Current TV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Current TV | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Launched | August 1, 2005 |
| Owned by | Group lead by Al Gore and Joel Hyatt |
| Website | Current.tv |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| DirecTV | Channel 366 |
| Dish Network | Channel 196 |
| Sky Digital (UK) | Channel 229 |
| Cable | |
| Comcast | Channel 107 |
| Time Warner Cable | Channels May Vary |
| Charter | Channels May Vary |
| Cox | Channels May Vary |
| Virgin Media | Channel 155 |
Current TV is an 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 12th, 2007 for Sky and Virgin Media subscribers.
Current features "pods", or short programs, of which 30% 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 24 hour network based around viewer created content.
Contents |
[edit] Programs
Users (called VC2 Producers) contribute 3–7 minute "pods", which are usually documentary in nature. The content is filtered by registered users on Current's website through a voting process called "greenlighting". VC2 makes up a portion of the content 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 rights over viewer-submitted segments, but not copyright ownership.
Google provides hourly updates on popular web searches branded as Google Current. Current formerly had a business relationship with Yahoo to supply video "channels" to The Yahoo! Current Network
Additional content is purchased by the channel through commercial methods.
SuperNews airs on Current TV.
[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 young people.
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. [2] Madeline Smithberg, co-creator of The Daily Show, was the Executive Producer for this project. She currently heads up Google Current.
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.[3] The channel launched on Sky EPG number 229 and Virgin Media Channel 155.
[edit] Hosts
- Johnny Bell
- Nzinga Blake
- Amaya Brecher
- Douglas Caballero
- Elizabeth Chambers
- Gotham Chopra
- Jael de Pardo
- Justin Gunn
- Conor Knighton
- Laura Ling
- Kaj Larsen
- Max Lugavere
- Anthony Marshall
- MURS
- Kinga Philipps
- Christof Putzel
- Jason Silva
- Graeme Smith
- Adam Yamaguchi
- Rawley Valverde
- Layla Kayleigh was a correspondent for a short time, before being terminated for doing a photo shoot and interview for Maxim magazine.
