Al Jazeera - A Divine Idea
and political discourse. Above all, none of these fledgling stations had even planned to launch a totally dedicated news service. It does not take a genius then to realise that Qatar’s Al Jazeera was undisputedly the pioneer. Here, I would like to mention some of the significant developments I witnessed in Qatar, which could be deemed a precursor to the birth of Al Jazeera in this country. The establishment of Qatar Radio in 1968 was a giant leap forward. It was also a turning point in my
professional career. My childhood dream came true; as I was among the first presenters to say: “This is Qatar Radio from Doha.” Later when I moved to work for London Radio, I realised how exceptionally professional Qatar Radio was. The only difference was the station’s broadcast range. Had Qatar Radio reached out to a wider audience like that of London Radio, it would have been a fierce competitor to many global players. I believe Qatar Radio was a foundation stone for Al Jazeera, as the country had already attracted the elite of the industry.
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