How to Blow $700 Million: Al Jazeera America Finally Calls it Quits
Source: 21stcenturywire.com
Al Jazeera America will go down in history as one of the biggest failures in broadcast media history.
Ever since the US and its allies began plotting to overthrow Libya and Syria, Al Jazeera has deteriorated from a promising international news network in 2003 – into what it has become in 2016 – a full-blown agit prop media shop for the US State Department and the Pentagon. In fact, US Military Central Command (CENTCOM) for the Middle East region is located in Qatar’s capital of Doha, convenient located just down the road from Al Jazeera’s headquarters too. Nice and cozy.
Al Jazeera’s role in promoting ‘regime change’ and the destablization of Syria is now recorded history, as are its many shameful exhibitions of media fakery.
The Qatari royals tried to expand propaganda operations into North America, but no matter how much money they threw at at (and those royals just love throwing money at things to try and get them to work), no one cared about it, much less watched it.
“I know this will be a massive disappointment for everyone here who has worked tirelessly for our long-term future. The decision that has been made is in no way because AJAM has done anything but a great job,” reads a company email from CEO Al Anstey, obtained by Politico.
Indeed, they tried everything it seems, just short of paying Americans to watch their programs…
In 2012, the Qatari-owned Al Jazeera purchased Current TV from Al Gore for an inflated $500 million. Wait, it gets worse…
In addition to the $500 million which Doha blew on buying Gore’s lemon, Current TV (this was the Qataris’ ‘easy’ ticket on to US cable and satellite networks, boy did Gore pull a fast one there), the Qataris will have spent at least $50 million per year between 2012 – 2015, along with many millions spent on advertising AJAM on other network slots, online ads, along with billboards and print media promotions.
In total, you would be looking at $700 million for the whole party. At its apex, AJAM would be lucky to pull in 30,000 viewers during prime time – which really amounts to a ‘nothing’ market share.
With all that money, and considering the hundreds of staff and ‘media executives’ and producers they employed, it’s safe to say that someone(s) did not have a clue what they were doing.
What a colossal joke.
On the bright side, the Qataris can always blame the collapse in oil prices for their lack of spare cash to fund their propaganda mills.
Source: 21stcenturywire.com
