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FRANCE: GLOBAL NEWS CHANNEL LAUNCHED December 7, 2006
Zainab Osman
(SomaliNet) A global news channel with a French perspective on world affairs is to start broadcasting this evening. France 24, which started broadcasting a streaming service in French, English and Arabic via its website on Wednesday, joins a growing field of world broadcasters challenging the dominance of US and British media.
The opening story of the newscast was about the Iraq Study Group report that criticized the US administration's failed policy in Iraq. The station gave reactions from Iraq and Lebanon, where it has reporters on the ground.
The project was born of the French president's frustrations at the supremacy of US cable news network CNN at the time of the first US-led war against Iraq in 1991. It promises a "French vision" of world affairs with a heavy emphasis on diversity and debate.
Televised broadcasts on two channels, one in French and the other mostly in English, are to begin on Thursday. An Arabic-language channel is to air next year, with a Spanish channel following in about three years.
The state-funded channel enters a crowded market that includes CNN, BBC World and Al Jazeera, which made its English-language debut last month.
France 24 will transmit to Europe, the Middle East and Africa via satellite, initially reaching an estimated 75 million households in more than 90 countries. France 24 expects to expand coverage in North America and Asia. For now, the only US destination for the channel is Washington, where it will be available to Comcast cable subscribers.