Al Jazeera 500 million Qatari riyals (US$137 million) from the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa. By securing its funding through loans or grants rather than direct government subsidies, the channel seeks to maintain independent editorial policy. The channel began broadcasting in late 1996, with many staff joining from the BBC World Service's Saudi-co-owned Arabic-language TV station, which had shut down on 1 April 1996 after two years of operation because of censorship demands by the Saudi Arabian government. The Al Jazeera logo is a decorative representation of the network's name written using Arabic calligraphy. It was selected by the station's
Al Jazeera America Story. Also airing at various times were the Al Jazeera English programs "Earthrise", "Al Jazeera World" and "Al Jazeera Correspondent" along with shows brought in from other channels in the UK and Australia. A complete list of hosts and correspondents is located in the box at the bottom. In 2014, Al Jazeera America and producer Reed Lindsay won a Gracie Award in the "Outstanding Hard News Feature" category from the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation for the story “Fists of Fury,” which aired on America Tonight. The award was the first award ever for the channel. Al Jazeera America