Meet John Meehan, senior executive producer of business programming

Which department do you work most closely with?

I work mostly with the news department. When it comes to the show, I also work a lot with marketing and advertising. They help us determine how to best promote the program.

What’s the most exciting project you are currently working on?

Ali’s show is very exciting because what we’re doing is creating a different kind of show about money issues that affect real American households. That’s what we want to focus on.

What is the most rigorous assignment you’ve ever taken on?

This is probably the most rigorous assignment I’ve worked on. There are so many things we have to do to prepare for the show! What’s exciting and challenging at the same time is starting up a new channel that’s unique and different from what’s currently out there. This channel is about storytelling more than anything else. It’s about appealing to people who are eager to learn something new, not about dealing with the politics in the news that we see so often on cable television nowadays. We at Al Jazeera America tell stories that affect people’s lives and focus on real human beings going through real events. So it’s naturally very compelling.

How did you get to this point in your career?

I’ve spent my career doing financial and business news. I worked at Dow Jones, CNBC, Bloomberg, and Reuters. I’ve been here at Al Jazeera America since April.

What other news sources do you follow?

I read everything from wire services to the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. I try to visit every kind of website you can imagine, from Buzzfeed on. I basically look for those nuggets of information, not only to stay informed but also to trigger ideas for new stories to cover.

What are some challenges that you feel you will have to face in this new endeavor?

I think our biggest challenge will be finding real people with real problems to feature in our stories. We want to look at success stories as well and find those people too. Locating those characters will drive stories and make “Real Money with Ali Velshi” a unique show.

What types of stories specifically are you looking to cover first?

We’re currently trying to describe the challenges that American households face with healthcare. Healthcare reform is still a mystery to many people because there are so many regulations involved and nobody knows how it’s going to play out. That’s a typical story that we’ll tackle at one time, but that’s going to span over months as we tell various aspects of the story. The other thing we’re looking at is financial literacy and some of the problems that people face in understanding the basics of finance – getting a loan, understanding what a loan is, and knowing what fees you’ll be paying when you have a credit card.

What do you see Al Jazeera America bringing to the American news conversation?

We will bring objective storytelling to the mainstream. We’ll also put a face to the stories. There won’t be a lot of pundits talking on the channel. We’re going to tell real people’s stories.

What steps do you think Al Jazeera America needs to take to gain the attention and trust of the American public?

It’s simple - We have to do great journalism. There’s clearly a demand for this kind of programming and journalism. If we execute as well as we intend to, I have no doubt we’ll get the audience.

What is currently on your desk?

On my desk are plans for interviews I have to do, notes on segments we’re planning for Ali’s show, and various assignments we’re giving to producers and correspondents. I also have the Al Jazeera America phone holder, which proves to be incredibly useful.