Switch off

I wish I could say the same for Al Jazeera International, the English news channel which will now launch on November 15. After so much hype and so many failed launch attempts, we are assured that this really is it. Finally, the wait is over.

But don’t expect too much. Having been hyped up as a 24-hour rolling news channel, we are now told that in fact, it will only be live for 12 hours. The rest of the day will be repeats.

Well, let’s hope that it picks the right 12 hours to broadcast. Any major events in the region or the world outside this time range will have to wait. More to the point, viewers will have to go elsewhere, and most probably, will never return.

Al Jazeera International may have the biggest budgets and the most high profile presenters. It also has the finest studios and technology. We have been promised for over a year that the new station will compete with CNN, BBC World and Sky News.

Oh really? I predict that within six months, most of the high profile presenters will have either quit or been sacked, and the station preparing for a re-launch.

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