Suarez joins Al Jazeera America

Al Jazeera America said Monday it has hired Ray Suarez, chief national correspondent for PBS "NewsHour," as the host of its daily news and analysis show, "Inside Story."

Suarez will moderate analysts and experts for the panel-discussion show as they cover the day's top stories. He starts on Nov. 11.

"This is exactly what I wanted to do: host a program that provides viewers with a close look at the day's news and the issues they care about the most without the partisan rancor that you often see and hear elsewhere on television," Suarez said in a statement.

One of the most high-profile Hispanic journalists in the U.S., Suarez hosted National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation" for six years before joining PBS in 1999. He also spent seven years reporting for Chicago's NBC-owned station WMAQ-TV and wrote Latino Americans, the companion book to a PBS documentary series.

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Despite sluggish ratings following its August launch, the news network plans to expand programming in the coming months and open more U.S. bureaus beyond the 12 it currently operates. "The results from our first two months have been very encouraging," said Al Jazeera America's interim CEO Ehab Al Shihabi.

A morning news program, a weekly sports program, a weekly culture show and new documentary series will be introduced. The network said it will hire more reporting, web, creative and business staffers.

Last month, Al Jazeera America broadened its distribution by signing a carriage agreement with Time Warner Cable, the nation's second largest cable service provider.

The network, which is funded by the government of Qatar, says it will reach nearly 55 million customers once the cable company finishes installing the channel in the lineup. It will also be available to customers of Bright House Networks, a cable operator whose carriage contracts are negotiated by TWC.