AJA At The TCA…

Variety’s Cynthia Littleton writes about Al Jazeera America President Kate O’Brian’s appearance at the TCA…

In the cabler’s first Television Critics Assn. session, O’Brian (pictured) emphasized that the channel is focused on delivering solid, objective journalism with a focus on how major news events, social issues and cultural changes impact everyday people. She noted that the Al Jazeera brand has gained respect in the U.K., Europe and other territories.

“We will get there in this country,” O’Brian told journos Tuesday at the Beverly Hilton. “We will get there by doing what we well do every single day. It will come in time. I firmly believe it will come in time.”

AJA is seen as a linchpin of the parent org’s goal of building a global news org to rival the BBC or CNN in reach and respect. Al Jazeera is funded through the state of Qatar. AJA has so far delivered miniscule ratings, which undoubtedly means there’s no significant advertising revenue to offset considerable startup costs. AJA has hundreds of journos and staffers based in New York and 12 bureaus around the U.S.