0 Comments · Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Cincinnati’s largest cable provider
announced Jan. 3 that it will drop Current TV after its sale to Pan-Arab
news network Al Jazeera.
by German Lopez
01.03.2013
138 days ago
Posted In:
Media,
News at 12:01 PM |
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Cincinnati's largest cable provider to drop Current TV
Time Warner Cable will not be taking up Al Jazeera’s newly acquired channel. The Associated Press reports Cincinnati’s largest cable provider will no longer carry Current TV after its sale to the Pan-Arab news network.
After the buyout, Al Jazeera announced plans to
gradually transform Current TV into Al Jazeera America by adding five to
10 new U.S. bureaus and hiring more journalists. But immediately following the acquisition by Al Jazeera,
Time Warner released a statement: “Our agreement with Current has been
terminated and we will no longer be carrying the service. We are
removing the service as quickly as possible.”
As AP reports, Al Jazeera has faced an uphill
battle reaching American audiences. In 2010, Tony Burman,
managing director of Al Jazeera’s English branch, blamed hostility from
the Bush administration for reluctance among cable and satellite
companies to carry Al Jazeera.
But at least part of the reluctance is due to the perception from some that the Qatar-based network is anti-American. Dave Marash, a former “Nightline” reporter who worked as
Al Jazeera’s anchor in Washington, D.C., left Al Jazeera in 2008, saying he sensed an anti-American slant.
Despite problems establishing a foothold in the United
States, Al Jazeera has built a substantial following for hard-hitting
news, and it earned multiple U.S. journalism awards in 2012.
Al Gore confirmed the sale of Current TV to Al Jazeera
Wednesday. The former vice president cofounded the left-leaning Current TV
in 2005 to provide what he saw as an alternative perspective in media
through user-generated content. But the network always struggled, making
multiple programming and personnel changes in its quest to become
relevant.TheBlaze, Glenn Beck's media company, also tried to buy Current TV. But the network declined, reportedly saying, “The legacy of who the network goes to is important to us and we are sensitive to networks not aligned with our point of view.”