the only thing that's kept me from watching AJA more so far, even though it's a very superficial point. I know they're broadcasting in HD, but I'm not aware of any major providers that are carrying that feed. Probably because so few carried Current in HD.

 

Certainly those idents/opens would look amazing in HD.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I agree. That's actually the only thing that's kept me from watching AJA more so far, even though it's a very superficial point. I know they're broadcasting in HD, but I'm not aware of any major providers that are carrying that feed. Probably because so few carried Current in HD.

 

Certainly those idents/opens would look amazing in HD.

 

In addition to being SD, I also don't watch often because I occasionally forget that it exists because its channel placement is not near the other cable news channels.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I could, but I only get the SD channel. But I can so let me know.

 

It's interesting....I rarely watch SD channels because they are not fun to watch, but if I had the HD versions, I bet I'd watch more. ie. AJA or HLN.

 

I don't mind if its in SD at the moment. The opens/IDs already look spectacular in SD.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, so NewscastStudio went ahead and posted the open to AJAM's live news programming. The beginning reminds me of the old ABC World News intros, but in a good way. Did I mention how amazing the entire open is, from the swooshes to the live action shots?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Glenn Beck ... do not even get me started on him. Glenn Beck is a dangerous man. He does not care about America. All he cares about is $$$. If I see his book at any bookstore/grocery store, etc., I will go and take the nearest book and cover his junk publication(s) ... The Blaze is the biggest joke on this planet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's an interesting interview; thanks for sharing that. I remember Dave Marash was incredibly bitter when he left, citing that Doha was micromanaging Washington and the other "news centers." He's changed his tune about AJAM quite a bit. It's still interesting to see though that, for example, Shihab Rattansi, Marash's replacement as lead Washington anchor, has declined to be involved with AJAM, sticking with AJE. He stopped hosting Inside Story when it moved to AJE, and he's also had some interesting (if a little cryptic) tweets about AJAM on his Twitter page.

 

I just hope the AJE simulcasts stay. I get the sense they're temporary, as it's been reported that they're developing a morning program in the next few months. Still, it would be nice if some of the early, mid-morning, and weekend simulcasts stayed. It breaks up the monotony a little bit and still gives viewers a taste of AJE's exclusively international perspective.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Big news....THE RATINGS ARE IN. Low, as expected (AT&T, TWC, perception, Current's ratings and the internet didn't help much,) with August 22's Real Money being the #1 rated program on the channel at 54,000 total viewers. AJAM doesn't have 24-hour ratings as of yet.

 

However, the preview hour is the most surprising part of the article:

 

The launch hour, which was Tuesday afternoon at 3 PM, and featured a preview of what was to come on the channel, averaged 22,000 viewers, below Nielsen’s minimum accuracy threshold. In other words, Nielsen says it cannot accurately count how many people watched it, and the number it gives is essentially a rough guess. This is also called “scratching.”
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Big news....THE RATINGS ARE IN. Low, as expected (AT&T, TWC, perception, Current's ratings and the internet didn't help much,) with August 22's Real Money being the #1 rated program on the channel at 54,000 total viewers. AJAM doesn't have 24-hour ratings as of yet.

 

However, the preview hour is the most surprising part of the article:

 

Doesn't shock me one bit. The carriage issues AJAM has with At&t and TWC are definitely making it harder for AJAM to attract more viewers.

 

But since it's owner is a government with tons of revenue with the natural gas it produces, I think they're just happy to have some presence in the US at this moment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using TVNewsTalk you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.