Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based news channel that bought Al Gore's Current TV, is advertising more than 100 job openings as the company seeks to expand in the United States.
The positions, 98 in New York and seven in Washington, range from on-air jobs to production duties, according to listings posted on the news network's website.
The openings follow a pledge by the network to double the US staff after taking over Current TV. Al Jazeera plans to maintain headquarters in New York and replace Current TV programming with its own this year to gain distribution on the biggest US pay-TV services. The Qatari broadcaster plans to launch Al Jazeera America in April.
Current TV and Al Jazeera's English-speaking employees will be given preference for any posted job, Laura Nelson, a Current TV spokeswoman, said in an e-mailed statement. The listings mark the first of a few rounds of recruiting, said Nelson, who added pay will be commensurate with the position.
Al Jazeera acquired Current TV, co-founded by former US Vice President Gore, for $500 million this month to establish an outlet for its English-language service.
While Al Jazeera's English network, started in 2006, reaches 250 million households in 130 countries, the US represents only a small fraction of that audience.
Al Jazeera's English-language network reaches 4.7 million US households, Stan Collender, a spokesman with Qorvis Communications, said this month.
The service is carried by seven providers, including Ohio's Buckeye CableSystem and Vermont's Burlington Telecom, according to its website.
The network expects to be available in more than 40 million homes once it takes over Current TV programming. One major carrier, Time Warner Cable, plans to drop Current TV, which is also carried by Comcast, DirecTV and Dish Network, the three largest US pay-TV operators.
Time Warner Cable, based in New York, will evaluate adding Al Jazeera, the company said this month. Its New York and Los Angeles systems offer content from the channel through agreements with local broadcasters.
