Al Jazeera launched its American cable news channel last night to some fanfare but few viewers. Only five of the 10 major cable and satellite providers carry the channel, which took over Al Gore’s Current TV late last year.

Still, considering the negative perception some Americans have of the Arab news organization, the company might have been lucky to get its new effort off the ground at all — and at least some credit likely goes to K Street, including former Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.).

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Al Jazeera America executives say their news channel won’t be driven by a political agenda — the Arab version frequently has been accused of bias — but will specialize in straightforward news. Earlier this year, however, as plans for the channel were announced, opposition quickly mounted. Among other politically-connected voices claiming outrage, former Attorney General Michael Mukasey, who served under President George W. Bush, called for congressional hearings over the possibility of a foreign company — Al Jazeera America’s parent company is based in Doha, Qatar — controlling media in the U.S.

It’s not exactly clear what Al Jazeera’s new lobbying team talked about on the Hill — the filings all vaguely describe “ Informational communications regarding client’s cable television channel ” — but no hearings materialized and lawmakers generally seemed to have little to say about the issue.

Castle left the Senate in 2011 and now works at DLA Piper ; he was one of 11 lobbyists the company has used this year, from four different firms. All were initially hired in the first quarter of 2013, and several tapered off their work in the second quarter. For the first six months of the year, Al Jazeera paid lobbying firms at least $240,000, of which $220,000 went to DLA Piper.

Along with Castle, Al Jazeera also brought on former GOP congressional staffers Mark Paoletta and Laurie Purporo

Al Jazeera certainly isn’t the only cable news channel to lobby. All three major cable news networks, or at least their parent corporations, are heavily invested in the activity. From January through June 2013, MSNBC parent company Comcast Corp . spent $9.5 million lobbying; Time Warner Cable , which owns CNN, $3.8 million; and 21st Century Fox , the company that includes FOX News, $245,000. (FOX News was owned until late June by News Corp ., which has spent $2.8 million this year.)



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