In just a few short weeks, Current TV will become Al Jazeera America. While the channel will likely remain a work in progress for some time after it launches, executives there are savvy enough to know that what the channel needs is a hire that will turn heads.
Al Jazeera America needs a star. AJE’s EP for the Americas, Bob Wheeler, talked about that issue to The Daily Beast’s David Freedlander:
“It would be very helpful for us to have a couple of names that have been recognized and people say, ‘Oh, they have gone over to them. I should give it a look,’” said Bob Wheelock, executive producer for the Americas for Al Jazeera English. “Americans like to know who is on at what time. We need to find people who are known, but we want them to be known for their journalism, not for their celebrity, not for their past failure, not for their messy divorce.”
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Who will they hire? Given the deep pockets of Al Jazeera, and the money already spent to launch the channel, there are probably plenty of options…