Radio station KPFT (90.1 FM) begins airing an hour of news Tuesday from Al Jazeera English, giving the worldwide news network with a focus on the Middle East and developing world its first significant programming foothold in a major U.S. media market.

Houston will be one of three cities, along with Berkeley, Calif., and New York, where Al Jazeera English will air on Pacifica-owned stations beginning this week. It will air beginning in January in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles and then will be made available to other Pacifica affiliates.

"It is programming of a high quality that is underexposed in America, and it certainly falls within our mission to bring in sources of news from different locations to round out media offerings for our listeners, our members and the broader community," said Duane Bradley, the Houston station's general manager.

Dispelling myths

"And I think it will provide an opportunity to dispel some of the myths, perceptions and misconceptions that generally accompany anything that has 'Al' as part of its name."

Al Jazeera English is an arm of the Middle East-based broadcast network primarily known in this country for its Arabic-language programs. It has major broadcast operations, where programs are anchored, in Qatar, Washington, D.C., London and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and 65 worldwide bureaus with more than 1,000 staff members.

Among its U.S.-based correspondents is Josh Rushing, a former Marine who grew up the Dallas suburb of Lewisville, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and was a spokesman for the U.S. Army's Central Command during Operating Iraqi Freedom.

International perspective

"You will hear accents on Al Jazeera English that reflect the world and the best international news in English that you can get in the world," Rushing said. "While other networks are contracting, we're expanding. You will hear news from all over the world but from a perspective that is less Western-oriented."

Rushing, who hosts a series called Fault Lines on Al Jazeera English, last fall visited the Harris County Jail as part of a story on conditions faced by prisoners who suffer from mental illness. The program won an award earlier this year from Mental Health America, the group formerly known as the National Mental Health Association.

Bradley said Pacifica, which is owned by the Berkeley, Calif.-based Pacifica Foundation and is listener-supported, has more freedom than commercial stations to take a chance on programming as potentially polarizing as an Al Jazeera-produced news show.

"There may be a few members who might withdraw their support, but I think we will gain far more from new audiences and from people who are willing to listen before jumping to a conclusion and who will realize that this is a reputable, highly regarded news source that nobody else is providing."

The Al Jazeera news hour will air initially at 5 a.m., but Bradley said KPFT hopes to air an evening broadcast by the first of the year.

KPFT has about 9,000 members who contribute to operating costs, Bradley said. It has about 106,000 weekly listeners, according to the most recent Arbitron ratings report for Houston radio stations.

david.barron@chron.com