Following my story about CURRENT TV‘s sale yesterday to Al Jazeera I got some good laughs out of David Letterman‘s monologue last night in which he suggested new programming for the channel…
They included ditties like Storage Jihad, Project Birka and The Real Virgins of Faluka. He also suggested a new personality, Weird Al Jazeera to anchor Al Gore‘s now former network.
Then this morning, when I attempted to check out CURRENT TV on Channel 226 on Time Warner, it was gone—even though the program info at the bottom of the screen still listed all its programs, story lines and times.
But the main screen had the following message: “This channel is no longer available on Time Warner Cable. Visit http://www.twcconversations.com/ to find other sources for similar programming.”
I did just that and came across the following FAQ: Q: “I’ve read that CURRENT will be switching to carry programming from Al Jazeera English, and that other cable and satellite companies will be carrying the network. Why won’t Time Warner Cable carry the new channel?”
A: “We can’t speak for other providers. Time Warner Cable’s agreement to carry CURRENT TV has been terminated. In addition, we already have a long-term agreement for Al Jazeera English. We are keeping an open mind and as the service develops, we will evaluate whether it makes sense, for our customers, to launch the network. In the meantime AJE is available for free online, and in New York City and Los Angeles, is on our channel lineup as part of separate agreements between Al Jazeera and local broadcasters.”
There you have it in plain English.
Guess I won’t be able to catch Weird Al Jazeera after all.
Al Jazeera is an Arabic news and current affairs channel owned by the state of Qatar
