NEW YORK – (August 6, 2013) – Al Jazeera America, the new American news channel that will launch Aug. 20, today announced that Neal Scarbrough has been hired as its senior executive producer for sports programming and Jeff Green will serve as executive producer of sports programming.
“Al Jazeera America is committed to going beyond scores to tell the sports stories and news that matter to people,” said Shannon High-Bassalik, senior vice president, documentaries and programs for Al Jazeera America. “Neal and Jeff have decades of experience and a passion for all sports from the biggest NFL or NBA game to youth soccer or the Pike’s Peak Hill Climb. We are excited to have them join the channel.”
An award-winning journalist with two decades of newsroom experience in print, digital and television, Scarbrough comes to Al Jazeera America from Comcast, where he served as vice president of digital media for the Versus Sports Network (now NBC Sports Network) before transitioning to corporate communications.
Prior to Versus, Scarbrough ran the sports division at AOL and was senior news director and editor-in-chief at ESPN.com. He served on the Pulitzer Prize-winning team at The Denver Post that in 1999 was honored for its breaking news coverage of the Columbine High School massacre. He has also won an Online Journalism Award for General Excellence and been named one of the Top 10 Most Influential People in Online Sports.
“Al Jazeera America will feature one-of-a-kind sports coverage that will be perfect for both news junkies and passionate sports fans,” said Scarbrough. “The weekly show we’re developing will delve into the top stories across sports and deliver new faces and places to American fans.”
Before joining Al Jazeera America, Green was the supervising producer of special events at Current TV. He also played an integral role in the launch of Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network (YES) and MSNBC. Green also has produced six feature films.
“I have been a fan of Al Jazeera for many years,” said Green. “The chance to help bring its unique, comprehensive storytelling style to the U.S. and to the world of sports was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”
Al Jazeera America will feature regular sports updates, interviews and features throughout the day. An in-depth weekly sports magazine show will begin by year’s end and a second weekend sports show is planned for 2014.
See more press releases from Al Jazeera America here.
