Al Jazeera America hires four anchors in advance of August launch

Al Jazeera America continues to beef up its on-air team in advance of launching next month.

The cable news channel has hired its first four news anchors -- Jonathan Betz, Richelle Carey, Morgan Fogarty and Del Walters. All will work out of Al Jazeera America’s New York studio. While none are high-profile names, all are veteran news reporters.

Betz, Fogarty and Walters are all from the world of local news while Carey was an anchor and reporter at CNN. Betz most recently was at WFAA-TV Dallas and prior to that he was at WWL-TV New Orleans, where he covered Hurricane Katrina. Fogarty was a reporter at WCCB-TV in Charlotte, N.C., while Walters is best known for his anchor stint at WJLA-TV Washington, D.C.

ON LOCATION: Where the cameras roll

“Their previous work across the United States will help to ensure that our daily newscasts include objective reporting on the stories from around the block and around the globe that have a real impact on each American’s lives,” said Bob Wheelock, Al Jazeera America’s senior executive producer for news and special projects.

Earlier this month, Al Jazeera America hired Soledad O’Brien as a special correspondent.

Al Jazeera America has opened 12 bureaus in the United States. Besides New York and Los Angeles, the network will have news hubs in Chicago, Denver, Nashville and New Orleans. The channel will have a staff of 800 at launch, according to Ehab Al Shihabi, executive director of international operations for Al Jazeera Media Network.

The network has deals with cable and satellite operators reaching 50 million homes.

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