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The cable news channel Al Jazeera America, which debuted in 2013 to great fanfare when it promised to cover American news soberly and seriously, is shutting down by the end of April. The move was announced at a companywide meeting on Wednesday.
2013年，半岛电视台美国频道(Al Jazeera America) 在万众期待中开播，当时承诺以冷静严肃的态度播报美国新闻。如今，这一频道却将于今年4月底停播。该决议是在本周三的公司全会中宣布的。
In a memo to the staff, Al Jazeera America’s chief executive, Al Anstey, said the “decision by Al Jazeera America’s board is driven by the fact that our business model is simply not sustainable in light of the economic challenges in the U.S. media marketplace.”
在致员工的备忘录中，半岛电视台美国频道首席执行官埃尔·安思蒂(Al Anstey)表示，“董事会之所以作出这一决定，是基于我们的运营模式无法应对美国传媒市场的经济挑战。”
“I know the closure of AJAM will be a massive disappointment for everyone here who has worked tirelessly for our long-term future,” he continued. “The decision that has been made is in no way because AJAM has done anything but a great job. Our commitment to great journalism is unrivaled.”
“我知道半岛电视台美国频道的关闭，令在座所有人深感失望。各位一直在为我们的长远前景在孜孜不倦地努力，”他还说。“作出这一决定，绝不是因为半岛电视台美国频道表现不佳。相反，我们打造的优秀新闻出类拔萃。”
Al Jazeera America went on the air in August 2013 after it bought Al Gore’s Current TV for $500 million. It promised to be thoughtful and smart, free of the shouting arguments that have defined cable news in the United States over the last decade. But meaningful viewership never came, with prime-time ratings sometimes struggling to exceed 30,000 viewers.
以5亿美元收购美国前副总统阿尔·戈尔(Al Gore)创立的Current有线电视台后，半岛电视台美国频道于2013年8月正式开播。它承诺致力于播报洞察深刻的新闻报道，避免过去10年间美国有线新闻台大吵大嚷的风气。然而，它一直未能获得足够的观众，黄金档的收视有时十分努力才突破3万人次。
To make matters worse, the newsroom was hit with turmoil last year when staff members complained bitterly of a culture of fear. There was an exodus of top executives, along with a pair of lawsuits from former employees that included complaints about sexism and anti-Semitism at the news channel.
去年，新闻编辑室陷入混乱令事态雪上加霜，员工愤怒地抱怨工作氛围充斥着恐惧。多名高层离职，前雇员对新闻台内部存在性别歧视和反犹太主义的两起诉讼又起风波。
In May, Ehab Al Shihabi, the chief executive of Al Jazeera America, was replaced by Mr. Anstey. Morale improved in the following months but ratings remained low.
去年5月，半岛电视台美国频道前台长埃哈伯·谢哈比(Ehab Al Shihabi)被安思蒂取而代之。此后数月，台内士气有所提振，但收视率依然不高。
And Al Jazeera America has not been free of controversy in recent months. In November, the news station’s general counsel, David W. Harleston, was suspended following a report in The New York Times that he did not appear to be licensed to practice law. In late December, Al Jazeera aired an hourlong documentary that linked some of the biggest stars in Major League Baseball and the National Football League to performance-enhancing drugs. The most prominent athlete mentioned in the report was the Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, who angrily denied the report, calling it “complete garbage” and “totally made up.”
在过去几个月间，半岛电视台美国频道依然争议不断。去年11月，《纽约时报》报道，该频道的总法律顾问戴维·W·哈尔斯顿 (David W. Harleston)似乎并不具备律师执业资格，他随后被停职。去年12月末，半岛电视台美国频道播放了一部长约一小时的纪录片，内容涉及美国职业棒球大联盟(MLB)和美国职业橄榄球联盟(NFL)的顶级球星服用兴奋剂。该报道涉及的最大牌的球星是丹佛野马队(Denver Broncos)的四分卫佩顿·曼宁(Peyton Manning)。他愤怒地否认了报道内容，称之为“一派胡言”、“全盘捏造”。
As part of Wednesday’s announcement, Mr. Anstey said that after the cable news network shuts down by April 30, Al Jazeera would expand its digital presence in the United States. The expansion “would bring new global content into America.”
在本周三的声明中，安思蒂还表示， 频道于4月30日停播后，半岛会在美国扩大数字服务，将“为美国带来新的国际视野”。
