Tag Archives: al Jazeera

Al-Jazeera, meet Al-Gore or, $500 million ain’t what it used to be…

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According to Al “I cleared $100 million, how was your day?” Gore, the sale of Current TV to Al-Jazeera was a natural. After all, said the man who spent his three month stint in Viet Nam clad exclusively in a tuxedo, both networks were founded “to give voice to those who are not typically heard; to speak truth to power; to provide independent and diverse points of view; and to tell the stories that no one else is telling.” If there ever was a time for the “Kiss my ass!” drop from The Teri O’Brien Show, this would be it.

On the positive side, all of the goofballs on the network’s talk shows (Jennifer Granholm, Cenk something or other) will be banished into lunatic oblivion; on the negative side, no more “Vanguard”, the excellent showcase for young documentary film makers (no, they were not Michael Moore like propaganda “crock” umentaries, they were real documentaries.)

Gore, who is the recognized leader of the global warming wacko contingent, has irritated some leftists by selling out to the Qatar oil Sheiks, but that does not seem to be bothering him. (Rumor has, however, that he will demonstrate his continued opposition to fossil fuels by heating his house with customized fireplaces that burn money.)

What will this mean to the average American? Very little, unless the new Al-Jazeera America tries to attract ratings by showing free porno films. “Current” ly, only about 42,000 viewers per night watch the network (too little for even Oxy Clean to advertise,) so the Sheiks may find themselves paying $11,904.77 per viewer. For half that rate, I’d parade around Trader Joe’s with a “Israel Unfair” sandwich board, so I’m not sure they’re going to get their monies’ worth. But that’s not my problem.

This is a teachable moment, nonetheless. Imagine the media reaction if George Bush had sold as much as a used lawn tractor to an Arab Sheik. Just think about what Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, Chris Matthews and the rest of the liberal idiot corps would be saying. And think about it soon. You never know, the owners of MSNBC might be inspired to sell the network to the government of oil rich Russia. In that case, American viewers might be treated to entertainment classics like “The Vlad Putin Show,” a ninety minute gabfest and pectoral muscle flexing tournament. Come to think of it, compared to “Hardball”, that would be a major upgrade.

Truth is History

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Mr. Chakra
Crazed Sex Poodle

It is said that the victor gets to write history. But what if their history is all lies?

Last night I got wind of the sale of Current TV to al Jezeera. That alone should create a bit of consternation but it just keeps getting better and better- or worse and worse, depending on your point of view.

Al Jazeera on Wednesday announced a deal to take over Current TV, the low-rated cable channel that was founded by Al Gore, a former vice president, and his business partners seven years ago.

Al Jazeera did not disclose the purchase price, but people with direct knowledge of the deal pegged it at around $500 million, indicating a $100 million payout for Mr. Gore, who owned 20 percent of Current. Mr. Gore and his partners were eager to complete the deal by Dec. 31, lest it be subject to higher tax rates that took effect on Jan. 1, according to several people who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Al Gore, wants to avoid taxation like one of Mitt Romney’s 1%. Who can blame him for that? I mean it’s not like he is releasing his chakra into the atmosphere like a  crazed sex poodle, creating GlowBull Wormening.

But this morning there was this:

“Before Al-Jazeera bought Current TV, TheBlaze looked into buying it but we were rejected by progressive owners.”

“Glenn Beck’s The Blaze approached Current about buying the channel last year, but was told that ‘the legacy of who the network goes to is important to us and we are sensitive to networks not aligned with our point of view,‘ according to a person familiar with the negotiations.”

I don’t know if I would call that a tacit admission- it’s more like a public pronouncement that anyone on the right ‘need not apply’.  Does this mean al Jezeera? is aligned with AlGore’s point of view?

In the aftermath of Saddam’s Iraq, CNN’s  Eason Jordan admitted to withholding the truth:

Knowing the personal stories I knew about the brutality of the regime, I had three options: 1. Never repeat such horror stories. 2. Tell the stories sooner and, as a result, see innocent people killed. 3. Tell the stories after the downfall of the Saddam Hussein regime. I chose option three and could never imagine doing anything else.

Withholding the truth by news organizations is nothing new. The Chicago Tribune refused twice my request to confirm that the U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald statement thanking them for holding the story for weeks meant they knew of the Blagojevich wiretaps before the ’08 election.

But, now, instead of a Olbermann, or a Client Number 9 withholding the truth- their ‘minders’ will just buy the whole channel and make up the truth. It will be just like Air America, only different.

This is all reminiscent of the Dubai Ports deal that was torpedoed by Chuckie Schumer. Don’t expect him to object to this deal tho.

Algore got out at the right time, it appears, as a cable provider has moved to eliminate the ‘bundle’.

Intel is planning to deliver cable content to any device with an Internet connection. And instead of having to pay $80 a month for two hundred channels you don’t want, you’ll be able to subscribe to specific channels of your choosing.

 

And you thought Current TV‘s ratings couldn’t go any lower.