Al - Jazeera Buys Current T V From Al Gore

[Anomaly]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Al-Jazeera, the Pan-Arab news channel that struggled to win space on American cable television, has acquired Current TV, boosting its reach in the U.S. nearly ninefold to about 40 million homes. With a focus on U.S. news, it plans to rebrand the left-leaning news network that cofounder Al Gore couldn't make relevant.

The former vice president confirmed the sale Wednesday, saying in a statement that Al-Jazeera shares Current TV's mission "to give voice to those who are not typically heard; to speak truth to power; to provide independent and diverse points of view; and to tell the stories that no one else is telling."
 
The acquisition lifts Al-Jazeera's reach beyond a few large U.S. metropolitan areas including New York and Washington, where about 4.7 million homes can now watch Al-Jazeera English.

Al-Jazeera, owned by the government of Qatar, plans to gradually transform Current into a network called Al-Jazeera America by adding five to 10 new U.S. bureaus beyond the five it has now and hiring more journalists.
 
http://www.rr.com/tv/topic/article/rr/6571967/79705415/Al-Jazeera_buys_Current_TV_from_Al_Gore
 
 
 
Interesting tid-bits from Wiki:
 
In 2011 Salon.com noted Al Jazeera's coverage of the 2011 Egyptian protests as superior to that of the American news media, while U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton also opined that the network's news coverage was more informative, and less opinion-driven than American journalism
 
and
 
In presenting "The opinion and the other opinion" (the station's motto), it did not take long for Al Jazeera to shock local viewers by presenting Israelis speaking Hebrew on Arab TV for the first time. Lively and far-ranging talk shows, particularly a popular, confrontational one called The Opposite Direction, were a constant source of controversy regarding issues of morality and religion. This prompted a torrent of criticism from the conservative voices among the region's press. It also led to official complaints and censures from neighboring governments. Some jammed Al Jazeera's terrestrial broadcast or booted its correspondents. In 1999, the Algerian government reportedly cut power to several major cities to censor one broadcast. There were also commercial repercussions; Saudi Arabia reportedly pressured advertisers to avoid the channel, to great effect. Al Jazeera was also becoming a favorite sounding board for militant groups such as Hamas and Chechen separatists.
 
 

[4588686]

There is abdifference between Al-jazera in English and Al-Jazera in Arabic. Al-Jazera English is much better than any current news corporation in America. But then again, so is te BBC

'Chechen seperatists' is pretty vague. Some, like Shamil Basayev, are pretty bad guys (Shamil is dead now) but others are defensible. Russia's invasion of Chechnya is naked imperialism and their current strongman is a giant sack of poopy.

[Apotheoun]

Just another channel to ignore on cable TV.

[StMichael]

Apparently Glenn Beck tried to buy it:

 

http://www.glennbeck.com/2013/01/03/fraud-gore-takes-100m-in-oil-money-in-current-tv-sale-to-al-jazeera/

 

And this from Politico:

 

http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2013/01/glenn-beck-tried-to-buy-current-tv-153232.html

 

The Blaze "reached out to them to buy it," a source familiar with the talks told POLITICO. "They would have replaced Current programming with The Blaze programming, but were told on initial calls that [Current] wouldn't sell to someone they weren't ideologically in line with."

 

Al-Jazeera, has a very questionable background and agenda, but isn't ironic that Gore sells out to oil money?

[Winchester]

Ohnoes, it will be shariah law on teh airwaeves!

[Ash Wednesday]

 

 

[penguin31]

Eh, the investment of capital into what was a channel on it's way out will likely save jobs, if not add them if they get serious about making inroads into the US market.  And new jobs being created in the broadcasting biz in the US is not a common thing these days, so, yay jobs!

 

/What, were you expecting a comment regarding programming content? LOL no. 

 

[Papist]

That's it. I am never watching Current TV.

[BG45]

I'm actually more likely to watch it now than I was when it was in Gore's hands.  Al Jazeera is really good at breaking news, also it has to be a moderating influence on the most liberal network in America.  Also Current has always seemed condescending to me whenever I bothered flipping it on, treating their viewers as if they're ignorant children.

 

That's it. I am never watching Current TV.

 

You did to begin with?

 

Edit:  Though now I guess we shall never see Gore ride the mighty moon-worm on live television.  :|  

Edited January 4, 2013 by BG45

[Papist]

I'm actually more likely to watch it now than I was when it was in Gore's hands.  Al Jazeera is really good at breaking news, also it has to be a moderating influence on the most liberal network in America.  Also Current has always seemed condescending to me whenever I bothered flipping it on, treating their viewers as if they're ignorant children.

 

 

You did to begin with?

 

Edit:  Though now I guess we shall never see Gore ride the mighty moon-worm on live television.   :|

 

Of course not, but my statement is still true.

[r2Dtoo]

There is abdifference between Al-jazera in English and Al-Jazera in Arabic. Al-Jazera English is much better than any current news corporation in America. But then again, so is te BBC

 

I have never had a desire to check out the Bin Laden network, but the BBC?  Please.  You can read those articles and still not know anything more about the topic than when you clicked on them.  They're crap.

[Lilllabettt]

you take that back

 

BBC is not croutons, unless by croutons you mean the delightfully seasoned salad garnishment

 

I fall asleep listening to the BBC every night -- and I occasionally read AL-jazeera (in English) too!!!!

[r2Dtoo]

I fall asleep listening to the BBC every night

My point exactly.

Edited January 6, 2013 by r2Dtoo

[Era Might]

Does this mean the terrorists have won?

[Maximilianus]

I think it means Al Gore won