Al Jazeera replaces US cable news chief

Al Jazeera has replaced Ehab Al Shihabi, the embattled chief of Al Jazeera America, with a long-serving executive as the Qatari media network looks to get its US cable channel back on track amid a lawsuit and a series of high-profile departures.

The network named Al Anstey as chief executive of its two-year-old US arm. The veteran of CBS News, Associated Press and ITN joined Al Jazeera in 2005 and has been serving as managing director of Al Jazeera English, an English language service with global reach.

"As Al Jazeera America moves forward into this new stage of its development, I am confident Al's leadership will transform the channel's ability to lead in the US marketplace," said Mostefa Souag, acting director-general of the Al Jazeera Media Network, the Doha-based parent company.

The announcement was greeted with cheers in AJA's midtown Manhattan newsroom, which had been reeling in the wake of a series of escalating crises. Current and former employees said staff had lost faith in senior management, with particular antipathy for Mr Al Shihabi, who clashed with the newsroom and executives.

But employees were caught by surprise when, shortly after the appointment was announced, Mr Shihabi sent an email to staff welcoming Mr Anstey and indicating he would remain involved in running the network.

"I am excited to work with Al in my ongoing capacity of chief operating officer" for Al Jazeera America, he wrote. Insiders said Mr Anstey had a reputation for diplomatic skills and journalistic credibility.

The channel has lost three senior female executives in the past week and has been hit with a $15m wrongful termination lawsuit from a former employee alleging sexist, anti-Semitic and anti-American behaviour by a manager.

The challenges are the most serious AJA has faced in its brief history, during which it has struggled to gain traction among viewers and advertisers. The US cable channel was launched in 2013 with the $500m purchase of Al Gore's Current TV.

It reaches about 60m US homes but its viewership is near the bottom of the cable networks rated by Nielsen. SNL Kagan expects it to take in $15m in advertising revenue this year, double 2014's $7m but below competitors such as CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and BBC World News.

Tensions have escalated in recent months, with job cuts and a revamping of programming, but a more serious challenge came with last week's lawsuit from Matthew Luke, a former employee.

Mr Luke alleged that he was fired earlier this year after complaining to human resources about a manager, Osman Mahmud. Mr Luke alleged Mr Mahmud had made "discriminatory, anti-Semitic and anti-American remarks" and engaged in "overt misogynistic behaviour" including removing female employees from projects and excluding women from emails and meetings.

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As it seeks to steady the ship, Al Jazeera has also transferred a senior executive to New York to lead news operations.

Amjad Atallah, a former adviser to the Palestine Liberation Organisation, had served as regional director of the parent company in Washington.

In his new role, US-born Mr Atallah will oversee all aspects of AJA's news operation and be responsible for managing editorial staff, according to a person close to the company. He will report to Kate O'Brian, AJA president.

"This is in some ways a homecoming for Amjad," Ms O'Brian said in a recent note to staff announcing the appointment seen by the FT. Mr Atallah helped with the launches of AJA in 2013 and AJ+, the media network's digital channel, last year.

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