Inside the office of the Al-Jazeera TV network in Doha, Qatar. Is Al-Jazeera ready for prime time?
The "Fox News of the Arab world" plans to take on Rupert Murdoch and friends with a new English-language service -- unless the Bush administration succeeds in squashing it. - - - - - - - - - - - -
By Corey Pein April 20, 2005 | It is fitting, somehow, that Al-Jazeera, the satellite channel most Americans believe speaks for the most militant part of the Arab world, and that the Bush administration has been gunning for ever since 9/11, owes its success to a French porn movie. Back in 1997, a year after the channel's launch, would-be viewers in the Middle East required an expensive, 6-foot dish to pick up Al-Jazeera's signal. To reach more viewers, Al-Jazeera needed a change of frequency, but for that, it required a slot on a Saudi-controlled satellite, which happened to be occupied by the French network Canal France International. It would take a miracle, or an enormous sum, for Al-Jazeera to land the necessary space. Then, one summer day, a CFI technician flipped the wrong switch -- or so the story goes -- and pumped 30 minutes of "Club Privé au Portugal" into millions of Arab homes. The House of Saud, apparently more fearful of hardcore porn than news and current affairs, booted CFI from the "Arabsat" and signed a deal with Al-Jazeera, greatly expanding its audience and its fortunes.
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Arab news channel Al Jazeera announced Saturday that it plans to open an English-language channel called Al Jazeera International at the beginning of 2006. The project fits in with the robust growth and in-your-face style of the original channel, but faces significant challenges in the new markets.

Al Jazeera's confrontational approach to news has earned it enemies in every government in the Middle East. Its independence has caused the Iranian government to close its Tehran bureau for covering ethnic riots near the border with Iraq.

Al Jazeera has also earned the enmity of Washington D.C., where the Bush administration regularly complains about their coverage. Al Jazeera offices were also hit by U.S. weapons in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq, although the U.S. military insists they were accidental targets.

The biggest issue for Al Jazeera is a lack of distribution. All major news services in North America, a prime market for the English language channel, struggle to gain and maintain distribution.

The new channel has named its management team:
* Nigel Parsons is to head operations at the company's Doha headquarters
* Sue Philips, a former employee of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, is to be in charge of the European coverage from Al Jazeera's London office
* Trish Carter, formerly of Television New Zealand is to head the Asian desk in Kuala Lumpur
* And Will Stebbins, formerly with Associated Press Television News, is to head the North American operations.

Al Jazeera has been expanding in other markets as well.  It opened a channel last month which covers news events without a presenter or commentary. It also have a sports channel and plans for a children's channel.