As Al Jazeera America prepares to launch tomorrow afternoon, the dribble of stories about the new channel has turned into a deluge (read our story from Friday here).
One of the complicating factors with regard to tomorrow’s launch: it is not clear whether AJAM will have much advertiser support.
The channel’s executive team touted its light commercial load leading up the launch arguing that it was a differentiator, but also declined to say who the flagship launch advertiser would be.
AdWeek‘s Sam Thielman looks at that very issue.
Buyers aren’t arguing—the pitch is great. “When they showed us all their offices around the world, it was clear that among other global news organizations, no one can beat them,” the buyer said. Clients are a different story. “We want to use them, but the client wouldn’t go until they could prove that people will take them seriously.”
The NY Times‘ Brian Stelter also mentions the issue in his write-up today.
Elsewhere, Quartz’s Justin Martin argues that AJAM should differentiate itself by having an ombudsman, as the Times does, in an effort to build credibility.