Current TV
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| Current TV | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Launched | August 1, 2005 |
| Owned by | Al Gore Joel Hyatt |
| Slogan | Your World. View. |
| Website | Current.com |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| DirecTV | Channel 366 |
| Dish Network | Channel 196 |
| Sky Digital (UK & Ireland) | Channel 193 |
| Sky Italia | Channel 130 |
| Cable | |
| Virgin Media (UK) | Channel 155 |
| Available on most cable systems | Check Local Listings for channels |
Current TV is an Emmy award winning independent media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. The cable television network went on the air at midnight EDT (4:00 UTC) on the morning of August 1, 2005. A second network, operated in the United Kingdom and Ireland started its operation March 12, 2007 for Sky and Virgin Media subscribers.
Current features "pods", or short programs, of which a portion are created by viewers and users.
An experimental Canadian show called ZeD was the first programmed broadcast of user-generated video content.[1] Other inspiration for Current TV came from a 1990s series on MTV called UNfiltered, where the network sent cameras to viewers in order to report on stories they thought were important. Current TV is the first American 24-hour network based around viewer-created content, which it dubs VC2.
Contents |
[edit] Programs
Users (called VC2 Producers) contribute three-to-seven-minute "pods", which are on a variety of subject matter. The content is filtered by registered users, on Current's website through a voting process, but pods are ultimately approved or disapproved by Current's on-air programming department, VC2 makes up a portion of the material aired on the channel. Users can also create Viewer Created Ad Messages, or V-CAMs and Current TV promos which are small promotions for either Current TV or the general topic of VC2. The channel has exclusive broadcast rights for all media in perpetuity on viewer-submitted pods, and in some cases outright ownership of the pod and its raw footage, although this is negotiated on a pod by pod basis.
Along with a plethora of VC2 content, Current also produces a variety of programs internally, including:
- infomania (TV Series) is a weekly produced half-hour satirical news show covering politics and other big news stories; similar to The Soup and The Daily Show.
- Vanguard is Current's in-house journalism department and is team of young producers and correspondents who specialize in enterprising reporting on global issues. In addition contributing original pods to Current's daily shuffle, Vanguard airs a weekly half-hour program of longer and more in depth pieces.
Hosts on Current TV appear in a set based on The Chemosphere, built by American architect John Lautner in 1960. [2]
SuperNews! airs on Current TV.
Current recently launched 'Current:News' an hourly news broadcast with news stories submitted and voted for by its online community.
[edit] History
After the 2000 U.S. presidential election, Gore and Hyatt wanted to start a conventional cable news network. They were disenchanted with the existing networks, especially CNN. The plan evolved into making a viewer-generated channel aimed at an audience demographic age 18-34.
On May 4, 2004, INdTV Holdings, a company co-founded by Gore and Joel Hyatt, purchased cable news channel NewsWorld International (NWI) from Vivendi Universal for the express purpose of launching their new network with the space on some digital cable lineups (and DirecTV) that NWI had. The new network would not have political leanings, Gore said, but would serve as an "independent voice" for a target audience of people between 18 and 34 "who want to learn about the world in a voice they recognize and a view they recognize as their own." Other reports said that Gore hoped that the channel would help change the tide of "consolidation and conglomeratization" of the media by leading the change to "democratization." The news network was said to be a combination between CNN, MTV, and blipverts.
In the summer of 2004, Gore and Hyatt announced their new network, christened INdTV, with a series of public recruitment events. The first of these events was held at the Bambuddha Lounge in San Francisco's Tenderloin, on August 25. On April 4, 2005, the former Vice President and business partner Hyatt announced that they had changed the name of the network from INdTV to Current. The new television network launched in the United States on August 1, 2005. Currently, the network is available in 30 million homes nationwide in the US, with plans underway for several international versions.
On September 20, 2006, Current TV started a short-lived partnership with Yahoo to supply topic-specific "channels" to the Yahoo Video website. Called the Yahoo! Current Network, the first four channels, "Current Buzz", "Current Traveler" "Current Action" (about action sports) and "Current Driver" quickly became the most popular videos on the Yahoo Video web site. There were Yahoo branded segments on Current TV, similar to the Google Current segments. Additional web channels were planned. However, on December 6, 2006, Yahoo and Current TV announced the end of their relationship. [3] Madeline Smithberg, co-creator of The Daily Show, was the Executive Producer for this project.
On October 6, 2006, a deal was announced with British Sky Broadcasting to create a localized British version of Current TV to its satellite systems in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The British version went live on March 12, 2007.[4] The channel launched on Sky EPG number 229 and Virgin Media Channel 155.
In 2007 Current TV started VoD service on Virgin Media.
On September 16, 2007, Current TV won an Emmy award for Best Interactive Television Service at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards. This was the first year in which this Emmy was presented during the primetime broadcast. The award was presented by Masi Oka of Heroes fame and MySpace founder Tom Anderson (through their own computers), and Al Gore and Joel Hyatt accepted the award on their behalf.[1]
On February 8, 2008, it was announced that the network will be also available on the Italian Sky Italia satellite digital platform on channel 130. According to the official website, broadcast has started on 8 May 2008.[2].
[edit] Hosts
- Rowly Dennis
- Nzinga Blake
- Amaya Brecher left Current TV and now co-hosts Cosmic Sutra and Stargazing on Karma Air[3][4]. Previously on Real World Hawaii.
- Douglas Caballero
- Elizabeth Chambers
- Gotham Chopra
- Crystal Fambrini
- Jael de Pardo
- Justin Gunn
- Shauntay Hinton left Current TV and now hosts on the Fine Living Channel
- Conor Knighton
- Laura Ling Vanguard Correspondent
- Kaj Larsen Vanguard Correspondent
- Mariana van Zeller Vanguard Correspondent
- Max Lugavere
- Anthony Marshall
- Joe Hanson
- Kinga Philipps
- Christof Putzel Vanguard Correspondent
- Jason Silva
- Graeme Smith (Radio DJ and TV Presenter)
- Angela Sun
- Adam Yamaguchi Vanguard Correspondent
- Rawley Valverde
- Zara Martin (TV Presenter and Actress)
- Layla Kayleigh is no longer a part of Current TV. She was initially hired as a host, but was terminated before the network went to air for doing a photo shoot with the magazine Maxim. She is now at G4 doing "The Feed", a segment on the network's Attack of the Show.
- Michelle Lombardo
- Scott Logan (TV Presenter and Actor)
- Donna Ruko
[edit] References
- ^ Al Gore joins Emmy parade, Variety.com, Sep. 13, 2007, 4:56pm PT
- ^ Scopri di più su Current TV
- ^ karmaair.com
- ^ Karma Air page on Stargazing
[edit] External links
- Official site
- ilikemusic.com Interview with Current TV Music Team -- ilikemusic.com
- 'Betting a Network on Youths Who Think' -- New York Times article
- Current TV at one year -- Associated Press
- 'All Eyes on The Shins' -- Wired Magazine
- 'The Other Man Behind Current TV' -- Broadcasting and Cable article on Current's CEO Joel Hyatt
- -- Variety
- Current TV's V-CAMs (Viewer Created Ad Messages) -- Adweek
- Current TV Tops 50 MM Subs -- Multichannel News
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