Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television announced Tuesday that it would launch its long-awaited English language channel Al-Jazeera International on Nov. 15.
Al-Jazeera International is billed as the first global English-language news network headquartered in the Middle East. Its executives have promised to cover the news from a different perspective, and reverse the information flow from the developing world to the West.
When it hits the airwaves at noon on Nov. 15, the network will broadcast 24 hours, with 12 daily hours of live news accompanied by another 12 hours of interview programs, features and analysis, the network said in a prepared release.
The launch was originally scheduled for early 2006 but was repeatedly postponed due to technical problems and licensing issues. It was unclear whether Al-Jazeera would be available on all major satellite providers.
Al-Jazeera's Arabic-language channel, which marks its 10th anniversary on Wednesday, has clashed repeatedly with Washington, which says its exclusive broadcasts of
Osama bin Laden speeches show an anti-American bias. Its freewheeling newscasts have overshadowed state-run TV stations across much of the Arab world, leading some countries to close Al-Jazeera's bureaus.
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.
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