By Greg Hazley
Qorvis Communications is guiding PR for Al Jazeera in its acquisition of U.S. cable network Current.
The deal, pegged by news reports at around $500M, kicks off Qatar-based Al Jazeera's latest plan to gain a foothold in the U.S. after failing to establish a significant presence here over the past five years.
Qorvis has extensive ties to the Middle East and senior director Sol Levine is a former producer for Al Jazeera English. The firm declined to comment on its relationship with AJ. Stan Collender, national director of financial communications at Qorvis, told Bloomberg that the network is carried by seven companies arching 4.7M households in the U.S.
"By acquiring Current TV, Al Jazeera will significantly expand our existing distribution footprint in the U.S., as well as increase our newsgathering and reporting efforts in America," said Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani, director general of the Qatar-based news network.
AJ, which has worked to shake a reputation for sympathetic coverage of so-called terror groups and gained credibility with its coverage of the 2011 Arab Spring, launched an English-language channel based in the Middle East in 200. But most U.S. viewers had to tune in over the Internet as cable providers declined to pick up the station.
"Our commitment to the voice of the voiceless, bringing stories from under-reported regions across the world and putting the human being at the center of our news agenda is at the heart of what we do," added Al Thani.
Al Jazeera English has previously worked with Brown Lloyd James and Global Strategy Group. |