[Kabar-indonesia] Al-Jazeera broadcasts to Asia hungry for news [incl: RI]

[Joyo at aol.com]

Al-Jazeera broadcasts to Asian region hungry for news

KUALA LUMPUR, November 15 (AFP) -- Al-Jazeera's new English-
language channel due to be launched Wednesday is being
beamed to an Asian region which is booming and hungry for
news, industry experts say.

The Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur is the regional
headquarters for the international broadcaster's Asian
operations, a market of three billion people of which about
one-third are Muslims.

Al-Jazeera has promised to provide an alternative
perspective to international news channels based in Europe
and the United States -- a claim that has been welcomed by
Asian commentators and governments.

Allan Williams, managing editor with the Asia-Pacific
Broadcasting Union (ABU), said the time was ripe for Al-
Jazeera to launch in the region.

"Asia is booming. And the interest for news is strong," he
told AFP. "Asia is a huge market. India, Pakistan, China and
the 10 ASEAN countries offer huge market potential for Al-
Jazeera."

Williams said Al-Jazeera would not just target Muslim
audiences, but would try to attract any viewers keen to
obtain news from a non-Western satellite station.

"It will be interesting to see what audience they get. But
they will face fierce competition from CNN, BBC and the
Singapore-based Channel News Asia," he said.

Al-Jazeera's managing director Nigel Parsons, a Briton who
formerly worked for the BBC, said he was confident the
Qatar-based network would be a success in Asia.

"Yes, we want to provide an alternate view. We want to bring
a different perspective. Kuala Lumpur is an important
broadcast centre. We want to look at the world from an Asian
perspective," he told AFP.

Asked how many countries will receive the feed, Parsons said
"we have exceeded the target".

However, its Asia-Pacific reach is so far confined to
Afghanistan, Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Maldives, New Zealand and Thailand.

Globally, its aim is to provide impartial news to over 80
million cable and satellite households worldwide.

Roby Alampay, executive director of the Bangkok-based
Southeast Asia Press Alliance, said Al-Jazeera will be a
valuable additional source of news to Asia's vast
population.

"Diversity in the source of news and information is vital
for press freedom," said Alampy, whose group advocates media
freedom.
"Al-Jazeera is known to provide a perspective that is quite
independent and different from CNN and BBC. We welcome this
diversity. Certainly, they are not a clone of CNN or BBC,"
he said.

Al-Jazeera's decision to establish its Asian hub in Kuala
Lumpur has been questioned by some media commentators who
doubt whether the notoriously touchy Malaysian government
will be able to tolerate scrutiny of its affairs.

The government has so far welcomed Al-Jazeera with open
arms, seeing its decision to be based here as confirmation
of its status as a moderate and successful Muslim nation.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz
hailed the launch and said the network was free to criticise
the Malaysian government.

"I hope it will provide correct and unbiased reporting
unlike some of the existing news agencies that provide only
from the western perspective," he told AFP.

"We know the BBC and CNN ... are the mouthpiece for Western
countries," he said.

Al-Jazeera's Arabic service, which celebrated its 10th
anniversary on November 1, has revolutionised news media in
the Arab world, but it has also provoked controversy.

It gained worldwide recognition mainly because of its
broadcast of videotapes issued by Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin
Laden.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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