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Home Front: Culture Wars
AlGore launches TV Network for Pod People
2005-04-04
EFL: SAN FRANCISCO, April 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Offering a glimpse of the independent network first announced at last year's National Cable & Telecommunications Association convention, former Vice President Al Gore and entrepreneur Joel Hyatt, joined by executives and on-air talent, revealed this morning that the name of the new venture, formerly known as INdTV, will be Current. The unveiling of the much-anticipated network's positioning, logo and prototype programming reel took place at a press conference in Current's San Francisco headquarters during NCTA '05.
Where else but San Francisco, it's just too perfect
The first national network created by, for and with an 18-34 year-old audience, Current will offer 24 hours of programming in a unique, short-form content format when it premieres August 1. Current will invite audiences to move beyond their roles as viewers to become active collaborators, encouraging them to help shape the network's content and fulfill its mission -- to serve as a TV platform where the voices of young adults can be heard.
Gee, what ever happened to the voice of the liberals Al promised us?
"The Internet opened a floodgate for young people whose passions are finally being heard, but TV hasn't followed suit. Young adults have a powerful voice, but you can't hear that voice on television ... yet," said Gore, who serves as the network's chairman of the board.
And who better to know what young people want than AlGore

"We intend to change that with Current, giving those who crave the empowerment of the Web the same opportunity for expression on television. We want to transform the television medium itself, giving a national platform to those who are hungry to help create the TV they want to watch."
"Power to the People!"

The participatory model of Current marks a giant leap in seven decades of television. "Until now, the notion of viewer participation has been limited to sending a tape to 'America's Funniest Home Videos,' calling an interview show, taking part in an instant poll, or voting someone off an island," added Gore. "We're creating a powerful new brand of television that doesn't treat audiences as merely viewers, but as collaborators."
Promising a slate of programming that's smart, fun and fearless (as a truly independent network), Current seeks to cater to the Internet generation's need for choice and control. Reflective of its name, it will serve up the most current information on the people, places and happenings of interest to viewers 18-34, a demographic that no longer relates to traditional news.
Taking its cues from their media consumption habits, Current will offer short-form programming in the TV equivalent of an iPod shuffle. Its "pods" will be 15-second to five-minute segments that range from the hottest trends in technology, fashion, television, music and videogames, to pressing issues such as the environment, relationships, spirituality, finance, politics and parenting, subjects that young adults can rarely find on television.
Pod segments include "Current Playlist" (music for the digital generation),
"Current Parent" (advice to first-timers), "Current Gigs" (career guidance) and "Current Soul" (trends in spiritual awakening). Drawing from audience submissions are such pods as "Current Courage" (profiles of heroism and altruism), "Current Video" (video clips from the next Spielbergs or Spike Jonzes) and "Current Rant" (inviting viewers to let off steam).
"Google Current," built using samplings of popular Google search data, including from Google Zeitgeist, complements the free-flowing pod format with news updates each half-hour. Thirty seconds to three minutes in length, these segments buck conventional news practices by reporting not on what media editors decide is "news," but on the topics people are actually searching for right now. So news isn't what the network thinks you should know, but what the world is searching to learn.
The World According to Google, that is. Given the placement of left-leaning "news" sites on Google, it's not hard to see which way they'll be leaning. Plus, if the lead news story is determined by it's Google ranking, the boyz at DU will be busy stacking the deck.
"We're pleased to collaborate with the entire Current team to help this network make the world's information more accessible," said Sergey Brin, Google's co-founder and president of Technology. "Current is an exciting new direction for TV programming that enables any viewer to have the opportunity to broadcast their video to the world," said Larry Page, Google's co-founder and president of Products.
More at the link, if you care.
Posted by:Steve

#12  you know... this sounds like something out of M, M, uh, M M M MAX HEADROOM
Posted by: Phil Fraering   2005-04-04 8:53:42 PM  

#11  LOL... yeah, I know what those are like.

I'm still chuckling over the idea of Lurch trying to appeal to "young people"...
Posted by: Dave D.   2005-04-04 8:52:41 PM  

#10  Who's "Dan"?
Sigh. Thanks, Dave. It's been a long day.
Posted by: Steve   2005-04-04 8:39:36 PM  

#9  Gee, what ever happened to the voice of the liberals Al promised us?

They've been in Al's head all along.
Posted by: badanov   2005-04-04 6:13:50 PM  

#8  Who's "Dan"?
Posted by: Dave D.   2005-04-04 4:39:57 PM  

#7  And they'll be known as Pod People.
Thanks, Dan. I'm stealing that for the title.
Posted by: Steve   2005-04-04 4:38:54 PM  

#6  The pod idea sounds interesting for half an hour a day max. beyond that it's just too scitzho for even the Mtv generation.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2005-04-04 4:34:59 PM  

#5  We'll clean the blood off the decks, throw the dead overboard, lash together a new mast, double the teams on the pumps, and the USS ALGORE will sail again to fight another day I tell you! Al Gore should take the whacky spouse, pot smoking StAlbans educated son, and hangers on out to a deserted island to start a new nation of their own.
Posted by: Tkat   2005-04-04 4:30:34 PM  

#4  "Its "pods" will be 15-second to five-minute segments that range from the hottest trends..."

Sounds like a video version of People magazine aimed at larval lefties-- dolts with the attention span of a newborn puppy who find MTV too cerebral.

And they'll be known as Pod People.
Posted by: Dave D.   2005-04-04 4:15:10 PM  

#3  The first national network created by, for and with an 18-34 year-old audience, Current will offer 24 hours of programming in a unique, short-form content format when it premieres August 1.

'Cause, y'know, them 34-year-olds just can't concentrate for more than 2 minutes at a time...
Posted by: mojo   2005-04-04 4:15:09 PM  

#2  In six months it'll be "All Rap Videos, All the Time". If it lasts six months...
Posted by: tu3031   2005-04-04 4:12:41 PM  

#1  Good to see that MSNBC will get some competition FOR LAST PLACE! This does have a silver lining. The left has found a new outlet to spend their money and wont have too much left over for campaigns. Like Air Amerika they will have a finite audience and little appeal outside that.
Posted by: Cyber Sarge   2005-04-04 4:10:06 PM  

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