Al-Jazeera starts English-language TV channel

November 16, 2006|Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Ten years after starting Arabic language broadcasts that angered leaders in the region and Washington, Al-Jazeera yesterday launched an English-language news channel available in more than 80 million homes but lacking major US distribution.

Al-Jazeera English went on the air broadcasting from the station's headquarters in Doha, capital of the tiny Persian Gulf state of Qatar.

Al-Jazeera, 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 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.

At least for now, most Americans will have no chance to see Al-Jazeera to judge for themselves. Al-Jazeera's list of US carriers included none of the major US cable and satellite TV providers.

Some US cable carriers are adopting a "show-me" policy, waiting to see what sort of reaction the station generates before agreeing to carry it, said Michael Holtzman, a network spokesman.