Al Jazeera America Launches with Hash Marks

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It's not like we didn't say this was going to happen. 

But, the ratings are in for Al Jazeera America's first week and they are in a word awful.

How awful?

If you turn on the channel right now, you will be doubling their ratings. 

OK...maybe it's not that bad, but most of the shows hash marked in the ratings. 

TV Newser says the highest rated show on AJAM last week was the Thursday evening edition of “Real Money with Ali Velshi,” which drew 54,000 total viewers.

When your best show pulls only 54,000 viewers, you know you're in for a long road ahead. The reporter that went topless when she interviewed the Mayor pulled more than 4 times the traffic as AJA's best show and that was just a posted video on YouTube.  

AJA's ratings are awful and we frankly don't see them getting much better.  

The critics can rave about the network all they want, people aren't going to watch it.