Current TV
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| Current TV | |
 |
|
|---|---|
| Launched | August 1, 2005 |
| Owned by | independent |
| Website | Current.tv |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| DirecTV | Channel 366 |
| Cable | |
| Comcast | Channel 107 |
| Time Warner Cable | Channels May Vary |
| Charter | Channels May Vary |
| Cox | Channels May Vary |
| Verizon FiOS | Not Available |
Current TV is an independent media company, led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, businessman Joel Hyatt, and a team of industry professionals and young people. The cable television network went on the air at midnight EDT (4:00 UTC) on the morning of August 1, 2005. Until the minute before the launch, the channel carried Newsworld International from the CBC.
The network features various "pod" segments. These "pod" segments are videos between 5 seconds and 15 minutes, and are designed by the network's viewers. Viewers are able to pick their favorite videos and get instructions on the Internet on how to construct and submit their own segments. Current calls such user generated content Viewer Created Content, or VC2 (VC-squared). The channel has exclusive rights over viewer-submitted segments, which was a change from the original policy of the creator retaining rights to the content. [1]
Current TV is offering a tiered pricing structure ($500 - $1000 / video) for any video content they elect to put on the air. Current will retain the exclusive rights to the content for three months, which is a point of contention between the company's interest and the philosophy of open-source, or, crowdsourcing media.
Google provides hourly updates on popular web searches. [2] See Google Current. Current also has a business relationship with Yahoo to supply video "channels" to The Yahoo! Current Network
An experimental Canadian show called ZeD, was the first programmed broadcast of user generated video content.[3] Current is the first 24 hour network based around viewer created content.
Contents |
[edit] Programs
Current TV has a variety of different ways that viewers can contribute. This is called VC2, or viewer created content. One way to contribute is a 3-7 minute pod about topics of interest, or topics in the news, or really anything interesting. in which one may earn $500-$1000. Current TV also has Current Mobile, which is a short clip of footage acquired via cell phone. The money that can be earned for this type of footage is $100. There are also Viewer Created Ad Messages, or V-CAMs. Viewers can create an ad from a list of some of Current TV's sponsors. It is possible to earn anywhere from $1,000-$50,000. One can also make Current TV promos which are small promotions form either Current TV or the general topic of VC2. The max amount of money that can be earned here is $250 per piece. The grand prize for the Seeds of Tolerance contest is $100,000 and will be announced on December 2nd 2006.
[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 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.
In August 2006, Current TV had become a leader in midst of the growing popularity of YouTube and viewer-created content. 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 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. Madeline Smithberg, co-creator of The Daily Show, is the Executive Producer for this project. Additional web channels are planned.
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.
[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
- 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.
