NEW YORK — Al Jazeera America will shut down its operations in the United States by the end of April, the company told employees in a meeting on Wednesday.
Al Jazeera America President Kate O’Brian tearfully relayed the news to stunned colleagues, alongside CEO Al Anstey. In a memo to staff, Anstey said the decision was driven by the “fact that our business model is simply not sustainable in an increasingly digital world, and because of the current global financial challenges.”
That Anstey framed the decision as a business move was striking, since the Qatar-backed Al Jazeera Media Network seemed more motivated to expand its global influence through a U.S. cable network than it did to turn a profit, especially in the short term.
After disrupting Arab-language media in the 1990s and extending its international footprint the following decade through Al Jazeera English, the parent company spared no expense to break into the U.S. market. It could presumably afford to, with crude oil prices around $105 a barrel at the time of its August 2013 launch — though they have since dropped to $30 a barrel… see more
source: american aljazeera
Tags: Al Jazeera America, business
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