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DOHA: Thanks to al-Jazeera, the Arab world's most controversial TV station, the small emirate of Qatar has gradually boosted its political influence in the Middle East.
Much to Doha's delight, since the 1996 launch of al-Jazeera disputes have erupted with other, more powerful Arab governments, and foreign ministers have flocked to Qatar to plead for moderation in its coverage.
But if the gas-rich Gulf state was punching above its weight with al-Jazeera, it is trying to reach much higher with its newest venture: an English-language al-Jazeera based in the Middle East but aimed at a global audience.
The news channel, which will be launched next spring, is already stirring up interest in international media and political circles.
In early October, al-Jazeera announced that David Frost, the British television host, had been recruited to its 24-hour news channel. Earlier in the summer it revealed that Josh Rushing, a former US marine who served at the army's central command media office in Qatar during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, was joining its team.
"We've been getting more publicity than we wanted," Nigel Parsons, managing director of al-Jazeera International, told the FT. "But at the end we will be judged by our product."
The international project is part of a broader expansion designed to turn Qatar into a regional media centre. The Jazeera group already operates a children's channel and a sports channel and is planning a network dedicated to documentaries.
The global channel also comes at a time when the Arabic al-Jazeera is facing new challenges -- increased regional competition and pressure from Washington for a toned-down message.
The US-backed al-Hurra, launched partly to take viewers away from al-Jazeera, appears to have made little impact on viewers. But the Saudi-backed al-Arabiya, set up in 2003 in Dubai and designed as a more pro-Saudi and less controversial choice to al-Jazeera is proving a more serious competitor.
Surveys by Ipsos Stat Middle East, a regional media and market research firm, suggest viewership of al-Jazeera is still higher than for any other Arab news station in most Middle Eastern countries. But the studies show al-Arabiya has more viewers in Iraq and Bahrain.
In a more competitive environment, the Arabic al-Jazeera has adopted a new look, with more striking screen colours, shorter talk shows and new programmes. The gruesome images of blood and war also appear to have been toned down.
Ahmed Sheikh, al-Jazeera's chief editor, dismisses claims that the changes are in response to American pressure. "We came of age," he says. "You cannot turn the people's lives, in their homes, into nightmares."
Outside the Middle East, however, al-Jazeera is still best known for broadcasting Osama bin Laden videos after the September 11 attacks and clashing with the US government over its coverage of Iraq -- a reputation that could cloud its backer's global ambitions.
The global channel is hoping to appeal to international viewers and compete in the big league, taking a slice of the audience that turns to the likes of CNN and the BBC -- an ambition that industry executives in the Middle East say will be difficult to satisfy. Gaining access to American viewers through cable or satellite, for example, would require a more subdued message.
But Qatar appears to be betting that the Middle East will continue to be the source of international crisis, drawing international viewers to a network based in the region. Mr Parsons says the English-language channel will have its own identity and acknowledges that "extreme images that surprise people may be acceptable in the Middle East but maybe not outside".
He also expects viewers outside the region to tune in to al-Jazeera for stories beyond the Middle East. He notes that the company's English-language website, for example, saw a spike in hits during the July bombings in London.
One advantage that the global al-Jazeera will have is plenty of money -- Qatar has the third-largest proven reserves of natural gas in the world, and one of the highest per capita incomes in the world at over $20,000 (euro 16,670, £11,300). (FT Syndication Service)
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