From the article published in Broadcast Pro Middle East's Nov 2013 issue : "In an exclusive interview with Vijaya Cherian, Mohammed Akhlaq, International Operations Director of Al Jazeera Network and Launch Technical Director of Al Jazeera America, speaks about the journey that led to the successful launch of the broadcaster’s channel in the US."
In the article, Mr. Akhlaq talks about the challenges of this project, and credits its success to USTV, among other key members of the team. In addition to working with incredibly aggressive timeline, there were was major hiccup: three days before the launch of the network, a pipe burst in the building causing a major leak in Al Jazeera's newsroom.
Mr. Ahklaq describes the event: "Within minutes, we evacuated the site as there was a real danger that the ceiling would collapse. I had the construction team, MEP engineers, HVAC teams, cleaning services, pumps, etc., on site within 20 minutes of making a call to my team and Ted from USTV. There was a real team spirit with everyone focused on fixing the problem".
Click here to read the full article,