The cable news channel has just announced it’s shutting down in the next few months.
Al Jazeera America will be off the air by the end of April. The cable and satellite news channel made the announcement Wednesday in a staff meeting and memo, citing financial issues.
The “decision by Al Jazeera America’s board is driven by the fact that our business model is simply not sustainable in light of the economic challenges in the U.S. media marketplace,â€Â Al Jazeera America’s chief executive, Al Anstey, said, according to The New York Times.
“The decision that has been made is in no way because AJAM has done anything but a great job,” Anstey added. “Our commitment to great journalism is unrivaled.”
The struggling news channel launched just over two years ago, on August 20, 2013.
One year ago, just over half the TVs in the U.S. were able to receive the channel, but viewership was slim. The Times notes “meaningful viewership never came, with prime-time ratings sometimes struggling to exceed 30,000 viewers.”
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.
Former NBC News anchor John Seigenthaler is one of the more recognizable faces of the network.
UPDATE:
AJM just announced the news:
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