Al Jazeera America announces senior executive appointment ahead of the 20 August launch of the new American version of the news channel.

Al Jazeera's new American spin-off new channel Al Jazeera America which will start in the United States next month in the place of the discontinued CurrentTV which finally folded there as well has appointed Kate O'Brian as the president of the American version of the 24-hour news channel financed by Qatar.

Kate O'Brian will work alongside Ehab Al-Shihabi who has been named the interim CEO of Al Jazeera America.

It's not clear what programming of Al Jazeera America such as its planned flagship nightly news programme, America Tonight, would be syndicated and be shown on Al Jazeera English (DStv 406 / TopTV 401), if any.

Al Jazeera America also appointed David Ross as senior vice president of news programming, Marcy McGinnis as senior vice president of newsgathering and Shannon High-Bassalik as senior vice president of documentaries and programmes.

According to The Huffington Post MSNBC (TopTV 410) is losing the TV presenter David Schuster who will be joining Al Jazeera America.

"The groundbreaking American news channel is scheduled to launch on 20 August," says dr. Mostefa Souag, the acting director general of Al Jazeera Media Network in a press release.

"As president, Kate O'Brian will be based at Al Jazeera America's headquarters in New York City and will have full responsibility for defining and implementing the editorial strategy and operations across the network, including news, documentary and all other programming."

"Kate's arrival speaks volumes about what we intend to do and how we intend to do it. She is a highly experienced and award-winning journalist who fully understands what Americans want to see and hear when they watch the news. Kate has the vision, tenacity and integrity to ensure that Al Jazeera America will quickly become the success we expect it to be," says dr. Mostefa Souag.

"Al Jazeera America will demonstrate that quality journalism is alive and well in the United States," says Kate O'Brian in the statement. "As I bring everything I learned to this new role I’m looking forward to showing the Al Jazeera viewers that there is a strong demand for the type of in depth reporting for which Al Jazeera is so well known."