The Sandspur

Issue date: 4/15/05 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Lara Bueso

Former Vice President Al Gore's newest venture is a television network known as Current.tv. This new network, aimed primarily at eighteen to thirty-four year olds, will air on August first.

Starting Aug. 1, Current will replace News World International, which is available in almost 19 million U.S. homes-12 million from DirecTV and about 5 million on Time Warner's digital-cable service. Current acquired News World International from Vivendi Universal Entertainment for an undisclosed sum last May.

A short form of programming, referred to as the "TV equivalent of an I Pod shuffle" will be used by the network. These fifteen second to five minute segments will cover a little bit of everything, from fashion, news, politics, music, and even spirituality.

Links like "Current play list (for the most popular music)," "Current Parents (advice for first time mothers and fathers)," and "Current Gigs (Career guidance)" will be offered as well.

Gore and Google have teamed up, and in addition to all of these things, the network will include Google's data on the most popular Web searches. "Google Current" will automatically update the network's news every half hour with segments spanning from thirty seconds to three minutes in length.

The goal in mind is to have as much of the contents of the network as possible be created by viewers. Gore has said "We are creating a powerful new brand of television that doesn't treat audiences as merely viewers, but as collaborators."

Very soon, viewers will be able to make their own segments and upload them to the network's web site, where they will be evaluated and ranked by other viewers. The highest ranking picks will be aired on the actual network.

Current is even planning on offering a comprehensive online training program that will teach viewers how to produce a proper news segment with the use of a digital camera and a computer.

Gore believes that young adults have a very powerful voice, and that he would like to be able to hear the voice on television. He has said that "The Internet opened a floodgate for young people whose passions are finally being heart, but TV hasn't followed suit."... And now he plans to remedy this.

Joel Hyatt, the co-founder of Current, credits the vision of the new network to a quote he once heard: "Don't give them what you think they want. Give them what they never thought was possible."

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