American Al Jazeera channel shifting focus to U.S. news

The forthcoming Al Jazeera cable channel in the United States wants to focus on America.

When Al Jazeera's owners in Qatar acquired Al Gore's Current TV in January, they said that Current would be replaced by Al Jazeera America, an international news channel with 60 percent new programming from the United States, the New York Times reports.

They said that the remaining 40 percent would come from Al Jazeera English, their existing English-language news channel in Qatar, which is already available in much of the rest of the world.

According to the report, now, Al Jazeera America is aiming to have almost all of its programming originate from the United States staff members and others associated with the channel said.

The channel will cover domestic affairs more often than foreign affairs and operate much like CNN and Fox News.

Al Jazeera also has to hire a president or a slate of vice presidents to run the channel on a day-to-day basis.

The Arabic-language Al Jazeera was condemned by the American government a decade ago for broadcasting videotapes from Osama bin Laden and other materials deemed to be terrorist propaganda.

The channel has hired Kim Bondy, a former executive producer for CNN, to run the new show, but it has yet to hire an anchor for it.