Al-Jazeera Launching All-English Channel

By JIM KRANE, Associated Press WriterMon Jul 4, 1:41 PM ET

Al-Jazeera is nothing if not bold. It has fought repeatedly with Washington,
which says its exclusive broadcasts of Osama bin Laden speeches show an
anti-American, pro-terrorist bias. Its freewheeling broadcasts have decimated
state-run TV stations across much of the Arab world, leading some countries to
close its bureaus down. So what does such a network do next? Plan a massive
expansion.

By March, the network will launch Al-Jazeera International, a satellite channel
that will beam English-language news to the United States — and much of the
rest of the world — from its base in tiny Qatar.

The ever-contentious Middle East will be its specialty. And the news, including
coverage of Israel, will be served up from an Arab perspective, Al-Jazeera
executives say.

With a touch of the evangelist, perhaps, the station's executives say their
mission is nothing less than reversing the dominant flow of global information,
which now originates on TV channels in the West.

"We're the first news channel based in the Mideast to bring news back to the
West," said Nigel Parsons, managing director of Al-Jazeera International. "We
want to set a different news agenda."

The station's research shows some of the world's one billion English speakers,
including Americans, thirst for news from a non-Western perspective.

Outside America, the station plans to compete with CNN International and BBC
World, the two chief English-language satellite news channels. The new station
will be headquartered in Doha and operate broadcast newsrooms in London,
Washington and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

But breaking into the U.S. market, with its established channels, might be more
difficult. The station's anti-American reputation may win some early
"curiosity" viewers, Parsons said.

Overall, Al-Jazeera executives contend negative American opinions are based on
"irrational and erroneous information." For instance, Parsons said, Defense
Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld lambasted the station for showing beheadings by
Iraqi insurgents. Actually, Al-Jazeera has aired portions of insurgent videos
but never a beheading, he said.

Another irritant is Al-Jazeera's often-gory coverage of Iraq from both
perspectives. Before it was banned, the network embedded reporters with both
Iraqi insurgents and with U.S. troops.

Nevertheless, Americans have shown curiosity. Al-Jazeera's English-language Web
site gets most of its traffic from U.S. visitors, Parsons said.

In the end, Al-Jazeera might coax viewers from an elite segment of American TV
watchers, perhaps those who tune into the BBC, some observers say.

But most Americans want to be comforted by the news, not challenged by it, said
Jon Alterman, who heads the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies in Washington.

If Al-Jazeera is a tough sell in the United States, it has natural audiences
elsewhere. The world counts 1.2 billion Muslims, most of whom don't speak
Arabic. That means Al-Jazeera stands to find quick popularity in countries like
Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Alterman believes Al-Jazeera will help integrate the world's far-flung Muslim
communities, giving them a common news source.

That's not necessarily what the station is after. "We're not a Muslim channel,"
said Parsons, a Briton who, like many Al-Jazeera International staff, does not
speak Arabic.

Indeed, the station is even less popular with governments in Muslim countries
like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran and Tunisia, which currently ban it.

Those countries' rulers suggest it incites violence by giving airtime to
opposition politicians and radical clerics.

At one time or another, Al-Jazeera has had bureaus closed in 18 countries and
its signal blocked in 30. Its revenues still suffer under an advertising
boycott, believed to originate from Saudi government pressure.

The station has had three bureaus destroyed by bombings, two by the U.S. military.

Two staff in Iraq have been killed. Two others were locked in Iraq's Abu Ghraib
prison and released without charge. A third is being tried in Spain on charges
of working for the al-Qaida terrorist group.

Yet because it is based in Qatar, an energy-rich Persian Gulf country of less
than a million, the station has little opportunity to upset its home government.

"They're in a unique position," said Mustafa Alani, director of security and
terrorism studies at the Gulf Research Center in Dubai. "They can criticize
everybody."

Arab viewers who previously had only staid state-run broadcasters to watch have
apparently liked that, flocking to the station since its 1996 debut.

It now reaches more than 40 million viewers, and if it weren't for the
advertising boycott, Al-Jazeera's network would bring in some $35 million in
yearly ad revenue, enough to wean it from Qatar government money, said managing
director Wadah Khanfar.

The station is expected to be privatized in a few years. But as long as it
remains close to the Qatari royal family, the boycott poses few funding worries.

Yet despite its protests to the contrary, Al-Jazeera is already softening its
aggressive coverage of Saudi Arabia and other countries, Alani believes. The
reason? It must regain access to those countries to boost its English
broadcasts, Alani said.

"If you're banned from half the Arab world, your ability to break news is
limited," Alani said.

___

On the Net:

http://english.aljazeera.net

Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press.

SWLer wrote:

Al-Jazeera Launching All-English Channel

Time to invest in a big 36 inch satellite dish and a good decoder. You
won't see THIS on DirecTV or Dish Network, kiddies.

By JIM KRANE, Associated Press WriterMon Jul 4, 1:41 PM ET

Al-Jazeera is nothing if not bold. It has fought repeatedly with Washington,
which says its exclusive broadcasts of Osama bin Laden speeches show an
anti-American, pro-terrorist bias. Its freewheeling broadcasts have decimated
state-run TV stations across much of the Arab world, leading some countries to
close its bureaus down. So what does such a network do next? Plan a massive
expansion.

By March, the network will launch Al-Jazeera International, a satellite channel
that will beam English-language news to the United States — and much of the
rest of the world — from its base in tiny Qatar.

The ever-contentious Middle East will be its specialty. And the news, including
coverage of Israel, will be served up from an Arab perspective, Al-Jazeera
executives say.

With a touch of the evangelist, perhaps, the station's executives say their
mission is nothing less than reversing the dominant flow of global information,
which now originates on TV channels in the West.

"We're the first news channel based in the Mideast to bring news back to the
West," said Nigel Parsons, managing director of Al-Jazeera International. "We
want to set a different news agenda."

The station's research shows some of the world's one billion English speakers,
including Americans, thirst for news from a non-Western perspective.

Outside America, the station plans to compete with CNN International and BBC
World, the two chief English-language satellite news channels. The new station
will be headquartered in Doha and operate broadcast newsrooms in London,
Washington and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

But breaking into the U.S. market, with its established channels, might be more
difficult. The station's anti-American reputation may win some early
"curiosity" viewers, Parsons said.

Overall, Al-Jazeera executives contend negative American opinions are based on
"irrational and erroneous information." For instance, Parsons said, Defense
Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld lambasted the station for showing beheadings by
Iraqi insurgents. Actually, Al-Jazeera has aired portions of insurgent videos
but never a beheading, he said.

Another irritant is Al-Jazeera's often-gory coverage of Iraq from both
perspectives. Before it was banned, the network embedded reporters with both
Iraqi insurgents and with U.S. troops.

Nevertheless, Americans have shown curiosity. Al-Jazeera's English-language Web
site gets most of its traffic from U.S. visitors, Parsons said.

In the end, Al-Jazeera might coax viewers from an elite segment of American TV
watchers, perhaps those who tune into the BBC, some observers say.

But most Americans want to be comforted by the news, not challenged by it, said
Jon Alterman, who heads the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies in Washington.

If Al-Jazeera is a tough sell in the United States, it has natural audiences
elsewhere. The world counts 1.2 billion Muslims, most of whom don't speak
Arabic. That means Al-Jazeera stands to find quick popularity in countries like
Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Alterman believes Al-Jazeera will help integrate the world's far-flung Muslim
communities, giving them a common news source.

That's not necessarily what the station is after. "We're not a Muslim channel,"
said Parsons, a Briton who, like many Al-Jazeera International staff, does not
speak Arabic.

Indeed, the station is even less popular with governments in Muslim countries
like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran and Tunisia, which currently ban it.

Those countries' rulers suggest it incites violence by giving airtime to
opposition politicians and radical clerics.

At one time or another, Al-Jazeera has had bureaus closed in 18 countries and
its signal blocked in 30. Its revenues still suffer under an advertising
boycott, believed to originate from Saudi government pressure.

The station has had three bureaus destroyed by bombings, two by the U.S. military.

Two staff in Iraq have been killed. Two others were locked in Iraq's Abu Ghraib
prison and released without charge. A third is being tried in Spain on charges
of working for the al-Qaida terrorist group.

Yet because it is based in Qatar, an energy-rich Persian Gulf country of less
than a million, the station has little opportunity to upset its home government.

"They're in a unique position," said Mustafa Alani, director of security and
terrorism studies at the Gulf Research Center in Dubai. "They can criticize
everybody."

Arab viewers who previously had only staid state-run broadcasters to watch have
apparently liked that, flocking to the station since its 1996 debut.

It now reaches more than 40 million viewers, and if it weren't for the
advertising boycott, Al-Jazeera's network would bring in some $35 million in
yearly ad revenue, enough to wean it from Qatar government money, said managing
director Wadah Khanfar.

The station is expected to be privatized in a few years. But as long as it
remains close to the Qatari royal family, the boycott poses few funding worries.

Yet despite its protests to the contrary, Al-Jazeera is already softening its
aggressive coverage of Saudi Arabia and other countries, Alani believes. The
reason? It must regain access to those countries to boost its English
broadcasts, Alani said.

"If you're banned from half the Arab world, your ability to break news is
limited," Alani said.

___

On the Net:

http://english.aljazeera.net

Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press.


----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

Al-Jazeera is in partnership with the Venezuelan and Cuban Communist
governments to assist with a spanish TV network. The satellite was provided
by China.

Soon we will be watching re-runs of Mao and 8 hour Castro speeches live!
ZZZZZZzzzzzzz...


"running dogg" wrote in message
...
SWLer wrote:

Al-Jazeera Launching All-English Channel

Time to invest in a big 36 inch satellite dish and a good decoder. You
won't see THIS on DirecTV or Dish Network, kiddies.

By JIM KRANE, Associated Press WriterMon Jul 4, 1:41 PM ET

Al-Jazeera is nothing if not bold. It has fought repeatedly with
Washington,
which says its exclusive broadcasts of Osama bin Laden speeches show an
anti-American, pro-terrorist bias. Its freewheeling broadcasts have
decimated
state-run TV stations across much of the Arab world, leading some
countries to
close its bureaus down. So what does such a network do next? Plan a
massive
expansion.

By March, the network will launch Al-Jazeera International, a satellite
channel
that will beam English-language news to the United States - and much of
the
rest of the world - from its base in tiny Qatar.

The ever-contentious Middle East will be its specialty. And the news,
including
coverage of Israel, will be served up from an Arab perspective,
Al-Jazeera
executives say.

With a touch of the evangelist, perhaps, the station's executives say
their
mission is nothing less than reversing the dominant flow of global
information,
which now originates on TV channels in the West.

"We're the first news channel based in the Mideast to bring news back to
the
West," said Nigel Parsons, managing director of Al-Jazeera
International. "We
want to set a different news agenda."

The station's research shows some of the world's one billion English
speakers,
including Americans, thirst for news from a non-Western perspective.

Outside America, the station plans to compete with CNN International and
BBC
World, the two chief English-language satellite news channels. The new
station
will be headquartered in Doha and operate broadcast newsrooms in London,
Washington and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

But breaking into the U.S. market, with its established channels, might
be more
difficult. The station's anti-American reputation may win some early
"curiosity" viewers, Parsons said.

Overall, Al-Jazeera executives contend negative American opinions are
based on
"irrational and erroneous information." For instance, Parsons said,
Defense
Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld lambasted the station for showing
beheadings by
Iraqi insurgents. Actually, Al-Jazeera has aired portions of insurgent
videos
but never a beheading, he said.

Another irritant is Al-Jazeera's often-gory coverage of Iraq from both
perspectives. Before it was banned, the network embedded reporters with
both
Iraqi insurgents and with U.S. troops.

Nevertheless, Americans have shown curiosity. Al-Jazeera's
English-language Web
site gets most of its traffic from U.S. visitors, Parsons said.

In the end, Al-Jazeera might coax viewers from an elite segment of
American TV
watchers, perhaps those who tune into the BBC, some observers say.

But most Americans want to be comforted by the news, not challenged by
it, said
Jon Alterman, who heads the Middle East program at the Center for
Strategic and
International Studies in Washington.

If Al-Jazeera is a tough sell in the United States, it has natural
audiences
elsewhere. The world counts 1.2 billion Muslims, most of whom don't
speak
Arabic. That means Al-Jazeera stands to find quick popularity in
countries like
Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Alterman believes Al-Jazeera will help integrate the world's far-flung
Muslim
communities, giving them a common news source.

That's not necessarily what the station is after. "We're not a Muslim
channel,"
said Parsons, a Briton who, like many Al-Jazeera International staff,
does not
speak Arabic.

Indeed, the station is even less popular with governments in Muslim
countries
like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran and Tunisia, which currently ban it.

Those countries' rulers suggest it incites violence by giving airtime to
opposition politicians and radical clerics.

At one time or another, Al-Jazeera has had bureaus closed in 18
countries and
its signal blocked in 30. Its revenues still suffer under an advertising
boycott, believed to originate from Saudi government pressure.

The station has had three bureaus destroyed by bombings, two by the U.S.
military.

Two staff in Iraq have been killed. Two others were locked in Iraq's Abu
Ghraib
prison and released without charge. A third is being tried in Spain on
charges
of working for the al-Qaida terrorist group.

Yet because it is based in Qatar, an energy-rich Persian Gulf country of
less
than a million, the station has little opportunity to upset its home
government.

"They're in a unique position," said Mustafa Alani, director of security
and
terrorism studies at the Gulf Research Center in Dubai. "They can
criticize
everybody."

Arab viewers who previously had only staid state-run broadcasters to
watch have
apparently liked that, flocking to the station since its 1996 debut.

It now reaches more than 40 million viewers, and if it weren't for the
advertising boycott, Al-Jazeera's network would bring in some $35
million in
yearly ad revenue, enough to wean it from Qatar government money, said
managing
director Wadah Khanfar.

The station is expected to be privatized in a few years. But as long as
it
remains close to the Qatari royal family, the boycott poses few funding
worries.

Yet despite its protests to the contrary, Al-Jazeera is already
softening its
aggressive coverage of Saudi Arabia and other countries, Alani believes.
The
reason? It must regain access to those countries to boost its English
broadcasts, Alani said.

"If you're banned from half the Arab world, your ability to break news
is
limited," Alani said.

___

On the Net:

http://english.aljazeera.net

Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press.


----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet
News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+
Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption
=----

New Latin-Focused TV Channel Backed by Venezuela

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has given strong financial backing to the
project, saying it is an important step in giving South America a voice
independent[?] of traditional media conglomerates. Chavez's propaganda
minister, Andres Izarra, is the station's president.
....
Telesur director Aram Aharonian strongly denied accusations by Venezuelan
government critics that the channel would carry left-wing "propaganda."
....
The station has its headquarters in Caracas, in a building adjacent to
Venezuelan state television, and is setting up bureaus in Argentina, Brazil,
Uruguay, Bolivia, Mexico, Colombia, Cuba and Washington.
....
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/arti...4/222420.shtml
__________________________________________________ ______________

Instead of moving over, Al Jazeera may be moving in, with Telesur that is.

As Telesur gets set to launch, the Arab-language news program Al Jazeera,
which is funded by oil-rich Qatar, is expanding into Latin America, opening
a bureau in Caracas and possibly creating logistical ties with Telesur.

An article posted on a Venezuelan government web site
http://www.minci.gov.ve/noticiasnuev.asp?numn=6256 refers to Al Jazeera's
expansion into South America as "being framed within the Telesur-Al Jazeera
project."

A spokesperson for Al Jazeera said he could not confirm that the two
networks have signed any deals between them but said it is possible that the
two state-funded enterprises could be cooperating logistically. Kozloff says
it is his understanding that Telesur has entered a deal to extend office
space to Al Jazeera in Telesur's headquarters.
....
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/21988/
__________________________________________________ ______________

....a senior Cuban state TV official, Ovidio Cabrera, on the board of
directors...

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Dis...d_News&subsect
ion=Americas&month=April2005&file=World_News200504 1431336.xml
__________________________________________________ ______________

Chavez is commissioning Iranian technical assistance. Earlier in March, he
hosted Iranian President Mohammed Khatami, to whom he expounded on Teheran's
right "to develop atomic energy and to continue its research in that area"
....
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publ...cle_1913.shtml

__________________________________________________ ______________

TeleSur will employ a satellite that was developed by China
....
http://www.tiwy.com/news.phtml?id=3



"running dogg" wrote in message
...
SWLer wrote:

Al-Jazeera Launching All-English Channel

Time to invest in a big 36 inch satellite dish and a good decoder. You
won't see THIS on DirecTV or Dish Network, kiddies.

By JIM KRANE, Associated Press WriterMon Jul 4, 1:41 PM ET

Al-Jazeera is nothing if not bold. It has fought repeatedly with
Washington,
which says its exclusive broadcasts of Osama bin Laden speeches show an
anti-American, pro-terrorist bias. Its freewheeling broadcasts have
decimated
state-run TV stations across much of the Arab world, leading some
countries to
close its bureaus down. So what does such a network do next? Plan a
massive
expansion.

By March, the network will launch Al-Jazeera International, a satellite
channel
that will beam English-language news to the United States - and much of
the
rest of the world - from its base in tiny Qatar.

The ever-contentious Middle East will be its specialty. And the news,
including
coverage of Israel, will be served up from an Arab perspective,
Al-Jazeera
executives say.

With a touch of the evangelist, perhaps, the station's executives say
their
mission is nothing less than reversing the dominant flow of global
information,
which now originates on TV channels in the West.

"We're the first news channel based in the Mideast to bring news back to
the
West," said Nigel Parsons, managing director of Al-Jazeera
International. "We
want to set a different news agenda."

The station's research shows some of the world's one billion English
speakers,
including Americans, thirst for news from a non-Western perspective.

Outside America, the station plans to compete with CNN International and
BBC
World, the two chief English-language satellite news channels. The new
station
will be headquartered in Doha and operate broadcast newsrooms in London,
Washington and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

But breaking into the U.S. market, with its established channels, might
be more
difficult. The station's anti-American reputation may win some early
"curiosity" viewers, Parsons said.

Overall, Al-Jazeera executives contend negative American opinions are
based on
"irrational and erroneous information." For instance, Parsons said,
Defense
Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld lambasted the station for showing
beheadings by
Iraqi insurgents. Actually, Al-Jazeera has aired portions of insurgent
videos
but never a beheading, he said.

Another irritant is Al-Jazeera's often-gory coverage of Iraq from both
perspectives. Before it was banned, the network embedded reporters with
both
Iraqi insurgents and with U.S. troops.

Nevertheless, Americans have shown curiosity. Al-Jazeera's
English-language Web
site gets most of its traffic from U.S. visitors, Parsons said.

In the end, Al-Jazeera might coax viewers from an elite segment of
American TV
watchers, perhaps those who tune into the BBC, some observers say.

But most Americans want to be comforted by the news, not challenged by
it, said
Jon Alterman, who heads the Middle East program at the Center for
Strategic and
International Studies in Washington.

If Al-Jazeera is a tough sell in the United States, it has natural
audiences
elsewhere. The world counts 1.2 billion Muslims, most of whom don't
speak
Arabic. That means Al-Jazeera stands to find quick popularity in
countries like
Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Alterman believes Al-Jazeera will help integrate the world's far-flung
Muslim
communities, giving them a common news source.

That's not necessarily what the station is after. "We're not a Muslim
channel,"
said Parsons, a Briton who, like many Al-Jazeera International staff,
does not
speak Arabic.

Indeed, the station is even less popular with governments in Muslim
countries
like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran and Tunisia, which currently ban it.

Those countries' rulers suggest it incites violence by giving airtime to
opposition politicians and radical clerics.

At one time or another, Al-Jazeera has had bureaus closed in 18
countries and
its signal blocked in 30. Its revenues still suffer under an advertising
boycott, believed to originate from Saudi government pressure.

The station has had three bureaus destroyed by bombings, two by the U.S.
military.

Two staff in Iraq have been killed. Two others were locked in Iraq's Abu
Ghraib
prison and released without charge. A third is being tried in Spain on
charges
of working for the al-Qaida terrorist group.

Yet because it is based in Qatar, an energy-rich Persian Gulf country of
less
than a million, the station has little opportunity to upset its home
government.

"They're in a unique position," said Mustafa Alani, director of security
and
terrorism studies at the Gulf Research Center in Dubai. "They can
criticize
everybody."

Arab viewers who previously had only staid state-run broadcasters to
watch have
apparently liked that, flocking to the station since its 1996 debut.

It now reaches more than 40 million viewers, and if it weren't for the
advertising boycott, Al-Jazeera's network would bring in some $35
million in
yearly ad revenue, enough to wean it from Qatar government money, said
managing
director Wadah Khanfar.

The station is expected to be privatized in a few years. But as long as
it
remains close to the Qatari royal family, the boycott poses few funding
worries.

Yet despite its protests to the contrary, Al-Jazeera is already
softening its
aggressive coverage of Saudi Arabia and other countries, Alani believes.
The
reason? It must regain access to those countries to boost its English
broadcasts, Alani said.

"If you're banned from half the Arab world, your ability to break news
is
limited," Alani said.

___

On the Net:

http://english.aljazeera.net

Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press.


----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet
News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+
Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption
=----

About three years ago,I read an article at www.stratfor.com
(Strategic Forensics,Austin,Texas) Iraq is to be divided into three
regions and the Capitol will not be Baghdad,it will be in
Amman,Jordon.But hey,what do I know?
cuhulin

"Panopticon" wrote in message
...
New Latin-Focused TV Channel Backed by Venezuela

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has given strong financial backing to the
project, saying it is an important step in giving South America a voice
independent[?] of traditional media conglomerates. Chavez's propaganda
minister, Andres Izarra, is the station's president.
...
Telesur director Aram Aharonian strongly denied accusations by Venezuelan
government critics that the channel would carry left-wing "propaganda."
...
The station has its headquarters in Caracas, in a building adjacent to
Venezuelan state television, and is setting up bureaus in Argentina,
Brazil,
Uruguay, Bolivia, Mexico, Colombia, Cuba and Washington.
...
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/arti...4/222420.shtml
__________________________________________________ ______________

Instead of moving over, Al Jazeera may be moving in, with Telesur that is.

As Telesur gets set to launch, the Arab-language news program Al Jazeera,
which is funded by oil-rich Qatar, is expanding into Latin America,
opening
a bureau in Caracas and possibly creating logistical ties with Telesur.

An article posted on a Venezuelan government web site
http://www.minci.gov.ve/noticiasnuev.asp?numn=6256 refers to Al Jazeera's
expansion into South America as "being framed within the Telesur-Al
Jazeera
project."

A spokesperson for Al Jazeera said he could not confirm that the two
networks have signed any deals between them but said it is possible that
the
two state-funded enterprises could be cooperating logistically. Kozloff
says
it is his understanding that Telesur has entered a deal to extend office
space to Al Jazeera in Telesur's headquarters.
...
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/21988/
__________________________________________________ ______________

...a senior Cuban state TV official, Ovidio Cabrera, on the board of
directors...

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Dis...d_News&subsect
ion=Americas&month=April2005&file=World_News200504 1431336.xml
__________________________________________________ ______________

Chavez is commissioning Iranian technical assistance. Earlier in March, he
hosted Iranian President Mohammed Khatami, to whom he expounded on
Teheran's
right "to develop atomic energy and to continue its research in that area"
...
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publ...cle_1913.shtml

__________________________________________________ ______________

TeleSur will employ a satellite that was developed by China
...
http://www.tiwy.com/news.phtml?id=3



"running dogg" wrote in message
...
SWLer wrote:

Al-Jazeera Launching All-English Channel

Time to invest in a big 36 inch satellite dish and a good decoder. You
won't see THIS on DirecTV or Dish Network, kiddies.

By JIM KRANE, Associated Press WriterMon Jul 4, 1:41 PM ET

Al-Jazeera is nothing if not bold. It has fought repeatedly with
Washington,
which says its exclusive broadcasts of Osama bin Laden speeches show an
anti-American, pro-terrorist bias. Its freewheeling broadcasts have
decimated
state-run TV stations across much of the Arab world, leading some
countries to
close its bureaus down. So what does such a network do next? Plan a
massive
expansion.

By March, the network will launch Al-Jazeera International, a satellite
channel
that will beam English-language news to the United States - and much of
the
rest of the world - from its base in tiny Qatar.

The ever-contentious Middle East will be its specialty. And the news,
including
coverage of Israel, will be served up from an Arab perspective,
Al-Jazeera
executives say.

With a touch of the evangelist, perhaps, the station's executives say
their
mission is nothing less than reversing the dominant flow of global
information,
which now originates on TV channels in the West.

"We're the first news channel based in the Mideast to bring news back
to
the
West," said Nigel Parsons, managing director of Al-Jazeera
International. "We
want to set a different news agenda."

The station's research shows some of the world's one billion English
speakers,
including Americans, thirst for news from a non-Western perspective.

Outside America, the station plans to compete with CNN International
and
BBC
World, the two chief English-language satellite news channels. The new
station
will be headquartered in Doha and operate broadcast newsrooms in
London,
Washington and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

But breaking into the U.S. market, with its established channels, might
be more
difficult. The station's anti-American reputation may win some early
"curiosity" viewers, Parsons said.

Overall, Al-Jazeera executives contend negative American opinions are
based on
"irrational and erroneous information." For instance, Parsons said,
Defense
Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld lambasted the station for showing
beheadings by
Iraqi insurgents. Actually, Al-Jazeera has aired portions of insurgent
videos
but never a beheading, he said.

Another irritant is Al-Jazeera's often-gory coverage of Iraq from both
perspectives. Before it was banned, the network embedded reporters with
both
Iraqi insurgents and with U.S. troops.

Nevertheless, Americans have shown curiosity. Al-Jazeera's
English-language Web
site gets most of its traffic from U.S. visitors, Parsons said.

In the end, Al-Jazeera might coax viewers from an elite segment of
American TV
watchers, perhaps those who tune into the BBC, some observers say.

But most Americans want to be comforted by the news, not challenged by
it, said
Jon Alterman, who heads the Middle East program at the Center for
Strategic and
International Studies in Washington.

If Al-Jazeera is a tough sell in the United States, it has natural
audiences
elsewhere. The world counts 1.2 billion Muslims, most of whom don't
speak
Arabic. That means Al-Jazeera stands to find quick popularity in
countries like
Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Alterman believes Al-Jazeera will help integrate the world's far-flung
Muslim
communities, giving them a common news source.

That's not necessarily what the station is after. "We're not a Muslim
channel,"
said Parsons, a Briton who, like many Al-Jazeera International staff,
does not
speak Arabic.

Indeed, the station is even less popular with governments in Muslim
countries
like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran and Tunisia, which currently ban it.

Those countries' rulers suggest it incites violence by giving airtime
to
opposition politicians and radical clerics.

At one time or another, Al-Jazeera has had bureaus closed in 18
countries and
its signal blocked in 30. Its revenues still suffer under an
advertising
boycott, believed to originate from Saudi government pressure.

The station has had three bureaus destroyed by bombings, two by the
U.S.
military.

Two staff in Iraq have been killed. Two others were locked in Iraq's
Abu
Ghraib
prison and released without charge. A third is being tried in Spain on
charges
of working for the al-Qaida terrorist group.

Yet because it is based in Qatar, an energy-rich Persian Gulf country
of
less
than a million, the station has little opportunity to upset its home
government.

"They're in a unique position," said Mustafa Alani, director of
security
and
terrorism studies at the Gulf Research Center in Dubai. "They can
criticize
everybody."

Arab viewers who previously had only staid state-run broadcasters to
watch have
apparently liked that, flocking to the station since its 1996 debut.

It now reaches more than 40 million viewers, and if it weren't for the
advertising boycott, Al-Jazeera's network would bring in some $35
million in
yearly ad revenue, enough to wean it from Qatar government money, said
managing
director Wadah Khanfar.

The station is expected to be privatized in a few years. But as long as
it
remains close to the Qatari royal family, the boycott poses few funding
worries.

Yet despite its protests to the contrary, Al-Jazeera is already
softening its
aggressive coverage of Saudi Arabia and other countries, Alani
believes.
The
reason? It must regain access to those countries to boost its English
broadcasts, Alani said.

"If you're banned from half the Arab world, your ability to break news
is
limited," Alani said.

___

On the Net:

http://english.aljazeera.net

Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press.


----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet
News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+
Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption
=----



You know,

the number one thing we have to do, is get the big oil corps of the U.S.A.
to see that we must give up our dependence on oil for energy. We will ALWAYS
be caught in the middle of trouble if we continue to rely on foreign
countries for oil to run our country.

Without oil we shut down. Most of the countries that supply us with oil are
our enemies. China is NO FRIEND of ours.
We should cease trading with them completely or place a very high tax on
their goods to destroy their low value currency and slave labor techniques.

WE are supporting them and their military. They are doing everything they
can to make sure they can come out on top one day. Like I've always been
saying, if the Congress and Senate and others in top noches places in gov't
don't stop taking bribes from lobbists and other off shore bull****, they
will sell out this country until there is nothing left to sell out.

We should **STOP giving money and aid to ALL these foreign countries that
hate us and use it to build up our own military.
I sure hope these higher ups realize what they are doing but allowing China
to keep growing at this amazing pace. Surely we understand we must maintain
a superior military bias in our favor and once another country can "take"
us, we're in trouble.

What I'm afraid of is China, Russia, North Korea and Iran all ganging up on
us at one time to destroy us. If they all colluded to attack us at the same
time, we would have a hard time trying to fight off a nuclear attack of
several missles at once. I don't think this is paranoid thinking. They ALL
want us out of the way.

Also, since Russia has shifted it's "gov't" back towards a communistic way
of thinking and running things, they are in closer parallel to China and
becoming better buddies.

Now, we have the Latin countries conspiring against us. Now, all these Latin
countries will get loads of false propaganda and instill hate towards us all
while we have wide open borders. If the people who run this country don't
wise up real fast and give up their greed and power, I'm afraid our country
won't be our country one day.

Never ever think the worst can't happen.
Stop all aid to these foreign countries and use that money to build up the
best most superior military and technical defense we can.

Lucky

Lucky,you expect me to scroll down through all of that s..t and read
that? I am fixin to apply a tube of Frontline on top of my dogs neck
now.Why don't you come up with something worth reading?
cuhulin