Al Jazeera America has added former NBC news veteran John Seigenthaler to its news lineup less than a week before its Aug. 20 launch.
Variety reported Thursday that Seigenthaler will serve as the news anchor during the network’s prime-time hour.
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He has more than 11 years at NBC News, including nine years as the anchor of the weekend edition of "NBC Nightly News."
Seigenthaler has anchored news programs on CNBC and MSNBC, including "The News on CNBC," "Morning Line," "Lockup," and "MSNBC Investigates."
"I'm proud to join a respected worldwide news organization that is committed to delivering high quality, objective and balanced investigative journalism," Seigenthaler said in a statement. "While other networks and newspapers are cutting back, Al Jazeera is growing. It’s exciting to be part of the launch of this unique cable news channel."
Seigenthaler is the latest in the string of prominent broadcast journalists from other networks that Al Jazeera America has picked up. Ali Velshi and Soledad O'Brien signed on from CNN, while Joie Chen is a former CBS anchor.
Velshi joined Al Jazeera American in April after spending 12 years at CNN, hosting the show "Your Money" and acting as the network's business correspondent.
"We are thrilled to secure Ali’s extraordinary talents and services," said Ehab Al Shihabi, executive director of Al Jazeera international operations,
in a statement obtained by Deadline.com when Velshi was signed. "Al Jazeera America will be bringing respected, independent reporting to its viewers and that’s exactly the type of coverage Ali Velshi is known for."
O’Brien anchored the CNN morning show "Starting Point" and will contribute short segments to Al Jazeera America’s current affairs magazine program "America Tonight,"
Politico reported in July.
Chen, who will take part in Al Jazeera's "American Tonight" show, worked for CNN and CBS News, spending six years as a CBS Washington correspondent covering the White House and Capitol Hill.
Al Jazeera, based in Qatar, is making its jump into the U.S. cable news market since the station bought Current TV for roughly $500 million. The liberal cable news outlet was formerly owned by former Vice President Al Gore.
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