Al Jazeera America will be shuttered permanently this spring, barely three years after it launched with the promise of bringing serious and in-depth news coverage to the United States.
The decision was announced Tuesday by AJAM chief executive, Al Anstey.
The network’s board decided to call it quits after they agreed their business model was “simply not sustainable in light of the economic challenges in the U.S. media marketplace,” he said in a memo to staff.
“I know the closure of AJAM will be a massive disappointment for everyone here who has worked tirelessly for our long-term future,” he added. “The decision that has been made is in no way because AJAM has done anything but a great job. Our commitment to great journalism is unrivaled.”
Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera launched the American version of its new network in 2013 after it purchased Current TV from former Vice President Al Gore for $500 million.
“It promised to be thoughtful and smart, free of the shouting arguments that have defined cable news in the United States over the last decade,” the New York Times noted in its obituary for the group.
However, this promise of serious news television never translated into respectable ratings, as the network struggled sometimes to exceed viewership numbers as low as 30,000. AJAM was never really able to compete with already established cable groups, including Fox News and CNN, and various staff shakeups dogged its growth from the beginning.
“To make matters worse, the newsroom was hit with turmoil last year when staff members complained bitterly of a culture of fear. There was an exodus of top executives, along with a pair of lawsuits from former employees that included complaints about sexism and anti-Semitism at the news channel,” the Times reported.
Anstey was brought on in May to replace former AJAM chief executive Ehab Al Shihabi.
The group also courted controversy in December when it alleged in a documentary that an Indianapolis-based clinic supplied Peyton Manning with human growth hormone. The Al Jazeera America reporter responsible for the story, Deborah Davies, stood by her work, despite that her chief source for the claim later recanted.
Manning emphatically denied the story, and he later threatened to sue AJAM for its reporting.
Peyton Manning on news Al-Jazeera America shutting down: “I’m sure that’s just devastating to all their viewers.” Yes, he was sarcastic.
— Lindsay Jones (@bylindsayhjones) January 13, 2016
The announcement that the network would soon be shuttered reportedly did not go over well with staffers, many of whom apparently had no idea this was coming.
“Some employees were in tears, and others who were out on the road covering the campaigns and other news stories were left with uncertainty about whether they would be called back home,” Politico reported. “Employees were told that broadcast operations would begin winding down and that separation packages were being structured to give them another 90 days on the payroll with benefits.”
“People who are willing to stick around during the 90-day grace period will receive retention bonuses as well as eight weeks of severance pay and outplacement services after they leave,” the report added.
The network is slated to shut down for good on April 30.
