Al Jazeera in New York

Al Jazeera is checking out spaces for its American-based network's New York City headquarters and has looked at the former New York Times building, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The building is one of several the broadcaster is looking at as a space for Al Jazeera America, which is set to replace Current TV this year. According to the Journal, the “search appears to be in the early stages” and the Qatar-funded network is viewing multiple spaces in the city.

Currently, the network has made no decisions for a permanent space, the Journal reported, but has rented temporary space in two buildings as it prepares for its launch.

Al Jazeera was drawn to the space because the building was capable of being wired for digital media distribution, according to a person familiar with the matter.

But another person familiar with the search said the company was concerned that there were "too many columns" for the construction of the kind of studio space that Al Jazeera America will need.

The company hasn't made any decisions about where it will end up, the people said, and the search appears to be in the early stages.

The broadcaster has rented some temporary studio space in two buildings—at the Manhattan Center at 311 W. 34th St., and at another building nearby—for a crew of about 150 people, as it ramps up its broadcast capabilities for the launch, according to people familiar with the matter.

The New York Times sold its building on West 43rd Street in 2004 as part of its move to a new headquarters on Eighth Avenue.

Founded in 1996 as an Arabic-language satellite channel, Al Jazeera has become the most-watched news channel in the Arab world. It sparked controversy in the U.S. in the early 2000s for airing videos made by the terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, and drew complaints from members of the Bush administration for reporting they considered anti-American.

In 2006, it launched Al Jazeera English, but reaching its goal of gaining national television distribution within the U.S. has proved elusive, as cable outlets refused to carry it outside of a few local markets.

In January, Al Jazeera bought Current TV, the struggling cable channel co-founded by former vice president Al Gore, and announced plans to launch a new U.S.-based channel. Since then, Al Jazeera has been seeking to add new journalists, placing ads for more than 100 jobs in New York and Washington.

Although at the time of the January announcement Al Jazeera said it planned to double its U.S. head count to more than 300, the total number will be as many as 700, according to a person familiar with the situation. It isn't clear how many of them would be based in New York.