News from a fresh perspective

Tomorrow sees the launch on the Sky platform of Al Jazeera English (formerly Al Jazeera International).

This will be available on channel 514 from 12 noon.

Wikipedia blurb -

Al Jazeera International is a 24-hour English-language news and current affairs channel headquartered in Doha, Qatar. A subsidiary of Al Jazeera, it aimed to commence global broadcasting in June 2006 but had to postpone its launch until 15 November 2006.

Al Jazeera International is the world’s first English-language news channel to be headquartered in the Middle East. The channel will provide both a regional voice and a global perspective to a potential world audience of over one billion English speakers, but without the usual Anglo-American worldview. Instead of being run under central command, news management will rotate around broadcasting centres in Kuala Lumpur, Doha, London and Washington, D.C. "following the sun".

The station will broadcast factual programming including news features and analysis, documentaries, live debates, current affairs, business and sport.

Josh Rushing, who was featured in the documentary Control Room, will be an on-air personality at the new channel. It has also been announced that veteran British broadcaster Sir David Frost and former BBC and CNN anchor Riz Khan will join the new channel. Other previously well-known journalists set to join the channel include:

* David Frost (broadcaster) (BBC)
* Felicity Barr (ITN)
* Stephen Cole (BBC)
* Jane Dutton (BBC, CNN)
* Darren Jordon (BBC)
* David Foster (Sky)
* Shiulie Ghosh (ITN)
* Kimberly Halkett (GLOBAL TV)
* David Hawkins (CBS News)
* Dave Marash (ABC)
* Rageh Omaar (BBC)
* Veronica Pedrosa (BBC, CNN)
* Shahnaz Pakravan (BBC, ITN)
* Mark Seddon (Various)
* Steff Gaulter (Sky)
* Barbara Serra (Sky)
* Lauren Taylor (ITN)


Could be interesting to see the end of western media dominating the airwaves.