| Al-Cashzero |
14 April 2003
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Al-Jazeera Can't Turn Ratings into Cash
Al-Jazeera was made by the September 11 attacks, through the Afghan war and the new Iraqi War just as the First Gulf War made CNN. Unlike Ted Turner's brainchild, though, Al-Jazeera is going to find that ratings won't make it money. The reason, sadly, is because Al-Jazeera provides what the monied folks in its market don't want on the air.
Started by a big wig in Qatar after the broadcasters in Christendom decided not to set up an Arabic language satellite news service, Al-Jazeera is sitting on a market of millions of viewers, operating in a language that is poorly served on most TV systems. Estimates by people like the Economist and the Financial Times are that $1 billion of ad revenue is out there to be collected each and every year.
Yet, the network finds itself invited to leave certain countries -- the New York Stock Exchange is not the only place that does not welcome Al-Jazeera reporters. The Saddam-ite regime kicked out two of the AJs reporting from Baghdad as one of its final acts. Syria, Libya and other bastions of repression regularly cut transmissions and throw out reporters because unpleasant truths are being told.
Worse, though, is the fact that advertisers don't want trouble as a general rule, and Arab advertisers specifically don't need trouble with repressive Arab (almost redundant) governments. Antagonizing anyone is bad for business, and in countries where your product or service can be seized by government fiat if one offends, there is little incentive to tell such truths.
It is true that the American media are as liberal as the conservative corporations that own them allow them to be. Al-Jazeera has found that it can be as open, honest and direct as it wants, but should it desire to make a profit, it should want not.